2025 AGM and Business Awards
2025 AGM and Business Awards
Pictured left to right: Sherri & Blair Nygren (Grill 26), Ron & Gisele Miron (Ron's Signs and Graphics), Karen Stephenson (Thunderbird Friendship Centre and Thunderbird Child and Family Centre), Lisa Maki (WildWood Studio), Madeleine Owca and Murielle Serré (Le Club des Francohpones de Longlac). *Representatives for Lochlomond Lodge not pictured.*
The Greenstone Economic Development Corporation (GEDC) held their Annual General Meeting (AGM) this past June 6th at the Centre culturel francophone de Geraldton. The staff, Board of Directors, GEDC members and several guests were in attendance to hear about the GEDC's activities and operations for 2024. Some GEDC events included were the Small Business Week Lunch ‘n' Learn series, the 3rd female entrepreneurship event, Fearless & Flawless, as well as the first set of youth entrepreneurship workshops, Kid-Preneur. More details about the events and 2024 operations can be found in the GEDC's Annual Report. Interested parties can pick up a hardcopy at the business centre or find the report here.
During the AGM, the Board of Directors and Executive positions were also announced. The GEDC staff and members would like to thank the volunteer Board of Directors for their continued commitment to the corporation, communities, and First Nations in the GEDC service area.
2025/2026 Board of Directors:
| Calvin Cloutier | President |
| Frank Hildebrandt | Vice-President |
| Lori Belizile | Secretary |
| Kathryn Legault | Treasurer |
| Evan Armstrong | Director |
| Bobby Beaulieu | Director |
| Maurice Lavigne | Director |
The GEDC would also like to take this time to acknowledge the financial contribution and support of the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario (FedNor), its President Valerie Gideon, former Northwest Program Manager Brent Lundy, Initiatives Officer Greg Desimone and the Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Jobs and Families and Minister responsible for FedNor. We would also like to thank Mandy Cargnelutti for the delicious catering enjoyed by all who attended.
For a second year, the GEDC included a business awards ceremony as part of the annual general meeting and we were delighted to once again present awards to businesses and non-profits within the GEDC's service area. This year's categories included Dedicated Beauty, Game-Changer, Quality of Life, and Community Impact. As well as two new categories, Bright Beginnings and Lifetime Achievement. In preparation for these awards, we asked service area members to complete a survey in which they nominated businesses and non-profits they felt exemplified the criteria of each category. This year, we had even greater participation and saw more variety to the nominations. We also noticed several businesses and non-profits nominated for more than one category - showing that our service area members truly appreciate the dedication of these organizations. All of our award winners were chosen based on the number of nominations they received, so long as the organization was a registered business or registered non-profit and met the criteria set out within the category.
2025 Business Awards Winners:
WildWood Studio
The Dedicated Beauty award is for an organization that takes pride in the maintenance and beautification of their establishment and/or the community at large. This year, the award was presented to Lisa Maki, owner and operator of WildWood Studio. For more information, please visit the WildWood Studio Facebook page here.
Grill 26
The Game-Changer award is for an organization that consistently evolves to meet the needs of their customers or clients; going above and beyond. This year, the award was presented to Sherri and Blair Nygren, owners and operators of Grill 26. Sherri and Blair first opened the doors of Grill 26 in October of 2017. Their vision for the business was to do things a little differently than your average restaurant. The owners wanted to offer great-tasting, high-quality food at lower prices. Knowing this would mean their profit margins would be smaller, this labour of love was their way to give back to the community. There have been several challenges since first opening the restaurant, including increases in expenses and changes to staffing. To continue to provide services with their vision in mind, Sherri and Blair decided to run the restaurant by themselves and reduce the days and hours of operation. However, they still provide catering services for several different events after hours and on days off. Both Sherri and Blair love to hear how much their customers enjoy their food and cook for them like they are cooking for family; knowing their customers are why their business exists. Sherri and Blair have several new developments planned that they hope will help them reach new customers and continue to improve the experience of existing customers. For more information, please visit the Grill 26 Facebook page here.
Le Club des Francophones de Longlac
The Quality-of-Life award is for an organization that has shown dedication to community involvement and activities. This year, the award was accepted by Murielle Serré and Madeleine Owca on behalf of Le Club des Francophones de Longlac. Le Club des Francophones de Longlac was first founded in 1948. Founders started the club because they wanted to bring Francophone citizens together to continue to share their heritage, culture, and language for many years to come. While it can be challenging to find volunteers and enough participants, Le Club des Francophones de Longlac continues to offer a variety of activities that celebrate French culture and heritage. Moving forward, the club remains dedicated to organizing and hosting events for Longlac residents and the Greenstone community. Le Club des Francophones de Longlac also invites anyone in the community who would like to help plan and support Francophone activities to get involved. For more information about Le Club des Francophones de Longlac, please visit their Facebook page here.
