Meridian Source - Best On The Border 2020 - February 27, 2020

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BEST ON THE BORDER 2020

Thursday, February 27, 2020

Congratulations from Mayor Gerald Aalbers “What can I say to those local businesses who keep working as hard as they do to keep our community going?

I say thank you. It hasn’t been the easiest stretch down the road for businesses in our community, and I can say our businesses have certainly stepped up from the perspective of being more creative, being in the community and continuing to support the community even though it’s been a little tougher than we’d like economically.

They continue to persevere. We have new businesses opening up, which are great as entrepreneurs see the opportunity in our community.

I definitely want to congratulate all of the winners that were selected by individuals in the community.

That speaks to the service they provide, and for the runners up, just keep doing what you’re doing.

Keep polishing and you may be in that front-row seat next year if this continues because I think customers do vote, and when people come

in and do business every day, that speaks highly of their business.

It’s great to have people like that in our community because they’re the backbone of our community.

We do business every day, and they support us each and every day.

Local businesses provide jobs and the items that we need on a daily basis.

You can walk into businesses and be able to procure what you need to fix something, to buy something new, and that’s terrific and that’s what businesses are there for.

They support the community when they’re asked for donations, big or small, and they support the great organizations that support the entire community, not ju st a particular club or organization, they support the big

events they have on a regular basis and we thank them.”

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Message from the editor EDITOR Taylor Weaver

Thank you Lloydminster, thank you for making our first Best On The Border Reader’s Choice Awards a success.

Throughout the year, we like to print special sections similar to the one you’re currently reading to keep things fresh while offering readers something different from the paper they’re used to picking up.

Putting this section together was a lot of fun, and of course a lot of work, for the team here at the Meridian Source, and for me, it was a lot of fun getting out and interviewing businesses and community members I had yet to meet.

I have written editorials in the past about how much I enjoy meeting new people in the community and sharing their stories with readers, and it’s work like this that inspires those editorials.

With categories such as Best Place to Shop (Home Hardware Building Centre), Best Grocery Store (Lloydminster and District Co-op), Best Charitable Organization (Big Brothers Big Sisters) and Best Flower

Shop (Abbey Road) to name a few, I got to interview some new as well as familiar faces throughout the process, and my verdict is, Lloydminster residents are proud of the city they call home.

This was meant to be a fun way to get readers involved in what we at the paper do on a weekly basis, while also giving a nod to some local businesses and citizens for the continued work they do.

Congratulations to all of our winners and runners up!

We’ve learned a great deal about you and the amount of passion that goes into the work you do day in and day out.

The interesting thing about the interviews Geoff and I conducted for this supplement was the praise WE got from these local businesses for recognizing them.

Another common comment I heard from businesses throughout the interview process was the fact they plan to use these results to find areas to work on and improve where it’s needed.

There are many spokes on the wheel that keeps this community rolling, and having great business partners and active members of society is the glue that keeps that wheel together. See you next year!

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Home Hardware, a multitude of options, close to home TAYLOR WEAVER

EDITOR

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Home Hardware Building Centre has something to celebrate as they were voted Best Home Building Centre, Best Paint Shop, Best Place to Shop and Best Gardening Centre in Lloydminster.

“We were very shocked and very humbled. It’s always great to see that kind of support from our community,” said David Rurka, who owns and operates the Lloydminster location with his family.

The first generation owners of Home Hardware in the Border City were Richard and Donna Rurka, but the business is now owned and operated by their son David, his wife Jolene, daughter Tasha and her husband Jeff Hilderman, and daughter Sarah.

Some might not think

a hardware store would be voted Best Place to Shop, but Rurka explained there have been some changes over the years to offer customers a more wellrounded shopping experience.

“We’ve often struggled with that because our name doesn’t really showcase what we

offer and what we do, and that’s something we’re always striving to improve upon,” he said.

“I want to give credit to our talented staff and my other co-owners for their ability to bring in unique product lines that cater to our community and make us more unique.”

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Home Hardware on a hot streak FROM PAGE 22

“A lot of the unique categories or options in our store come from inspiration from our staff or things that we’ve done in our past,” he said.

