Mission: Fun & Games, a 20-year staple in the community, picked up the Enmax 2010 Small Business Week Award of Distinction Wednesday night.
In two decades, owner John Engel said the store has seen many changes.
“When I started, the fax machine was considered new technology,” he said on Wednesday, after receiving his award.
“You never could have told me 20 years ago that I’d be shipping games all over the world from my small store and that my daughters would be working side by side with me, helping me stay in business and that we would be hosting provincial championships for a game called PokĂ©mon,” he added.
The store, which sells a wide variety of board, card, role playing, trading card and miniature games, as well as jigsaw puzzles and bridge supplies, has seen a 40 per cent total retail sales increase in the last three years and currently employs eight people.
“St. Albert has been a great home,” he said.
Engel said he is grateful for the support of his daughters, Christa and Sharlene, and of his wife, Tracy, to whom he proposed on a Scrabble board.
“My wife, 20 years later, is still helping to keep the store going and I’m grateful for that.”
The awards ceremony, which marked the end of Enmax 2010 Small Business Week, was markedly different than in years past with an Academy Award-type format complete with red carpet and spotlights set up outside the Arden Theatre.
As in past years, interviewing committees went out around town and spent up to an hour at each business that had been nominated for an award.
“I think it was very, very good. Everybody was very happy about it. We had 225 people which is a few more than we had in the other years so that’s a great indication,” said chamber chair Mike Howes. “The committee did a great job.”
Howes is optimistic that next year’s award ceremony will bring out even more people from St. Albert’s business community.
“I like the format, I think people are going to come out in droves next year. It’s going to be ever better well attended once they’ve heard how well it went,” he said.
Wednesday’s gals began with an award-winning dance routine performed by members of the Art of Dance in St. Albert, followed by the singing of O Canada by 14-year-old Mackenzie Dayle. Jackie Rae Greening, a stationmaster at CFCW, was the night’s emcee.
In his opening remarks, Mayor Nolan Crouse said the chamber of commerce offers a great service to the community.
“Without a strong chamber, you don’t have a strong economic development base,” said Crouse.
“You’re seeing a classy event, which is also a tribute to the chamber of making sure that St. Albert continues to be a classy place to do business and a classy place to live.”
In particular, Crouse thanked the chamber for setting the bar especially high for youth, with the introduction this year of the Youth Work Experience Award of Distinction.
“When we see people on stage, often there is grey hair and that’s great because there is a certain amount of wisdom with grey hair, but in so many ways we need to involve youth in our community and acknowledge what youth do,” he said.
This year’s Youth Experience Award of Distinction went to Duncan MacIver, an employee at Staples.
Another new category this year, was the award for Outstanding Workplace, which went to Funky Petals floral shop.
Owner Blair Goebel, who took over the store in 2008, congratulated the two other businesses, Summit Physiotherapy Ltd., and Sturgeon Auto Body Shop Ltd., who were also nominated in the category.
“We’re very customer service oriented. It’s a very fun place to work. We feed off of each other for designing and being creative,” said Goebel.
Triumph Financial Inc. picked up the Business-to-Business Award while Leading Edge Physiotherapy received the Marketing Award.
Majestic Tanning’s Joe Mounsef picked up this year’s Young Entrepreneur Award of Distinction.
Mousef said he’s developed a loyal customer base in the four years since he opened his business.
“At the end of the day, anyone can go to a tanning salon, so we thrive on cleanliness and customer service,” he said.
“That’s what sets you apart from the guys across the street.”
Mar Orthodontics picked up this year’s award for Outstanding Customer Service.
The evening ended with the presentation of the Chair’s Award of Distinction to long-time St. Albert business Johnston Builders.
The award is presented at the discretion of the chair of the St. Albert Chamber of Commerce to a business that embodies and exhibits overall outstanding achievement and leadership in the community.
