Ontario Chamber Announced Winners of the 2019 Ontario Business Achievement Awards

(Toronto, Friday, November 15, 2019) – Hundreds of business and community leaders from across Ontario gathered at the Beanfield Centre tonight to celebrate the accomplishments of Ontario businesses at the 2019 Ontario Business Achievement Awards (OBAA).

Hosted by the Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCC), the OBAAs honoured the inspiring achievements of David Patchell-Evans, the Founder and CEO of Goodlife Fitness whose leadership and dedication has led him to build the largest privately-owned fitness club chain in the world. The OBAA Lifetime Achievement Award is given to a proven achiever and strong contributor to Ontario’s economy; a pioneer in their defined business industry who has had a positive impact on the province.

“I believe everyone has a birthright to be healthy. To live long. To feel good. To have energy. To have vitality. I’ve made it my life’s work to help people believe in themselves, help people believe in their own capabilities. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for recognizing my capabilities and thank you for honouring me with the recognition of my life’s work. Ontario is where GoodLife started 40 years ago this year. I bought my very first club in London. It’s where our home office is,” said David ‘Patch’ Patchell-Evans, Founder and CEO of GoodLife Fitness. “Today, Ontario is home to 225 GoodLife and Fit4Less clubs and over 750,000 members. Ontarians have always been exceptionally passionate about their fitness and health, whether it’s our 8,224 associates or our members. That passion has given me the platform to grow the company and help people not just across our great country, but across the globe.”

The OBAAs is the most recognized industry gala in the province focused on celebrating business success. The gala also featured also a charity auction with proceeds going to the Silstar Foundation. The Silstar Foundation raises awareness, and research into new treatments for those that are affected by lung disease.

“Every year, we are thrilled to come together to celebrate the innovation and creativity of businesses built in our own backyard who are powerful economic drivers in their local communities and across the province. Tonight’s OBAAs marked an incredible 37 years of recognizing Ontario businesses for their achievements in areas including sustainability, innovation, and accessibility,” said Rocco Rossi, President and CEO of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce.

The 2019 OBAA winners are:

Lifetime Achievement Award, Sponsored by BDO Canada Inc.
Congratulations to: David Patchell-Evans, Founder and CEO of Goodlife Fitness

CEO of the Year Award, Sponsored by Air Canada
Congratulations to: Howard Eng, CEO of Greater Toronto Airports Authority

Excellence in Innovation Award, Sponsored by CPA Ontario
Congratulations to: Muskoka Lakes Farm and Winery

Ontario Leader in Accessible Employment Award, Sponsored by Government of Ontario
Congratulations to: Sodexo Canada

Sustainability Award, Sponsored by York University
Congratulations to: 3M Canada Company

Diversity and Inclusion Award, Sponsored by Meridian Credit Union 
Congratulations to: Danby Appliances

Industry Award: Tourism
Congratulations to: Great Wolf Lodge

Beyond Borders, Business Award, Sponsored by Purolator
Congratulations to: Microbix Biosystems Inc.

Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award, Sponsored by Stratagem Group 
Congratulations to: iLobby Corp.

“The OBAAs is an incredible opportunity to celebrate everything Ontario businesses give back to our province. Each one of our 2019 OBAA finalists has demonstrated why Ontario is and will continue to be the best place to live, work, and do business and we’re proud to honour their commitments to creativity and innovation,” added Rossi.

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For more information please contact:
Ariel Benjamin, Coordinator, Public Affairs
Ontario Chamber of Commerce
mailto:arielbenjamin@occ.ca| Office: 647-243-3561 | Cell: 416-879-3692

About the Ontario Business Achievement Awards
The Ontario Business Achievement Awards (OBAA) is the most recognized industry gala in the province with a single focus on celebrating business success. The OBAA, which celebrate incredible innovations and achievements, is unique in its engagement of a broad range of industry sectors and sizes from across the province.

About the Ontario Chamber of Commerce
For more than a century, the Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCC) has been the independent, non-partisan voice of Ontario business. The OCC’s mission is to support economic growth in Ontario by defending business priorities at Queen’s Park on behalf of its network’s diverse 60,000 members.