“The Cafe, for example, started because my sister worked as a barista when she was in university and she w a n te d t o b r i n g e l e ments of that to the store, and eventually over time it became very popular and grew to the point where it’s become a full-blown cafe.”

Rurka also explained their new baby department also came to fruition through inspiration from his sister Tasha.

“When my sister started to enter the family-planning stage of her life she noticed there were options in

Lloyd but there were other areas where the city was lacking,” he said.

“

A lot of the unique categories or options in our store come from inspiration from our staff or things that we’ve done in our past.

“She started off very small and through the support of all of our customers it grew quite rapidly and is now a very large part of our store.”

After many successful years in business in the Border City, the entire team at Home Hardware Building Centre wishes to thank the

community for the continued support.

When it comes to good business, it’s all about customer service, something the Rurka family is very familiar with.

“With customer service, we always try to be number one. It’s what I believe sets us apart from the other stores and I believe we can continue to improve upon,” he said.

“Winning these awards is great, but it also shows us where we have room for improvement.”

For more information on Home Hardware, visit them at hhlloyd.ca or call 780875-7762.

“We’re very excited and grateful to receive this recognition and we continue to strive every d ay t o d o somet hing better,” he said.

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Willow Creek voted Best New Business TAYLOR WEAVER

EDITOR

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Willow Creek Clothing and Collectibles has been voted the Border City’s Best New Business.

The home decor and clothing business first officially opened its doors of July of 2018 and has really seen community support since then.

“They’ve been great.

Of course, opening a new business when the economic situation was the way it was, we were wondering how it would all go, but we have a ton of clients from Lloyd and surrounding area that come and shop local with us, which has been really great,” said Willow Creek owner Brenda Gower.

“We’d just like to thank everyone that voted for us and sup-

Supplied Photo ported our small, locally-owned business. It can definitely be challenging opening a store with big box stores around, but we really appreciate them thinking of us and voting us best new business.”

Willow Creek is excited to bring in some new clothing lines in the near future

as well as continue expanding their selection of gift wear.

“We just try to bring in unique items that you might not be able to find at every store in Lloydminster.”

Willow Creek is located at 3804 50 Ave and can be found on Facebook or reached at 780-808-0886.

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Good things come in threes for Synergy

Glenn Stang, CEO, Synergy Credit Union TAYLOR WEAVER

EDITOR

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Fresh off the heels of announcing they will be the 2020 Saskatchewan Summer Games volunteer program sponsor, Synergy Credit Union was elated to find out they had been voted the Best Financial Institution, Best Mortgage Company and Best Customer Service/Friendliest Staff in Lloydminster.

“I was really surprised and honoured to hear the news,” said Synergy’s CEO Glenn Stang. “Especially when it’s unsolicited accolades like this. It really

hits home and tells us we’re doing something right.

“You’re never perfect, but you’re still doing something right.”

Synergy Credit Union celebrated its 75th anniversary in the Border City in 2018, something Stang noted was a great accomplishment for the institution.

“I think we owe a lot of credit to our staff for this,” he said.

“We’ve been on a cultural journey since 2005 and every year make subtle changes to the way we do business.”

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Financial literacy and stability with Synergy FROM PAGE 25

“One of the quotes I’m regularly saying to our staff is ‘service, it’s defined as ordinary people doing ordinary things extraordinarily well,” he said.

“When you start to think of what that means, when you walk into a business, are you greeted and made to feel welcome? Those are the things we try to impress upon our staff, and all of the interactions they have with our clients, we’re seeing them doing those things extraordinarily well.”

When it comes to building relationships with clients, Stang explained the process can take time, but it’s time well spent.

“When it comes to money it can be slow.

It’s something you

don’t play with and it’s near and dear to everyone,” he said.

“

One of the quotes I’m regularly saying to our staff is ‘service, it’s defined as ordinary people doing ordinary things extraordinarily well.

“It’s through conversation and getting to know people and doing those little things that they want ... sometimes it’s even having those tough conversations where you have to tell a client maybe this particular option isn’t in their best inter-

est and here’s why.

“At the end of the day, we’re only successful when our members and our community is successful, and right now, many institutions are talking about the financial wellbeing of individuals, and how do we play a part in that.”

To the community, Stang would like to thank everyone who voted and for thinking of Synergy.

