Monthy Message: DBOT honoured with Chair’s Award for Innovative Service

May 15, 2025 · 0 Comments

The Dufferin Board of Trade (DBOT) was greatly honoured to receive the Chair’s Award for Innovative Service during the awards night at the recent Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCC) Convention in Windsor from April 24 to 26.

The award was presented in recognition of DBOT’s development of the Dufferin Biz Hub, a growing social enterprise that provides coworking space, private offices, meeting rooms, and professional business support services.

The Biz Hub serves as an innovative, revenue-generating initiative that provides non-dues income to help keep membership fees low while continuing to deliver high-quality programs and services to the local business community.

Among its notable initiatives is Level Up Dufferin, a values-based training program that helps local businesses build their capacity as LGBTQ+ Safe Spaces, environmentally and socially responsible organizations, and champions of accessibility and inclusivity.

The Dufferin Biz Hub reflects DBOT’s ongoing commitment to supporting business growth and fostering economic resilience through creative, community-focused solutions. Like many in Dufferin County, DBOT believes that local businesses are the heart and soul of our region. When businesses flourish, their success extends throughout the community — supporting events, schools, charities, and the broader local economy.

Through interviews and surveys with business and non-profit leaders, DBOT identified three core needs within the local economy: access to professional space, high-quality staffing support, and practical, values-aligned training. The Biz Hub was launched as a direct response to those needs, offering a homegrown solution designed by and for the Dufferin business community.

In addition to this recognition, DBOT is proud to share that board chair Doug Harkness was presented with the Richard Dolphin Community Service Award, acknowledging his outstanding volunteerism and longstanding dedication to the organization and the broader Dufferin community.

These provincial honours highlight the impact of DBOT’s work and the strength of its leadership in advancing the interests of local businesses across the region.