By Marlene Moore

Sudbury will soon host Northern Ontario’s most prestigious celebration of business excellence. The 19th annual Northern Ontario Business Awards (NOBA) program takes place at the new Radisson Hotel, Thursday, Oct. 6.

Attendance is expected to surpass 500.

The event rotates among the north’s five major cities: Sudbury, Thunder Bay, North Bay, Sault Ste. Marie and Timmins. This year marks the first time since 2000 that the event will be held in Greater Sudbury.

NOBA is an initiative designed to publicly recognize successful businesses, entrepreneurs and professionals at an annual awards gala.

As Northern Ontario’s largest, most prestigious event of its kind, NOBA is a prime opportunity to network and share ideas, make valuable corporate contacts, and to nurture new and established business relationships.

Nine distinguished award winners will be honoured during the gala evening, which also includes the very popular pre-banquet and post-banquet receptions, as well as a special welcoming reception.

Award categories include Company of the Year (based on size: one to 15 employees, 16 to 50 employees, and 51 or more employees). Awards are also presented to the Entrepreneur and Young Entrepreneur of the Year, as well as for Entrepreneurial Community, Innovation, and to the First Nations Business of the Year.

The newest award, Judges’ Choice, was established to acknowledge a company or individual from the host city, and this year’s winner was selected from among all nominees in Greater Sudbury.

More than 100 nominations were received from around the north. The esteemed panel of adjudicators certainly had their work cut out for them. This year’s judges included David McGirr, vice-president, Business Sales and Strategic Solutions with NorthernTel and Telebec (Timmins); Tom Morris, president and CEO of Wasaya Airways (Thunder Bay); Robert Jackson, president and CEO of Prestige Glass International (Elliot Lake); and Kathy Wells-McNeil, owner and director of nursing services for Total Nursing Care (Sudbury).

Wells-McNeil, a young local entrepreneur and past winner of a Northern Ontario Business Award, as well as an Influential Women of Northern Ontario Award, was raised in Copper Cliff and graduated from Cambrian College. A true emerging leader, she recently expanded her home-care nursing and homemaking business into North Bay.

CTV will be broadcasting a special half-hour documentary featuring the award winners. The program airs at 6:30 pm, Sunday, Oct. 16.

Northern Life is a sponsor of this event.