The Parkland Chamber of Commerce held its annual Celebration Night complete with awards at Countryfest Community Cinema, Mar. 10, and Gabe Mercier could not be more excited.
“I really get excited about awards because awards come because of hard work, because of dedication,” the chamber president said to get the evening started. “People succeed and people are nominated for awards because they’re dedicated. They believe in what they’re doing. So everyone tonight who’s nominated, no doubt believed in what they were doing. They have a passion for what they’re doing, they have a cause.”
That does not mean you have to be a crusader for world peace, an environmentalist or a human rights activist.
“Having a cause could be because of your business. You want your business to succeed, you want to provide a service, you want to provide a product for your clients. And so you’re passionate about it,” he said. “So everyone tonight, no doubt you’re successful. You are here tonight because deep down you believed in your business, you believed in the work that you’re doing."
“And it’s good to recognize them and to celebrate the achievement.”
Awards were handed out in several categories.
Winning the Community Appreciation Individual award was Charlene Gulak of Community Futures Parkland, while Under One Roof received the Community Appreciation Group award.
Kyle Zurba of Fire Line Welding was named the Young Entrepreneur of the Year, while Embroidery by Design and Promotions took home the Outstanding Business award.
Carissa Caruk-Ganczar from The Hub Dauphin received the Business Person of the Year award.
The final award of the evening, the Legacy Business Award is a special recognition decided on in private and it caught winner Jim Steiner, the founder of Steiner Plumbing and Heating, by surprise.
Steiner became a plumber after learning the trade from his father in Grandview and as Manitoba’s top apprentice, was invited to compete in an international trade skills competition at Purdue University in 1973.
Steiner and his wife Trudy started the business in 1979 with one van and a shop on the acreage where they lived.
The business grew to point where it employed more than 100 people full-time over the course of four decades.
As one of rural Manitoba’s largest plumbing and heating businesses, there are few commercial buildings in the community the company hasn’t been involved with, either in construction or maintenance.
The Steiner’s success is a testament to Steiner’s people skills and his dedication to being fair and honest, Mercier said in announcing the award. The Steiners retired in 2017, but work was not the entire scope of their community involvement.
“Jim and Trudy believe in community and support countless events and organizations of special significance,” Mercier said, citing the Dauphin Kings, Dauphin and Grandview/Gilbert Plains agricultural societies and several museums around the Parkland as examples. “Personally Jim has volunteered thousands of hours in this community including coaching and refereeing five kids in ringette, hockey and softball teams over two decades.”
Steiner has also served on the boards of several organizations including the Dauphin Snowmobile Club, Dauphin ringette, Manitoba ringette, Parkland Sports Council and Manitoba Games Council. He served as co-chair of the Dauphin CN Station restoration project and the 2004 Manitoba Summer Games in Dauphin. He is currently a member of the Dauphin Agricultural Heritage Club and spends his free time restoring antique John Deere tractors and vehicles, golfing and playing hockey as a member of the Noon Hour Hockey League since the early 1970s.
“This is overwhelming. It means a lot, because we have done a lot and Dauphin means a lot to us,” Steiner said in accepting the award. “We love Dauphin, we love the Parkland. It’s got everything anyone would ever want when you live in the Parkland. You have fishing at the parks all around us. There’s nothing more to ask for in life and it’s been very good to our business.”
Steiner expressed his gratitude that their daughter Carla and her husband Chris Wolfenden took over the business when he and Trudy retired in 2017.
“Because they’re doing an excellent job, taking it over and building upon what we started,” Steiner said, adding everything they did throughout the years was for the betterment of the community.
“It was really a labour of love, everything we ever did. In the business we just kept on plugging along and you don’t expect recognition like this, but it happens, I guess. It’s really overwhelming. Thank you, thanks very much.”
