Community Futures Ontario Annual Awards
Each year, Community Futures Ontario recognizes the successes andimpact of Community Futures Development Corporations (CFDCs).
In 2024, Community Futures Ontario presented three awards:
- Entrepreneur of the Year Award
- Outstanding Youth Entrepreneur Award
- Award of Excellence for Community Economic Development (CED)
2024 Award Recipients
Dawn Farm
Outstanding Youth Entrepreneur
Community Futures Ontario recognizes Abbey Taylor as the winner of the 2024 Outstanding Youth Entrepreneur Award. The former student and agricultural intern at the Elgin Business Resource Centre launched Dawn Farm in 2021 in the middle of the pandemic. The seventh-generation family farmer sells grass-finished beef directly from her farm in Belmont, Ontario.
After winning the Helen LeFrank Entrepreneurship Student Scholarship in 2019, Abbey earned her diploma in agriculture from Ridgetown College. She then enhanced her knowledge by working at a series of farms across Canada during a five-month period to gain business experience. Having found happiness and success as a young entrepreneur, Abbey readily shares her story with youth, encouraging all, especially women, about the many opportunities that are available in the agricultural sector.
Congratulations to Dawn Farm and to Elgin Business Resource Centre for nominating her!

Penokean Hills Farms
Entrepreneur of the Year
Community Futures Ontario recognizes Penokean Hills Farms as the 2024 Entrepreneur of the Year Award. The Bruce Mines, Ontario company operates a state-of-the-art abattoir where it produces beef and pork products that it markets to restaurants, butcher shops and retail locations throughout Ontario. To ensure a constant supply of quality cattle and market hogs to keep the abattoir sustainable, Penokean Hills Farm established a value chain, the only one of its kind in Ontario. Penokean Hills Farms works with farmers from the Algoma, Sudbury, Manitoulin, New Liskeard and Cochrane regions who sell cattle and/or crops into the program. It is designed to benefit all who are involved in the process from crop farming and cattle producing to wholesale buying and retail. Through its value chain, Penokean Hills Farms delivers a consistent, all-natural quality product while remaining good stewards of the land and animal.
Congratulations to Penokean Hills Farms and East Algoma Community Futures Development Corporation for nominating them!

Atikokan EDC
Excellence in Community Economic Development
Resolute Forest Products in Atikokan, Ontario, is crediting Atikokan Economic Development Corporation with helping the company grow its sawmill operations in the small community west of Thunder Bay. Having exhausted the limited supply of local labour, the forestry company sought to bring in Ukrainian nationals, fleeing their war-torn country. The challenge was finding local accommodations, and that's when it turned to the Atikokan Economic Development Corporation (AEDC) for help.
"Garry McKinnon at the Atikokan Economic Development Corporation made a few calls and then called me to say he had an idea that could work," says Scott Manford, Human Resources and Safety Superintendent, Resolute Forest Products.
"Our organization had been maintaining the Atikokan Hotel after the former owner defaulted on its loan six years ago," explains Garry McKinnon, Executive Director, AEDC. "We held onto it because it was a valuable community asset. It turned out to be the solution Resolute Forest Products needed so we leased it to the company to house some of its new employees."
Working in partnership with Resolute Forest Products, AEDC quickly assembled a team to prepare the empty hotel. Renovations included electrical and plumbing upgrades, thorough cleaning, safety inspections, and the addition of laundry and gym facilities. Chefs were hired in the hotel kitchen to provide Resolute's newest employees and their families with three meals a day. The space was ready to welcome new residents in just 6 weeks!
"This quick response couldn't happen in a large city," says Manford. "We had great support corporately, from the union, the community and Atikokan Economic Development Corporation."
"This was not typical business advice or loan project," says McKinnon. "It was about doing the right thing at the right time for the right reason. That said, it has increased the community's population by five percent and is creating positive economic benefits."
Congratulations to all parties involved!
To find out more about realizing your business dream, contact AEDC at 1-888-334-AEDC or find your local Community Futures Development Corporation.

