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For Immediate Release
Friday, March 4, 2011
NEWS RELEASE
SPIRIT OF WINNIPEG AWARDS HONOUR INNOVATION
Five Recipients Announced at Gala Dinner
March 4, 2011 – Innovation enriches our city, but for many businesses and organizations today, innovation is about survival, says Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Dave Angus.
Tonight, The Chamber and BDO Chartered Accountants and Advisors, together with Marketplace Magazine, presented Spirit of Winnipeg Awards to five local companies, charities and not-for-profits that have embraced change by taking a concept or idea and choosing to do things differently.
“Innovation is about striving for better approaches and practices that contribute to the vibrancy of our businesses and our city,” Angus said.
Dave Anderson, office managing partner of BDO in Winnipeg, said: “BDO has seen first-hand, through our relationships with our clients, the pioneering spirit that so many businesses in Winnipeg possess. We are proud to be associated with the Spirit of Winnipeg Awards and salute the organizations that have helped this city grow.”
The award recipients, selected by an eight-member panel of judges, are:
CHARITY - Habitat for Humanity Winnipeg
Habitat for Humanity Winnipeg builds homes for low-income working families. Homes are sold at full-market value to families, who must complete up to 400 hours of “sweat” equity to qualify for a no-down-payment, zero-interest mortgage. Monthly payments, geared to family income, are then used to purchase and service land for future builds.
Surpluses from the Habitat ReStore cover Habitat’s administrative overhead. Homes are built debt-free because building materials are donated and money is raised in advance.
Habitat Winnipeg has accomplished something only a few charities have – it doesn’t need to fundraise. Every dollar that goes into building a home produces three more dollars over the next 50 years.
NOT-FOR-PROFIT - Downtown Winnipeg BIZ
The BIZ is passionate about brainstorming and being innovative, which resulted in a social media initiative that has taken on a life of its own. Downtown Peggy, an attractive animated character whose name is a take on Winnipeg, is the positive face and voice of downtown, counteracting negative perceptions that exist.
She has become the go-to gal for all things downtown. She has her own Web site, and blogs and tweets about shopping, dining and entertainment. Soon, she’ll have her own app. She’s even made personal appearances downtown (life-size cutouts) and made Ace Burpee’s list of Top 100 most fascinating Manitobans. She has 1,360 followers on Twitter, growing by about 10 new followers a day.
SMALL BUSINESS - 5468796 Architecture Inc.
5468796 is an architecture studio established to challenge convention – from branding, architecture and design to detailing and engineering systems.
5468796 believes great design and real innovation can be achieved with modest means if careful consideration is given to all aspects of a project, including improving the way things can be done, whether it’s developing a new system for existing materials or finding new materials for an existing system.
They challenged the notion that providing a performance venue was the only function for a new stage in Old Market Square. The entire aluminum skin was custom designed to reflect internal lighting and video art to the exterior.
MEDIUM BUSINESS - Frantic Films
Frantic Films works in an industry built on innovation, which means its survival is based on innovation. As an independent film, television, commercial and branded-content production company, Frantic has created and produced nearly 400 hours of programming – from local ads for SCU and Dufresne to the long-running lifestyle series Til Debt Do Us Part and comedy and dramatic series, such as the Winnipeg Comedy Festival and Todd and the Book of Pure Evil.
However, Frantic is only as good as its last idea. In its live action division, now its core focus, Frantic’s goal is to find factual and lifestyle series that resonate with audiences. It is also exploring opportunities in the dramatic realm and new relationships where corporations pay to have content created and broadcast on the Internet and other platforms.
LARGE BUSINESS - MTS Allstream Inc.
The market for telephone, Internet and television services is competitively intense, and industry participants must deliver on increasing customer demands or face the real possibility of extinction. By moving to a new Fibre to the Home (FTTH) infrastructure, MTS will significantly reduce maintenance and operational costs, while providing a platform for delivering innovative new services.
In 2010, MTS launched MTS Ultimate TV (UTV) service over a FTTH network in Selkirk, and now is looking to Winnipeg. Third-party developers are beginning to develop applications that enhance and will change the way people watch TV.
The Chamber, whose mission is to foster an environment in which Winnipeg business can prosper, and BDO, the fifth largest national accounting and advisory firm in Canada, congratulate the recipients and all of the applicants for the 2011 Spirit of Winnipeg Awards.
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For more information, contact:
Wendy Stephenson, director of communications
944-3317
wstephenson@winnipeg-chamber.com