Two county businesses were among the recipients of the Guelph-Wellington Local Immigration Partnership’s (GWLIP) first-ever Global Advantage Business Awards.
The awards – celebrating businesses and individuals that demonstrate leadership in immigrant employment and entrepreneurship in Guelph and Wellington—were handed out March 29 at a breakfast event at the Italian Canadian Club.
Cargill (Guelph) and TG Minto Corporation (Wellington County) received the Immigrant Inclusion in the Workplace Award.
This award honours businesses that hire immigrants and recognize diversity and international skills and experience as a benefit to their business, and have implemented practices to support cultural and religious diversity in the workplace.
TG Minto is a supplier of plastic automotive components which established a factory in Palmerston in 2000.
A company profile on the GWLIP website notes TG Minto “realizes that newcomers often face a language barrier regarding their development in the workplace.
“As a result, the company has created an on-boarding process for staff who may need assistance in these areas.
“Their human resources department provides translators during training to ensure that workers can fully understand workplace production and safety requirements. Translators are also provided for more in depth one-on-one interactions.”
The Immigrant Entrepreneur Success Award, which recognizes immigrants who have arrived in Canada since 2000 and are driving local innovation and economic growth by launching successful businesses, was awarded to Laza Food and Beverage Inc. (Guelph) and Pine Tree Pet Care Centre (Wellington County).
Pinetree Pet Care Centre, located near Ennotville on Highway 6, offers a variety of services including grooming, boarding, an off-leash area and a pet cemetery.
The grounds are also available to be rented to organizations for various types of events.
Owner Veronica Negrin has shared her business experiences as an immigrant through these various organizations as a volunteer to help prepare other prospective immigrant business owners for the requirements of being an entrepreneur.
In all, there were 14 nominees in the two award categories.
This year’s awards were sponsored by the County of Wellington, the City of Guelph’s Invest in Guelph initiative and Wellington-Waterloo Community Futures Development Corporation.
The GWLIP is funded by Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada and hosted by the City of Guelph.
