On April 13, the Niverville Chamber of Commerce gave out its yearly awards at the annual general meeting. The Chamber has three awards—Outstanding Customer Service, Outstanding Business of the Year, and the Alex Fast Sr. Memorial Award.
Niverville Autobody took the honours this year for Outstanding Customer Service. The criteria for the award including having knowledgeable and attentive staff, hours of operation that meet customer needs, consistent inventory levels, a clean and welcoming environment, a customer loyalty program, and innovative and diverse product lines.
“Our business and customer base has been growing every year and we recognize the need to be able to provide a great service in a fair and reasonable amount of time without sacrificing quality,” says Ferd Klassen, owner of Niverville Autobody.
In addition to being recognized for excellent customer service, the autobody was nominated in all three categories this year.
Niverville Autobody is currently in the process of completing a 3,850-square-foot expansion to their building on Main Street. The work was first announced in December, and Klassen says the new space should be complete within a few weeks.
Other nominees for the customer service award, nominated and voted by members of the community, were Anya’s Hair Studio and Southern Comfort Mechanical. Last year’s winner was Done: Hair, Skin, and Nails.
In the Outstanding Business of the Year category, the Chamber recognized Fusion Industries. Fusion, owned by local resident Leon Desmarais, is one of Niverville’s largest employers. Custom steel products fabricated at Fusion’s 17,000-square-foot facility in Niverville are shipped across the globe to international markets. The state-of-the-art equipment includes five- and ten-ton cranes, welding stations equipped with jib cranes, and special fixture tables imported from Europe.
“What drives us is delivering quality products on time that meet and exceed customer expectations,” says Desmarais.
To be recognized in this category, businesses must contribute positively to employment in Niverville, demonstrate sustained growth and innovation, offer exemplary customer service, be active in the community, sport a good health and safety record, and make use of quality improvement programs.
Also nominated were Niverville Bigway, Heritage Lane Builders, Niverville Autobody, and Wiens Furniture. In 2016, the award went to GORP.
This year’s Alex Fast Sr. Memorial Award went to Niverville Bigway. The award, named in honour of one of Niverville’s founding businessmen, recognizes a company that promotes employee involvement in community activities, supports community functions, donates time and financial support to the community, and promotes the community to others.
By this description, Niverville Bigway is an ideal choice. Bigway has long been a mainstay in Niverville, involving itself through donations of both product and time to a long list of important community causes and endeavours, including the Niverville Olde Tyme Country Fair and the annual Imagine Run. Bigway’s focus on community-mindedness began with its original owners, Tom and Bonnie Schmitke, and has extended to their son, John Schmitke, who currently operates the business.
Two other businesses were nominated for the Alex Fast Sr. Memorial Award—The Clarence Braun and Wesley Dowse Team and Niverville Autobody. Niverville Credit Union received the honour last year.
The Chamber’s annual general meeting was also attended by Niverville mayor Myron Dyck and Progressive Conservative MLA Shannon Martin.
Dyck spoke about some of the town’s upcoming priorities, such as the process of identifying a new water source, advancing the multiplex, and looking for new office space. Martin spoke briefly about the recently announced provincial budget, as well as a committee he’s chairing to reduce red tape in government.
Chuck Davidson, President and CEO of the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce, delivered remarks about the business climate throughout the province. Davidson focused on tourism, economic competitiveness, workforce challenges, and the Chamber’s advocacy on behalf of Manitoba businesses.
The Chamber also invited special guest speaker Mathieu Manaigre to make a presentation. Manaigre, President of Avenir IT Inc., is an expert on cyber security and had an important message to impart to the local businesses about protecting themselves from cyber attacks, data breaches, band fraud, and compliance penalties, all issues which have become increasingly prevalent in recent years.
One of the misconceptions Manaigre seeks to dispel is that small business won’t be targeted by cyber criminals because they aren’t worth the effort. He points out that one in five small businesses falls victim to cyber crime each year, a number that is growing. Indeed, small businesses are the low-hanging fruit because of their loose protection, which is why his business focuses on protection services for small- and medium-sized businesses. Ferd Klassen of Niverville Autobody is one of his many happy customers.
Earlier this year, Manaigre received a Winnipeg Consumer Choice Award for IT Consultant. He was also recognized by the St. Boniface Chamber of Commerce in 2016.
Two new board members were elected at the meeting, Kelsey Kosman of Dollhouse Design and Clint Hiebert of Fifth Avenue Estates. The other members of the board include Doug Dyck, Bryan Trottier, Mel Buhler, Karen Albaugh, Andy Anderson, Guy Britten, and John Magri.
