On April 15, 2021, the Mississauga Board of Trade (MBOT) hosted a special virtual event to celebrate its 2020 Business Awards of Excellence winners. These awards recognize and celebrate the individuals and organizations whose outstanding leadership and business excellence give Mississauga its pulse.

Congratulations to the more than 120 nominees and all of this year’s deserving winners!

BUSINESS PERSON OF THE YEAR AWARD

Winner: Jay Mandarino of CJ Graphics Inc.
Jay Mandarino is the President & CEO of CJ Graphics Inc., the world’s most award-winning printing and communication solutions company, with over 6,500 awards. Jay founded his company in 1980 during his last year of high school. Today, CJ Graphics Inc. includes 35 companies operating out of a state-of-the-art quarter million square-foot facility in Mississauga.

Under Jay’s leadership, CJ Graphics has won 70 Bennys (the highest honour from the most prestigious print competition in the world) and his business success has earned him a spot on Profit magazine’s list of 100 Most Profitable Companies in Canada.

Jay is an active Board member of the Learning Disabilities Association of Ontario, donates his time to over 50 events a year, is a partner of several school boards and donates his time speaking frequently at high schools empowering youth. In 2008, he opened CJ’s Skatepark. Its mission is to engage and empower all children in the community including at-risk youth and those with special needs through recreation, development and mentoring in skateboarding, scooter riding and in-line skating.

In recognition of his many philanthropic contributions, Jay has received the Diamond Jubilee Medal, the Ontario Medal for Good Citizenship, the Order of International Ambassadors Medal and the Mississauga Board of Trade’s Sam McCallion Award for Community Involvement.

LARGE BUSINESS AWARD

Winner: MHI Canada Aerospace Inc.
MHI Canada Aerospace, Inc. (MHICA), a Mitsubishi Heavy Industries group company, is a Tier 1 manufacturer of major aircraft structures and assemblies. Pre-Covid, MHICA was 700 highly-skilled employees strong working on Bombardier aircraft in a state-of-the-art manufacturing and assembly facility and a supply chain and logistics centre in Mississauga.

“Our values are to be a motivated community to our employees and citizens, to always be highly engaged in what we do, to innovate, to collaborate and to be accountable to each other, our organization and our community,” says Janet Wardle, MHICA’s President & CEO. “At MHICA, we truly live and breathe these values every day, and that makes it a great place to work.”

MHICA and its employees live these values everyday. Recently, employees led an effort to use the company’s 3D printers to produce personal protective equipment (PPE) for local hospitals.

MHICA embraces their diversity everyday and ensures inclusivity along with their values. They proudly celebrate the diversity of their employees by hanging the flags of the countries their employees represent in the cafeteria. With the continued support of their parent company in Japan, Mississauga and its employees, MHICA will continue the Canadian Aerospace legacy.

EMERGING BUISNESS LEADER AWARD

Winner: Alykhan Jadavji of Habib Canadian Bank
Alykhan Jadavji is the Vice President, Retail Banking at Habib Canadian Bank. He is a key member of the management team, responsible for leadership of the retail branch network for the Canadian arm of the bank.

Alykhan is a member of the Board of Directors of the Darling Home for Kids in Milton and is also the co-founder and Managing Director of Palette Foods – Blue Elephant, an importer of authentic, high-quality, award-winning Thai foods and ingredients.

“It’s an honour to receive this award,” says Alykhan. “It means a lot of have my accomplishments recognized, and it encourages me to continue working hard and contributing to Mississauga.”

EMPLOYER OF THE YEAR AWARD

WINNER: Amgen Canada Inc.
Amgen applies science and innovation to help fight serious illness and dramatically improve people’s lives. An early pioneer in biotechnology, their therapies have helped change the practice of medicine. Amgen Canada has been headquartered in Mississauga since 1991 and employs over 400 people in Canada.

“We’re committed to creating an environment where staff are treated fairly and equitably, where they can thrive and develop, do exciting and innovative science and dramatically improve patients’ lives,” says Brian Heath, Vice President & General Manager, Amgen Canada Inc.

Diversity, inclusion and belonging are interwoven into everything Amgen does, with a commitment to promoting and maintaining an inclusive high-performing culture. The company offers a range of programs including flexible work hours, summer hours program, the Wellbeats App promoting healthy lifestyle, an annual staff appreciation day and company paid volunteer time.

“We’re proud to be part of Mississauga’s future and we will treasure this award, which belongs to each and every Amgen employee,” says Brian.

SMALL BUSINESS AWARD

Winner: Camp Tournesol Inc. & the Brouillet Academy
“For the past 20 years we’ve created a safe place for thousands of youth to experience French outside of the classroom, discover French culture and the importance of a second language,” says Martine Brouillet, Founder, Camp Tournesol Inc. and the Brouillet Academy.

Camp Tournesol is the leader in French summer camps in the GTA. Since 2001, they’ve run French day summer camps, French overnight camps and out-of-province trips for more than 25,000 campers. In 2017, Martine established a sister company, the Brouillet Academy, which complements the hands-on experiential learning provided by Camp Tournesol with a more academic and structured environment all year round.