In 2023, Community Futures Ontario presented four awards:
- Entrepreneur of the Year Award
- Outstanding Youth Entrepreneur Award
- Award of Excellence for Community Economic Development (CED)
- Members’ Choice Award - The Members’ Choice Award combines nominees of all categories and is voted on by our members and the communities of the nominees.
2023 Award Recipients
Angels Childcare
Entrepreneur of the Year Winner
Community Futures Ontario recognizes Angels Childcare as Entrepreneur of the Year.
Angels Childcare, co-owned by Mostafa Heikal and Noura Elbeialy, has four locations across Middlesex and Lambton Counties – Arva, Komoka, Thorndale, Sarnia.
Angels Childcare opened their first location in December of 2019, offering 60 childcare spots and employing 20 people. The location created access to childcare outside of large urban centers where childcare spaces are limited. During the onset of the global pandemic, Angels Childcare closed, then re-opened and scaled up to address the childcare needs of essential workers. Since 2019, three more locations have opened, offering 248 childcare spots and employing 60 full time people and 15 part-time people.
Congratulations to Angels Childcare and to Community Futures Middlesex for nominating them!
Spectrum Gymnastics
Outstanding Youth Entrepreneur Winner
Community Futures Ontario recognizes Spectrum Gymnastics as Outstanding Youth Entrepreneur.
Spectrum Gymnastics, owned by Teagan Fitch, was registered in September of 2019 as a sole proprietorship to create recreational programming and gymnastic classes for all active children but specializing in programming dedicated to those with special needs. Within its first year of operations, Spectrum Gymnastics acquired 400 clients from the surrounding community and beyond. Spectrum Gymnastics has a team of 16, each personally trained by Fitch.
Fitch is a Youth Entrepreneur (identified as under the age of 30), and has a Bachelor’s Degree in Recreation and Leisure Studies with a Minor in Child and Youth Studies along with a Post-Graduate Certificate in Autism and Behavioural Science.
Congratulations to Spectrum Gymnastics and to Venture Norfolk for nominating them!
BizLink – Buyers. Sellers. Connected
Community Economic Development Project Award Winner
Community Futures Ontario recognizes the BizLink Program as the Community Economic Development (CED) Project of the year.
BizLink, a regional Community Futures Development Corporation (CFDC) program, connects new entrepreneurs with retiring business owners and supports them through successful business transitions, simultaneously developing successful entrepreneurs who create employment, maintain valuable goods and service offerings, and contribute to local economies. With proven knowledge and tools, the program confidentially and anonymously guides entrepreneurs through the full transition process and provides wrap-around support for the entire life cycle of a business. To date, the program has assisted with 79 successful business transitions, and trained and developed 1,187 people through coaching and workshop attendance.
The program was created and is administered by Orillia Area CDC, Nottawasaga Futures, Community Futures South Georgian Bay, and North Simcoe Community Futures Development Corporation.
Congratulations to the program administrators for the success of the BizLink Program!
Local Initiatives Program
Members’ Choice Award Winner
Community Futures Ontario recognizes the Local Initiatives Program as the winner of the prestigious Members’ Choice Award.
The Local Initiatives Program (LIP) was created and is administered by the Haliburton County Development Corporation (HCDC), and provides funding and advisory services to Not-for-Profit Organizations in Haliburton County. The purpose of the LIP is to strengthen Haliburton County communities by supporting community economic development projects that are incremental (new initiatives or enhancements/additions to existing activities) and strive to enhance the resiliency and vibrancy of the community.
HCDC has supported 150 community projects involving over 450 partners and organizations.
Congratulations to Haliburton County Development Corporation for the success of the Local Initiatives Program!
About Us
Community Futures Ontario represents 60 Community Futures Development Corporations (CFDCs) - 36 in southern Ontario and 24 in the north - that offer free business counselling, loans for start-up and expansion of small business, strategic planning on local projects and community economic development in rural areas.

Contact Us
Community Futures Ontario
300 South Edgeware Road
St. Thomas, Ontario N5P 4L1
Telephone: 519-633-2326
Toll Free to CF Ontario: 1-888-633-2326
Toll Free to Local CFDCs: 1-866-ONT-CFDC
Email: info@cfontario.ca

