Business Awards 2025
Nominations are now open for the 2025 Business Awards, proudly presented by RBC. With nine unique award categories plus the coveted Business of the Year category, this event celebrates the people and organizations driving our business community forward.
It’s more than just an awards show—it’s a night to remember. Plus, winners are kept secret until the big night, which makes for a fun evening full of surprises, and unforgettable moments.
Whether you’re nominating yourself or someone else, this is your chance to shine a spotlight on excellence. We'll see you on November 27th! *Tickets will be available soon.
Nominations are open from July 10th to September 16th, 2025 at 11:59 p.m. (NDT)
Should you have questions on your nomination application please reach out to: Shanelle Clowe-Hillier, sclowe@bot.nf.ca
Our 2025 Award Categories
Opportunity Seeker Award
Is your business an innovator? Strategic thinker? Sees opportunity where others see obstacles? Is creativity and ingenuity at the heart of what you do? Maybe you deployed new ways to communicate and connect with your customers, or you were able to build new relationships with market segments that you didn’t connect with before. Perhaps you established or enhanced a stellar communications, sales, and/or marketing strategy or invested in an idea that is now starting to show profit.
If this sounds like your business, we want to hear your story! Please tell us how you believe your out-of-the-box thinking sets your business apart from others when seeking opportunities.
Boundary Pusher Award
This award celebrates those businesses that think differently. A “boundary pusher” means you’re the type of business who isn’t afraid to take a risk or two to stay competitive. You’re the bold business that everyone is paying attention to and trying to figure out what you have in that secret sauce – surely a dash of courage, leadership, and some uncertainty (just the way you like it!).
If you tend to operate your business differently, we want to hear from you. Whether you pivoted to focus your business in a different direction, or if you expanded, altered or changed your offering, including your products and/or services, please tell us how you applied a new or unexpected way of thinking to the way you do things and inspire others (staff, colleagues, partners, etc.) to do the same.
Service Star Award
This award celebrates a service-based business that is best-in-class when it comes to building new connections and enhancing existing relationships with customers this past year (September 2024 to September 2025). Tailoring your business to see customer service as the cornerstone of performance is how you’ve differentiated yourself and created a strong brand image that keeps that customer coming back for more.
You’ve found ways to launch new service offering(s), developed a new or innovative way to reach customers, and you take pride in how you positively and effectively approach challenges your customers face (constantly instilling that service standard pride in others). Whatever the specific circumstance, if you switched things up to better serve your customers, this is the award for you.
Community Champion Award
Two awards will be given in this category: One award for businesses with 20+ employees and one award for businesses with fewer than 20 employees.
Giving back to your community is part of your business’ DNA. If you found a great way to support your community, this is the award for you.
You’re the business that cares. From pitching in to help neighbours to supporting philanthropic and/or social causes that caused you to launch new business initiatives, the Community Champion of 2025 celebrates a business that has made outstanding contributions to the community through donations, time, effort and/or other means.
Business Builder Award
Is your business booming like never before? Did your business experience an increase in popular demand for your product(s) and/or service(s)? Did you see a significant growth in sales, market share, or team this past year (September 2024 to September 2025)? The Business Builder of 2025 will be a business that made outstanding leaps in success and growth to their bottom line and as a result, built a stronger presence in the market.
Culture Creator Award
This award recognizes the role that people play in your business, and those businesses who create a space where everyone gets to be themselves, where hard work and commitment are recognized, and where corporate culture is central to the overall vision.
The Culture Creator of 2025 will be a business where culture isn’t just a buzzword—it’s built into everything they do. From leadership to daily operations, they’ve created a workplace that’s engaging, respectful, inspiring, built to bring out the best in their people. Because when you invest in your team, everyone wins.
Leading the Way: Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging Award
Two awards will be given in this category: One award for businesses with 20+ employees and one award for businesses with fewer than 20 employees.
This award celebrates businesses who fully believe that Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging (DEIB) is not just a box to tick, but an element that brings tremendous positive impact to the landscape of their business, their employees, community, and the world. It’s for the business that isn’t afraid to embrace change, have candid conversations around the importance of improving DEIB and who are firmly committed to standing in solidarity with those who are underrepresented.
Demonstrating a commitment to DEIB in the workplace (from September 2024-September 2025), the business who receives this award will be recognized as one who has made significant efforts throughout the year to create a more inclusive and welcoming environment for people from all backgrounds. This award is open to businesses that solely focus on promoting DEIB within the community, as well as businesses that are making strides to promote and create policies to increase DEIB within their community and workspace.
Gala Event
2025 was a big year, and we plan to celebrate in style at the Board of Trade 2025 Business Awards Gala!
With our membership thriving, another awesome year of business growth, and a new award category, our Business Awards are back and better than ever. Please join us at the Delta on November 27th for an evening of music, networking, and celebration.
Past Winners
We are so proud of our past winners! As you will see, they are businesses big and small, all making a big impact in our business community!
2024 Award Winners
Opportunity Seeker: ALPHAS Supplements & Athleisure
Boundary Pusher: Stella’s Brasserie
Service Star: Always in Vogue
Community Champion (20+ employees): NLCU
Community Champion (1-19 employees): The Newfoundland Embassy Pub & Eatery
Business Builder: Land & Sea Pets
Culture Creator: JAC Digital Marketing Agency
Leading the Way (20+ Employees):St. John’s Fish Exchange
Leading the Way (1-19 Employees): DiversityNL
2024 Business of the Year: Wedgwood Insurance
2023 Award Winners
Opportunity Seeker: Whelan Wellness
Boundary Pusher: ASL Energy
Service Star: KBRS meridia
Community Champion (20+ employees): Colemans
Community Champion (1-19 employees): St. John Ambulance
Business Builder: Keen
Culture Creator: Telelink
Leading the Way *NEW*: Newfoundland Power
2023 Business of the Year: Heave Away Waste Management
2022 Award Winners
Opportunity Seeker: Piatto Pizzeria + Enoteca
Boundary Pusher: Port of Argentia
Service Star: Catalyst Health Solutions
Community Champion (20+ employees): Deloitte
Community Champion (1-19 employees): Newfoundland Growlers
Business Builder: Fort Amherst Healthcare
Culture Creator *NEW*: CoLab Software
Business Resilience Award: Studio VERSŌ
2021 Award Winners
Opportunity Seeker: Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra
Community Champion (20+ employees): Harvey’s Home Heating
Community Champion (1-19 employees): The Shop, SALT
Service Star: Avalon Laboratories
Business Builder: Saltwater Designs
Boundary Pusher: DF Barnes
Business Resilience Award: Alderwood Estates