Northern Ontario Business Awards.

• Position: NOBA

Northern Ontario is one of the most robust business regions in the country and home to some of the most forward-thinking business leaders around the globe. For 31 years, the Northern Ontario Business Awards program has celebrated this entrepreneurial spirit and the winning achievements of the best companies, individuals and economic development initiatives.

"Our purpose is, and always has been, to recognize excellence, to build confidence in our ability to overcome obstacles unique to Northern Ontario by celebrating the people who do it," said Michael Atkins, president of Laurentian Publishing and Northern Ontario Business.

"But our purpose is also to build a culture of enterprise, get to know each other and have some fun."

With a capacity crowd in attendance at the Senator Hotel and Conference Centre, awards recognizing outstanding contributions to the North were presented in 10 categories: Company of the Year (1 to 15 employees, 16 to 50 employees and 51+ employees), Entrepreneur of the Year, Young Entrepreneur of the Year, Entrepreneurial Community, First Nations Business Award of Excellence, Innovation, Export and Judges' Choice. A $3,000 Union Gas Essay Scholarship was also awarded to a student pursuing post-secondary education.

The quality of the awards program is underwritten each year by a respected panel of judges from across Northern Ontario. They are asked to look at all aspects of business performance, from customer service and community involvement to human resource management and future planning. This year's judges were: Tom Laughren, director of corporate responsibility at Tahoe Canada (Timmins); Paul Reid, business development officer at the City of Greater Sudbury (Sudbury); Pat Dubreuil, president at Manitou Gold, Ctrl2Market, Magpie Relay and Let's Roll 'ideation' Consulting (Dubreuilville); and Tom Palangio, president at WipWare (North Bay).

In 2018, the 32nd annual Northern Ontario Business Awards will be held in North Bay.

For more information on NOBA, contact Sharon Bowes, marketing manager, at 705-698-2845, toll-free at 1-800-757-2766, or sbowes@nob.on.ca.

Caption: 1. Winners and supporters gathered in the VIP reception room prior to the NOBA dinner and ceremony.

Caption: 2. Northern Ontario Business President Michael Atkins addresses the crowd during the awards ceremony.

Caption: 3. Winners of the 2017 Northern Ontario Business Awards gathered for a group photo.

Caption: 4. Northern Development and Mines Minister...