“I am so proud of our success,” says Martine. “This started as a passion project and has grown into a thriving business, thanks to the support of my family and my entire team.”

NOT-FOR-PROFIT OF THE YEAR AWARD

Winner: The Mississauga Food Bank
The Mississauga Food Bank is the central food bank in Mississauga. Through its network of over 50 agencies including neighbourhood food banks, pantries, and meal and snack programs, the food bank distributes food for almost five million meals each year to vulnerable children, seniors, families, and neighbours in Mississauga.

“It’s inspiring to be part of something that is truly a community effort,” says Meghan Nicholls, CEO at The Mississauga Food Bank. “I proudly accept this award on behalf of every supporter, our valued agencies and partners, every volunteer and all our staff members.”

The demand for emergency food in our community continues to rise, and the economic impact of the pandemic will be felt for years to come. The Mississauga Food Bank will continue to work and advocate for policies to ensure that no one in the community goes hungry.

INTERNATIONAL TRADE AWARD

Winner: iS5 Communications Inc.
Founded in 2012, iS5 Communications Inc. (iS5Com) is a global provider of integrated services and solutions, and manufacturer of intelligent Industrial Ethernet products capable of withstanding the harshest environments. They serve 420 end-users in the utility, transportation, industrial, surveillance and defence industries in 42 countries around the world.

Demand for iS5Com’s products, which are capable of withstanding the harshest environments, is higher than ever. Meeting customers needs during Covid-19 has required revamping its supply chain and finding completely new ways to reach their customers around the world.

“We are proud to represent the City of Mississauga on an international level and look forward to years of growth ahead,” says Jonathan Azarcon, Executive Vice-President, Marketing & Customer Success.

SAM McCALLION COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT AWARD

Winner: Century Audio Visual
Mississauga-based Century Audio Visual (Century AV) strives to be different, to be inventive and push barriers. They also strive to give back to the community in which they operate.

“We have made it a pillar of our business for over 25 years to be responsive to our community’s needs,” says Colin Tyler, President, Century Audio Visual. “We have a long history of supporting many Mississauga organizations through donations of AV services for events, financial contributions and giving of our time.”

With the pandemic came increased need and Century AV stepped up. In particular, Colin and his team provided expertise to help Feed Mississauga (a sub-organization of ‘Twas the Bite Before Christmas) run successful social media fundraising auctions, through financial donations and volunteering – Colin has personally delivered more than 1,000 meals!

BUSINESS INNOVATION AWARD

Winner: Surgically Clean Air Inc.
Since 2010, Surgically Clean Air has been making workplaces safer and cleaner with high-quality, medical-grade air purification systems. Organizations around the world are choosing these systems to keep their clients and staff safe during Covid-19.

Surgically Clean Air’s proven technology was originally developed for aerosol contaminant control in the dental sector, which has the harshest indoor air quality. Their units feature an exclusive six-stage technology that not only filters air, but actually sterilizes it.

Based in Mississauga and proudly Canadian, Surgically Clear Air has been recognized as a fastest-growing company by the Financial Times, Report on Business, and Growth 500.

“We’re beyong thrilled to receive such a prestigious award,” says Chris Fernando, Sales Director. “We’re proud to represent the City of Mississauga and look forward to years of growth ahead!”

CLEAN & GREEN AWARD

Winner: Ecosystems Informatics Inc.
Ecosystems Informatics Inc. (ESI) is a Mississauga-based, innovation-driven, clean technology company whose goal is to provide information to help leaders make better sustainability decisions. They are helping make our world a better place by enabling real-time environmental decision-making.

One example of ESI’s innovation is the canAIry, a first-of-its-kind, compact, easy-to-use, mobile pollution monitoring system, developed in partnership with Ontario’s Ministry of Transportation, that is currently being used to track pollution levels on Mississauga streets. With COVID-19, ESI’s technology is also being used to help identify potential local hotspots based on patterns in air pollution.

“We’re honoured to be recognized for the work we’re doing to ensure a good life for us today and for generations to come,” says Shirook Ali, Founder & CEO, ESI.

NEW BUSINESS AWARD

Winner: Little Rose Cookie Co.
In a year like no other, Stephanie Urlando’s Little Rose Cookie Co. has grown from a home kitchen one-woman operation, to a thriving nine-person corporation.

Stephanie opened Little Rose Cookie Co. storefront in Streetsville last March to rave reviews… just a week before the world closed down. In addition to figuring out how to safely operate during a pandemic, she overcame a number of challenges in growing her new business over the past year. Today, Little Rose Cookie Co. produces thousands of cookies each week and has been featured in The Toronto Sun, Blog T.O. and on Kiss 92.5.

“I am so grateful for our amazing community that has supported us since day one,” says Stephanie. “I also need to thank my friends and family for helping me realize my dream and to my incredible team – the business wouldn’t be what it is without you!”

As we congratulate this past year’s winners, it’s actually time to start thinking about the 2021 Awards of Excellence! Do you know a Mississauga business that deserves to be recognized? Nominate them or yourself! Details can be found on www.mbot.com. The deadline for nominations is August 31. Winners will be announced at our event in November 2021.

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Mississauga Board of Trade