The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

22 - The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday March 26, 2008 www.oakvillebeaver.com Making a Difference Spotlight on The Oakville Chamber of Commerce We are proud to once again partner with the Rotary Club of Oakville West to present the 13th Annual Oakville Awards for Business Excellence. The Oakville Chamber of Commerce's mission is to foster a healthy economic environment in Oakville. By highlighting the outstanding achievements of the business community and investing in young entrepreneurs, we will help build a strong foundation for a prosperous economy. We can achieve this by raising proceeds through the Awards for scholarships and bursaries for local students. The Oakville Chamber of Commerce and Rotary Club of Oakville West recognize today's students are the business leaders of tomorrow. The Oakville Chamber of Commerce is the community's leading business organization. A not-for-profit organization, the Oakville Chamber of Commerce was established in 1949. The Chamber has grown to over 1000 member businesses representing over 37,000 employees. The Chamber is one of the largest associations of any kind in the Town of Oakville. The Chamber acts as an advocate in support of sound government policies that promote economic development and business opportunities. We also provide a wide range of member benefits and services, including insurance benefits, Visa and MasterCard merchant discounts, member-to-member discounts, self-development opportunities, education and business advice. Our members can also enhance their profile in the community by taking advantage of advertising, promotional and sponsorship opportunities through the Chamber. The Oakville Chamber of Commerce hosts more than 70 events every year. Some highlights include annual Golf Tournament, annual President's Dinner, annual Small Business Week Trade Show, Lunch & Learn educational workshops, the Business Advisory Panel, Good Morning Oakville networking breakfasts, and monthly Business After Hours networking opportunities. The Chamber has hosted events with a number of high profile elected officials, business leaders, and celebrities. Including; Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Premier Dalton McGuinty, NDP Leader Jack Layton, Green Party Leader Elizabeth May, Opposition Leader John Tory, Bill Osborne, President of the Ford Motor Company of Canada, Pierre Morrissette, founder and CEO of The Weather Network, John Suk, founder and CEO of Altana Pharma Canada, Dr. Sherry Cooper, Executive Vice-President of BMO Capital Markets, Tom Grifferty, founder and CEO of First Canadian Title, and world renowned wildlife artist Robert Bateman. There has never been a better time to join the Oakville Chamber of Commerce. For further information, please contact: Lorraine Tonkens, Membership Development Manager, (905) 845-6613 ext. 22, Lorraine@oakvillechamber.com. Gerald Popp, President, Oakville Chamber of Commerce Spotlight on the judges It is challenging yet a pleasure to Chair the judging committee for the 2007 Oakville Business Awards. All the judges are business success stories in their own right, in fact several are past winners of this prestigious award in a variety of categories. This depth of experience and familiarity with the process make for an effective and efficient team. Much credit goes to the Rotary Club and the Chamber who work tirelessly to ensure that the entire program is well organized and flawlessly executed. Anyone who has experienced the awards event in the past can testify to its professionalism. Every year is a challenge to select, from among dozens of applicants per category, the best of the best, to perform due diligence meetings so that, collectively, the judges can elevate but one per category to the post of winner of the coveted award. This year is no exception. So, here's to the Rotary Club of Oakville West and their partner, the Oakville Chamber of Commerce, for their vision and work, to my five fellow judges for their commitment of time and mind, and of course to past winners and new winners that will be announced on what will be another memorable night, April 3, 2008! Randy Pilon, Chair The honourable judges · Randy Pilon, Virox Technologies, Chair of Judging Committee · Roy Bot, Bot Construction · Tom Hitchman, Naylor Group · Barry Sprawson, Retired Executive · Gerard Mercer, Sheridan Institute · Jeff Powell, Powell Insurance Randy Pilon, Virox Technologies Proud Sponsor of the Oakville Awards for Business Excellence Henderson Partners LLP is a leading firm of chartered accountants and professional advisors serving entrepreneurial people and organizations. PROUD TO SPONSOR THE OAKVILLE AWARDS FOR BUSINESS EXCELLENCE Snap-on Tools of Canada Ltd. 2325 Skymark Ave., Mississauga, ON L4W 5A9 Would like to congradulate the nominees for this year's