By Ingrid Coifman
Over 1,200 companies from all across Canada competed for the coveted Leadership award and Mellohawk Logistics (owned by Brazilian Arnon Melo and Canadian Peter Hawkins) won in the category of the Scotiabank Small Business, Big Impact Challenge.
Mellohawk stood out in the competition. The company actively hires mature new immigrants to Canada and has a mentorship program in place for students to learn about logistics and/or study English as a second language. “We actively invest in people but we don’t stop there, we also have given back to the community in sponsorship. We actively help people make better lives for themselves by giving employment and training”, says Peter Hawkins, Managing Director.
He adds that some of the cash prize was given to staff members, while $1,000 was donated to one of the other top 15 competitors. “We pulled a name out of a hat and the winner was Civi-Side.com – an organization that helps returning military veterans get job interviews and re-enter civilian life.”
The challenge is a first-time joint venture between Scotiabank and the Canadian Federation of Independent Business. This was the first competition to choose which small businesses made the largest impact in the communities where they lived. Nominees were chosen in three categories: Leadership, Employment and Products & Services. The prize for each category was $10,000.
Me and this artclie, sitting in a tree, L-E-A-R-N-I-N-G!