“We really appreciate the accolade; it means a lot,” he said. “It puts a skip in our step and makes us think ‘what more can we do to raise the bar.’”

Fo r mo r e i nf o r ma tion on Synergy Credit Union, visit synergycu. ca, call them directly at 306-825-3301, or pay them a visit at 1014908 42 Street.

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Not letting oral hygiene fall by the wayside TAYLOR WEAVER

EDITOR

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Wayside Dental’s Dr. Nekky Jamal may have been trying to relax after returning from a dental brigade in India on Tuesday night, but the calm, cool and collected dentist was over the moon after hearing he was voted Best Dentist and Best Corporate Citizen, while Wayside Dental won Best Dental Office, in the Meridian Source’s Best on the Border contest.

“I just try to treat people just like I’d want to be treated, and I work on every tooth like it was my own, and I guess people like that,” Jamal said with a laugh.

“I don’t even know what to say to that about this recognition.

That’s amazing and I’m speechless.

“You go to work every day and never expect to

Photo courtesy of Dr. Nekky Jamal

Dr. Nekky Jamal was all smiles during a very recent dental brigade to India.

get acknowledged like that.”

Jamal originally decided to get into dentistry because he wanted to help those who were afraid to visit the dentist.

“We see a lot of the anxious patients who are scared because they haven’t seen a dentist in years, and I became

a dentist to help change that,” he said.

“Why does dentistry have to be so scary? We don’t need to hurt people or give people bad experiences.

“That’s why I was also so surprised with this acknowledgement, I thought everyone was like this.”

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“No matter what language you speak, nobody likes going to the dentist” FROM PAGE 30

After graduating from dental school in 2009, Jamal moved straight to the Border City and started working.

“I’ve only been a dentist in Lloydminster,” he said.

“I’ve gotten job offers from different areas around the country, and for me, it’s just not the same, Lloydminster is home and I love the community and the spirit.

“I’m proud to call Lloyd home and I’m so honoured that people let me work on them and help their dental care.”

Jamal also had to give a huge thanks to his staff at Wayside for going above and beyond in everything they do, while also making the clinic a great place to work.

“I truly feel like I have the best staff around and they work so hard to keep everyone com-

fortable and calm and I’m thankful they want to come to work with me every day.”

“

Even though Lloydminster is home, my community is the world.

Jamal is also active in the community as a member of the Border City Rotary Club, but his passion for giving back and using his skills to help others has taken him all over the world on dental brigades.

“Even though Lloydminster is home, my community is the world, and I feel when people around the world don’t have the opportunity to see a dentist or even know what they do; if I can share my ability with anyone, I’m more than will-

ing to,” said Jamal, who just returned from trip to India and explained he was helping locals with their teeth but they didn’t have a clue who he was or what he was doing there.

“They were questioning what a dentist does, and to me that’s crazy,” he said. “I’m so grateful that Lloydminster has championed our water projects and as a community as a whole we’ve provided 13 water wells to areas in Nicaragua that never had water before.”

Jamal has been on roughly 19 dental brigades over the years and can’t wait to see what the future holds.

“Even though our physical borders are present, it seems our emotional border travel, and I’m so excited I can represent Lloydminster across the world providing dental care and water wells.”

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RE/MAX voted Best Realty Company

Michael Dewing, broker and office manager, RE/MAX Lloydminster.

TAYLOR WEAVER

EDITOR

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In the market for a new place to hang your hat?

Give RE/MAX a call to get the ball rolling as they celebrate being voted Lloydminster’s Best Realty Company.

RE/MAX has been in the Border City for 28

years and continues to provide residents with the customer service they’ve grown to love.

“RE/MAX has been i n to w n f o r 28 y e ars and has a 30 per cent market share right now,” said Michael Dewing, broker and office manager at RE/ MAX.

“Hard work and dedication to the brand and the clients make a successful real estate company these days.

Listening to the clients’ needs and staying on top of all of the trends and technology is also very important,” he said. “It takes a lot of hard work from the agents here to remain competitive as the consumer has many choices with roughly 65 Realtors in town.

“We have to attract them to our company and our Realtors based on technology and a proven track record.”