Thunderbird Friendship Centres
The Community Impact award is for a non-profit organization that prioritizes the needs and wants of the communities they serve. This year, the award was accepted by Karen Stephenson on behalf of the Thunderbird Friendship Centre and the Thunderbird Child and Family Centre. The beginnings of the first Thunderbird Friendship Centre began in 1971. One of the founders, Lloyd Michon, noticed a need when High School students from surrounding fly-in reserves first arrived to Geraldton. These students were not only new to Geraldton Composite High School but also new to living off-reserve; many without local family members, and some were experiencing a lot of culture shock. Lloyd's vision was to gather Indigenous and Non-Indigenous youth to help them with the transition to Geraldton, starting High School, and to learn about each other's cultures. While the gatherings started in Lloyd's garage, the Geraldton Thunderbird Friendship Centre we know today was donated and built in the late 70s. Seeing a similar need for programming in Longlac and surrounding area, the Thunderbird Children and Family Centre was started in June of 2018. Both centres have many different programs for a variety of age groups and the flexibility to run their programming from either centre. Both centres continuously face challenges for a variety of reasons but despite these obstacles, Karen Stephenson, Executive Director, enjoys finding ways for the centres to help as much as possible. The Geraldton Thunderbird Friendship Centre has been building an addition - a youth centre - they hope to have a grand opening for by the end of August. For information about either of the centres, please visit their Facebook page here.
Lochlomond Lodge
Lochlomond Lodge owners and operators were presented their award at a later date. Pictured left to right: Ryan Duhaime and Vicky Budge (Lochlomond Lodge), Randi Miron (GEDC Executive Director)
This year the Bright Beginnings award was introduced. This award is for a new start-up or an existing business that had a recent change in ownership. This year, the award was presented to Vicky Budge and Ryan Duhaime, owners and operators of Lochlomond Lodge. In March of 2024, Vicky and Ryan became the proud new owners of Lochlomond Lodge, formerly Lochlomond Camp. Both Vicky and Ryan are very social people who love the outdoors and enjoy hunting and fishing, so when the chance to own the lodge arrived, it seemed like the opportunity could be a good fit. Both the owners and their two daughters have enjoyed meeting new people and cultivating a fun and positive environment for guests. Their first year in business brought about many challenges but Vicky and Ryan were determined to continue improving the lodge and to create the best guest experience possible. They actively sought out guest feedback to see what was working at the lodge and what they could do to improve everyone's stay. This year, with their guests' comfort in mind, they replaced all 45 of the cabins' mattresses. As they move forward, their main goal for the lodge is to continue being great hosts that help keep everyone safe and comfortable and to ensure guests have a positive stay. For more information about Lochlomond Lodge, please visit their website here, Facebook page here, or follow them on Instagram here.
Ron's Signs & Graphics
This year also saw the introduction of the Lifetime Achievement award. The Lifetime Achievement award is for an organization that has been operating / had been operating for over 20 years and has cultivated a lasting impression. This year, the award was presented to Ron and Gisele Miron, owners and operators of Ron's Signs & Graphics. Ron Miron first opened Ron's Signs & Graphics in July of 1977 after being approached by several businesses. Not only was there a need in the area but Ron had previous art experience and had already made signage for several local businesses. There have been various challenges in owning a signage and graphics business for the last 48 years, including evolving with new technology. To overcome this challenge, Ron continuously upgrades his equipment (computers, software, printers, etc.) and has started taking credit, debit, and e-transfer payments. The region has also had many changes in the last 50 years, with many small businesses opening and closing. Not to mention many changes within the forestry and mining sectors. Ron's business has been lucky enough to survive the harder times and thrive through an uncertain local economy. When asked why Ron become an entrepreneur, he said that he enjoys being in control of his own destiny. For more information about Ron's Signs & Graphics, please visit their website here or their Facebook page here.
The GEDC would like to congratulate all the 2025 winners and thank all the service area members that participated in the nomination survey.
GEDC is a bilingual, non-profit, community-based organization led by a volunteer Board of Directors and is funded by the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario (FedNor). For more information about upcoming events or news, please explore the website, visit our Facebook page, or sign up for our emailed monthly bulletin by contacting Avery - reception@gedc.ca (807) 854-2273 ext 21.