Sudbury spirit at awards: 'I would live here forever'; The Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce's 9th Business Awards of Excellence gave the city something to cheer about.

It seems setting up a pita joint in Northern Ontario is an excellent way to fill a trophy case.

Just months after Thunder Bay's Carole Long was honoured with an Influential Women of Northern Ontario Award and a Northern Ontario Business Award (NOBA), Greater Sudbury's Richard Peterson received a Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce Business Award of Excellence.

Both won as Young Entrepreneurs. Both are Pita Pit franchisees.

The crowd of about 350 at the Radisson Hotel found out May 9 that a pita restaurant was just what Sudbury's downtown was looking for when it opened seven years ago.

Filled with students looking for a cheap alternative to the burger and fries junket and seniors looking to eat healthy without breaking the bank the city welcomed the colourful franchise with open arms.

So did Peterson's mother, whom he thanked above all.

"She is the one that believed in me the most. The rest of my family pretty much laughed at me."

Now the owner of a second location, Peterson also had some kind words for Sudbury, saying he had been "all over" Canada and the United States.

"I love Sudbury. The people here are nicer. If I didn't have to move (back to Toronto for family reasons), I would live here forever."

The 2006 Company of the Year practically has been here forever.

Rastall Corp., the fastening guru of the North, has been in operation for 31 years and employs 30 people. Many are long-term employees. Six years ago, the company overcame a huge challenge when the building on Lorne St. and its inventory was destroyed by fire.

Rastall was featured for their excellent customer service and speedy delivery. With a massive 18,000-foot inventory, all orders are shipped the same day.

"Our customers know they can get anything right now," said founder Don Rastall.

The Customer Service Award winner has been around for a while, too.

Skakoon Home Hardware owner Michael Skakoon has been selling hardware from his small shop on a side street in the Donovan (an original neighbourhood of Sudbury adjacent to downtown and known for its affordable real estate) for over a decade.

"Never in my wildest dreams did I anticipate being known and nominated from the Donovan," he said. "We have a bit of a relaxed atmosphere. Customers get a real feeling of being at home."

Skakoon started his shop as one of the best plumbing outlets in the region, and was soon folded into the Home Hardware family. Proudly sporting his blazing red Home Hardware blazer, he said the key to success, especially from such a relatively obscure location, is having a staff that knows that every customer that walks in the door is the boss.

"Customer service is doing whatever you can to satisfy the customer," said the cofounder of Donovan Days, one of a few annual neighbourhood-based festivals in Sudbury. "I don't mind going to a person's house and figuring out what they need."

And when the store can't give the customer what they need, Skakoon, a plumber by trade, gets on the phone and finds out who can.

The Business Startup Award for companies three years old or younger went to Fuller Industrial Corp., which specializes in applying rubbers and other anti-abrasion coatings to industrial parts of all sizes.

Most parts are shipped out to customers within 24 hours, according to president, Jeff Fuller. In fact, the 20-employee, ISO 9001-certified company has been running two shifts for the past six months to keep up with demand.

"We serve the world from our hometown of Sudbury," Fuller said. "I want to thank the city of Sudbury. It's a great place to live, have a business and raise a family."

The winner of the Small Office Home Office (SOHO) Award does all of that at the same time.

David F. Wood Consulting is owned by David Wood, the only professional engineer in Ontario licensed to advise on rock blasting. He was accordingly blown away when he won the award.

"I'm gobsmacked," he exclaimed upon ascending the stage.

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He noted that having himself and all of his sons in a suit and tie at all, let alone at the same time, was a singular event in their history.

"The best part of having a home office is doing your work in your pajamas."

The Entrepreneur of the Year Award went to Unitz Online. The Sudbury firm offers more local phone numbers supported by Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) than any other company in Canada, according to president, Mike Graham.

Graham didn't say much else except to thank his award sponsor, nominator and the Chamber, and Respect Is Burning for supplying the "little piece of paper I wrote my speech on." (Respect had a promotional prize envelope at every seat at the dinner).

The Allied Health Management Group was recognized with the New Venture Award.

The unique company contracts clerical work for doctors' offices, other medical practitioners, therapists, etc., so they can focus on their patients.

The Innovation Award went to Mike Gribbons' Synergy Controls.

Recently featured in the pages of Northern Ontario Business, Synergy was started as a home office 13 years ago, and now has offices in Timmins, Sault Ste. Marie, Sudbury, Thunder Bay and Winnipeg.

The company, led by president, Gribbons, P. Eng., supplies control, measurement and automation instrumentation to a wide variety of industrial customers.

"We bring all the parts of the industrial equation together as one solution for the customer."

The Hospitality Award went to Respect is Burning Supperclub owners Rob and Mini Gregorini, who after opening a hip nightclub that transformed into the rustic Italian restaurant it is today are optimistic about the future of business in Sudbury.

"It's not what we have today, but the wonder of what we could have tomorrow that keeps us going," said Rob.

And last but not least, the Chair's Award went to CTV Northern Ontario.

Scott Lund, CTV Northern Ontario vice-president said it is strange to have the spotlight pushed back on the body that usually covers what the leaders in the audience are doing, but that it was humbling and exciting to get the award all the same.

By CRAIG GILBERT

Northern Ontario Business