Dewing also noted how after a five-year struggle with the economy, things seem to be turning around and the agents at RE/MAX are ready for anything.

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Making their mark on Border City realty FROM PAGE 32

“We’re well set up for things to come back up and we’re embracing it,” he said.

“We’re onboarding three new agents this week to our office alone, which shows that everyone is a little more confident in the real estate market, and we’re glad for that.”

Like many other local businesses in Lloydminster, RE/MAX consider their team to be a family, something Dewing noted can go a long way.

“You have to be a family, and we always pride ourselves on being a family,” he said.

“We are competitors, but we work together as team players to help people get through any kind of a situation.”

To the Lloydminster community, Dewing and the entire team at

RE/MAX would like to thank you for your continued support over the years.

“

We are competitors but we work together as team players to help people get through any kind of a situation.

“By voting us the top real estate company in the city, we’re proud of that, and we do give back to the city wherever we can,” he said.

“We have major donations every year at the Servus Sports Centre for a field house, we support the local handivan you see driving around with our name

on it, as well as a number of other charitable events that take place throughout the year.”

When it comes to what makes a successful Realtor, Dewing said there are a few things RE/MAX looks for to stay true to the company’s mission.

“I think first and foremost, it comes down to the ethics of a Realtor; you can’ teach that,” he said. “You can’t teach e t h i c s , i nt e g ri t y a nd morals, and those are things we look for.”

For more inf ormation on RE/MAX and the services they can provide for you, visit them at remaxlloydminster.ca or call 780808-2700.

“Again, we’d like to thank the community for the continued support over the years as well as this recognition.”

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COBS eyes fresh start to sales

Geoff Lee Meridian Source

Sarah Beaunoyer co-owner of the COBS Bread store in Lloydminster is kicking off a donations bin campaign for the Lloydminster Men’s Shelter on Feb. 27.

GEOFF LEE

WRITER

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The COBS Bread store in Lloydminster is sharing some fresh news with area customers following their first full year in business.

The COBS franchise, owned by Sarah and Richard Beaunoyer, is the bronze winner as one of three best new businesses in a Best on the Border Reader’s Choice online con-

test by the Meridian Source.

“We didn’t even know about this until we got an email letter from the Source. I’m like ‘oh my God, damn, if we had known, we would have made sure we won’,” joked Richard.

The news broke in time for the Beaunoyers to quietly mark their first business anniversary on Feb. 17 with a Facebook post thank-

ing their loyal customers and staff.

COBS is a fast-growing company that offers a range of fresh-baked bread and sweet treats with everything baked on site.

The Lloydminster store was touted as the likely 113th store in the chain when the doors opened at unit 2037803 44th Street in Brentwood Commons in 2019.

“It’s been an amazing experience, obviously a learning experience,” said Sarah.

“I’ve been baking all year mostly and now I finally able to move to sales and get to know who are customers are and what they want.”

The Beaunoyers have come to define their business as a community bakery that’s here to help out.

The store is inviting money donations for the Lloydminster Men’s Shelter in a new instore charity campaign starting Feb. 27.

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The fundraiser will wrap up on April 4 when $2 from the sale of every six-pack of hot cross buns sold that day will be donated to the shelter.

“We’re going to be launching four different lines of hot cross buns. We’re going to be doing traditional, orange, cranberry, chocolate chip and apple cinnamon,” said Richard.

“At the end of the day, we will present a cheque to the men’s shelter.”

The Beaunoyers are also extending the company’s commitment to making free end-ofday-donations of all daily baked goods to local charities.

The current beneficiaries include The Olive Tree, Residents in Recovery, Big Brothers Big Sisters and the Lloydminster Gospel Fellowship.

Schools are also getting a chance to benefit from a new “dough raiser” event with schools.

Students at partic-

ipating schools get a coupon offering a free loaf of COBS bread with the purchase of a sixpack of mini cinnamon buns credited to the name of their school.

It’s part of the Beaunoyers’ “what goes around, comes around” marketing philosophy.

COBS will donate five per cent of the total sales to respective schools at the end of the school year.

“It’s awesome for the schools. They don’t have to do anything.

There is no work on their part. Anyone can put their purchase to support a school,” said Sarah.

