On a sunny day in Hespeler Park in late June, members of the Niverville Chamber of Commerce gathered at the picnic shelter to hold an outdoor, socially distanced ceremony to honour the winners of this year’s annual business awards.

There are three awards: Outstanding Customer Service, Business of the Year, and the Alex Fast Sr. Memorial Award.

The Outstanding Customer Service Award went to RuffMutts, owned and operated by husband-and-wife team Amanda MacLean and Guy Britten. RuffMutts has grown quickly in the past several years, leaping from a home business to its first storefront. Less than two years later, the business expanded into its second storefront, where they now offer grooming, self-washing, and dog daycare in addition to selling pet food and supplies.

A key component of the customer service award is comments and votes from the public, and the business received a deluge of praise from their base of loyal customers.

For Business of the Year, the Chamber awarded Done Hair, Skin and Nails, owned by Karen Albaugh. Done has been in business for five years, offering a range of beauty care products and services. In particular, in the last year they’ve striven to build their online store and increase retail sales.

“We aim to provide a stress-free, fun, welcoming atmosphere where our clients can leave work behind, leave family obligations behind, and just focus on some self-care,” says Albaugh. “Our goal is to have them leaving look and feeling great.”

The third and final prize, the Alex Fast Sr. Memorial Award, seeks to acknowledge either a business or individual who has made outstanding contributions to the community.

This year, the award went to Henry Friesen of Blue River Group. Friesen has operated his financial consulting business in Niverville since 2004. Throughout his time in the community, he has been quick to help people in need, providing hours of pro bono financial advice to those who can’t afford it, and becoming involved in various charities and local outreach programs.