Eleven companies took time out of their busy schedules to accept awards at the Progress Top 101 Companies of Atlantic Canada reception in Charlottetown this past Tuesday evening. This year, Prince Edward Island added three more Island companies to this prestigious list of businesses.
The Progress Top 101 Reception is a distinguished annual event that is celebrated in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Prince Edward Island, and is hosted by Progress Magazine from Halifax, Nova Scotia.
"Profitable business is the very essence of a growing community," said Neville Gilfoy, Publisher of Progress Magazine. "Profitable businesses are the genesis of prosperity in a community. Without profitable business, there is no economy and no jobs. An event like this one is a reminder that we have strong, stable companies that continue to grow and sustain our quality of life here in our shared region."
"As the Minister responsible for Development and Technology, I'd like to thank all of you for employing hundreds of Islanders each year and having a significant impact on our provincial economy," said Mike Currie. "The job of entrepreneurship is not an easy one. It takes a lot of hard work, dedication and commitment – characteristics each one of these companies clearly demonstrate on a regular basis."
Awards were presented to the following companies: Prince Edward Island Mutual Insurance Co. (Summerside) - 92; C-Mar Services (Canada) Ltd. (Summerside) - 90; Cooke Insurance Group of Companies (Charlottetown) - 83; Atlantic Aqua Farms Inc. (Orwell Cove) - 81; Testori Americas Corporation (Summerside) - 70, Hemphill Pontiac Buick Chevrolet Oldsmobile GMC Ltd. (Summerside) - 69; Acadian Fishermen's Co-op Association Ltd. (Abrams Village) - 65; Diagnostic Chemicals Limited (Charlottetown) - 62; Walter Picott Chevolds Cadillac (Charlottetown) - 60; APM Group (Charlottetown) 34; Amalgamated Dairies Limited (Summerside) - 32.
The evening's host, Kent Scales, Chief Executive Officer of PEI Business Development Inc., is a proud supporter of this event. "As the lead economic development agency for the province, it is very encouraging for PEI Business Development to see several companies receiving such prestigious recognition."
As part of the Progress Top 101 awards program, this year the magazine launched the publisher's award for excellence to single out one high performing company on the list from each province. Testori Americas Corporation in Summerside, PEI was selected as this year's recipient.
Progress Corp. – publishers of Progress Magazine, Atlantic Chamber Journal, Le Journal des Chambres de commerce de l'Atlantique, The Business Visitor and Open to the World – is based in Halifax. Annually, in June, Progress Corp. produces Face to Face, a conference for entrepreneurs and business growers. As well, the TOP 101 Companies of Atlantic Canada events held in Charlottetown, Halifax, Moncton, and St. John's celebrate the region's business achievers.