Yukon Chamber of Commerce Honours 2008 Award Winners
December 23, 2008
For 23 years, the Yukon Chamber of Commerce has recognized outstanding members of Yukon’s business community in a variety of categories.
On Thursday, December 18th In front of a capacity crowd at a luncheon held in the Yukon Inn, Yukon Chamber of Commerce Chair Mr. Michael Brandt announced the 2008 Business Person of the Year and the Yukon Exporter of the Year.
The 2008 winners of the Business Person of the Year were Rick and Ron Bonnycastle of Castle Rock Enterprises Inc.
In presenting the award, Mr. Brandt introduced the company by saying, “This is a company that has literally been in the trenches. They have been in business since 1997 as sewer and water contractors, they’ve seen sales quadruple and have expanded from ten to more than thirty employees. It should also be noted that more than 40% of their crew are Yukon First Nations people, a statistic they are very proud of. In June of 2006, they were one of the first companies in the territory to become COR Certified, and have the safety record to prove it. They also play an important role in the community as sponsors of Whitehorse Minor Hockey, Yukon Sourdough Rendezvous, the annual Lions Club Golf Tournament and as a Northern Lights sponsor of Canada Winter Games. This is testament to the leadership provided by the principals of this company. With that background, I am honoured to present the Yukon Chamber of Commerce award for the Business Person of the Year to Rick and Ron Bonnycastle, of Castle Rock Enterprises.
The award was accepted by Mr. Rick Bonnycastle who said, “I would personally like to thank my son, Ron, for all his hard work, vision and commitment he has put into our company. There is no other partner in the world I would like to share this award with, other than my son. We would like to thank our families for supporting us through all the hard times and the good. And we would like to thank the families of all our employees who put up with our summers of 16 hour days, 7 days a week with the odd family vacation thrown in around January. We are proud to be Yukoners and we are humbled to receive this award.”
The award for Exporter of the Year went to Yukon Brewing Co. Ltd., also in business in the Yukon since 1997. This award, co-sponsored by Yukon Economic Development, was presented by Deputy Minister Dr. Harvey Brooks.
Yukon Brewing Company products are exported to Alaska, British Columbia, Alberta and to the Northwest Territories. Their innovative marketing efforts often include other Yukon partners that build on and enhance the Yukon brand. Yukon Brewing’s products are a highly popular staple at Yukon events held outside the Yukon.
In accepting the award on behalf of the company and its employees, partner and President Mr. Bob Baxter offered a special thanks to the many
Yukoners who have contributed to the outstanding success of their products in the local market.
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FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
J. D. (Dave) Austin, President & CEO
Yukon Chamber of Commerce
(867) 667-2000
The Yukon Chamber of Commerce is "the Voice of Yukon Business" - providing advocacy and representation on economic development initiatives,
infrastructure development and business legislation and regulations.