2019 Winners

“We’re right on track to where we anticipated to be,” Gregorini said. “This was part of our plan: build out our pillars so that way we can be a back-end service provider; so, one call to solve it all.”

“What we did on a Northern Ontario basis is build a one-stop shop on mining-related activities,” said DeStefano. “This is all about creating a new enterprise.”

Agoke has taken the lead in forest planning, silviculture, harvesting, road construction, wood hauling, and in developing the annual work schedule to allocate the harvest blocks, award contracts and set aside sensitive areas.

Established in 2013, the company set out with the goal of becoming the premier builder of clean-tech diamond core drill rigs in North America.

For Jennifer Twigg, running a business is how she gets to know people. Before settling down in North Bay, the Kirkland Lake-born owner of the wildly successful Twiggs Coffee Roasters travelled extensively, moving to Alberta, Saskatchewan, and as far as B.C. for her husband’s work in the pulp and paper industry.

At JTR & Custom Works, the familyowned and operated welding and fabrication shop has three main goals: provide clients with efficient and competitive solutions; provide employees with a safe place to grow within the trades; and actively engage in the community by supporting non-profit organizations.

“I didn’t know anything about soybeans when we were approached by a multi-billion-dollar company in Belgium to supply them, but I said I’d learn,” said Fowler.

You won’t find the term “socially conscious” on North Star Air’s website. You will, however, see it in the company’s everyday actions.

“It’s an overnight success that’s been 10 years in the making,” said Blackwell, who co-founded the company with Dr. Scott Daley.