The program fits the Beaunoyers’ secondyear business strategy to generate new customers and an even higher profile in the community to bounce back from a baffling drop in sales that started in October.

“We’ve got really good service and our product is still the same—it’s a really good product. We don’t have any telltale signs that are explaining this to

Thursday, February 27, 2020

us,” said Sarah, who says it’s not a morale issue either.

“We get a secret shopper every month and I just got a report today and my sales girl got 100 per cent,” said Sarah last Wednesday.

As for prices, Sarah says the price for the healthy grain bread at COBS is in the same range as t he grocery store.

Richard says it seems like they are chiselling their way back since January with more business and he thinks there is nowhere to go but up.

“I think we have to continue to climb and get out to the community and working with charities and donations to get us out more in the public eye,” he said.

“People will start understanding what we are and what we’re all about.”

Richard says where COBS stands out is the quality of their products all the way from their bread to their pastries.

“It’s nothing but awesomeness,” he said with a laugh.

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Dark Hour voted Best Tattoo Shop on border

Photo courtesy of Warne Noyce TAYLOR WEAVER

EDITOR

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Looking to get some fresh ink but not sure where to go? Why not check out Dark Hour Ink as they were voted the Best Tattoo Shop in Lloydminster.

“I got an email saying we had been voted the best tattoo shop in Lloydminster and had to read it a few times because I thought it was spam,” said Desiree CornetWile, who owns Dark Hour with her husband Scott.

“The funny thing is, we’ve been wanted to make up some best on the border T-shirt, and now we can,” she said.

“We’re also planning our 10-year party to celebrate being a local business pretty soon, and working through those past 10 years has been great, and everything is coming full circle.”

For someone who’s never been inside a tattoo shop, there can be a bit of intimidation, but Dark Hour wants to make sure clients are left feeling at ease

and ready for their art.

“It can come down to something as simple as a smell,” she said. “In this industry, you have to feel comfortable the moment you walk through the door.

“If you’re not comfortable, walk out and go to the next shop and ask questions.”

The motto at Dark Hour since opening the doors has always been “one step forward, five steps back,” something Cornet-Wile says rings true today.

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Get inked with Dark Hour

Supplied Photo FROM PAGE 36

“If you have one thing you need to get done, you always have four or five steps you have to take to get to that done,” she said.

“That’s just the way it’s always been for us. From day one it’s always been about making sure people are walking out smiling.”

Dark Hour also prides itself on giving back to the community and has taken part in a variety of different charitable tattoo initiatives, including semicolon (mental health) and Alberta Strong (Fort McMurray fire) projects.

“For the semicolon tattoos we donated the funds to the Lloydminster Hospital, and for the Alberta Strong tattoos we took 30 $100 gift cards into

The Olive Tree,” she said.

“We’re all about the community.

Whatever we can do.”

Ask any staff member at Dark Hour and they’ll be quick to tell you they feel like a family.

“We have Madeline Dell who’s been here for just over a year now. We have Katt Rothschild and she just celebrated being with us for five years, and then there’s Scott and me who started everything,” she said.

“It’s not a job if you’re doing what you love.”

For more information on Dark Hour Ink, they can be found online, or contact them at 780-875-1884.

“We try to keep it fun and comfortable, and we always have an opendoor policy.”

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Munro voted Best City Councillor TAYLOR WEAVER

EDITOR

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It’s never an easy job, but someone has to do it.

“

I congratulate Coun. Munro and I think we have six excellent councillors and I’ve been very fortunate to work with these excellent councillors.

Coun. Stephanie Munro was voted the Best City Councillor in the Border City, followed by Coun. Ken Baker and Coun. Jonathan Torresan.

“I congratulate Coun.

Munro and I think we have six excellent coun-

File Photo cillors, and I’ve been very fortunate to work with these excellent councillors, and I know they carry the City in their heart and on their heart. They speak about it each and every day, and go out and do what they do,” said Mayor Gerald Aalbers.

“Congratulations to Coun. Munro, but you

have some pretty stiff competition behind you,” he said with a laugh.

“If you want experience, Coun. Baker has us beat, and it’s fabulous working with all of the councillors. I think each councillor brings a unique gift and a set of tools to the table and we get great input from everybody at that table.”