MYPIE-Miramichi Young Professionals & Involved Entrepreneurs

Hi everyone! It’s been a while since we have checked in with you all.. We would like to introduce one of our new board members! Meet Nicole : I am the owner/photographer at Dreamland Photography. Established in 2014 I quickly realized my passion was photographing weddings and I decided to focus solely on engagements/weddings. In January of 2020 I had set a goal for myself to become more involved in my community. Little did I know the world would change thanks to COVID. In A...ugust I became a board member of MYPIE. It has been a strange year to join and try to promote community events but I’ve enjoyed my experience so far. Looking forward to more years working with MYPIE! My best advice for those looking to start a business would be to not be afraid to ask for help. When I started, I took a leap of faith and asked a local photographer to mentor me. I fully expected her to say no, but she thankfully said yes. She helped me so much, answered every question I had about the industry and even allowed me to go to sessions with her to gain experience. I can honestly say my business would not be where it is today had I not had the courage to ask for help.

Our "Community Champion" Award, sponsored by Miramichi RBC, goes to... Brian and Samantha Siddall!! Family Food Program We have a very deserving couple receiving the Community Champion award, Brian and Samantha Siddall. On March 18th, immediately after the government started lockdown, the Siddall’s launched the Family Food program in Miramichi. They were able to have families order nutritious meals while paying as little or as much as they could, while simultaneously gaining sponsors to be able to give out as many meals as possible. In the end they were able to deliver over 10,300 meals to people in the Miramichi region. Thank you for giving back to our community, and congratulations to our community champions, Brian and Samantha Siddall!

Our "Customer Service" Award, sponsored by Allen, Paquet & Arseneau LLP, goes to... Joel McDonald!! Joel McDonald, store Manager at Sobeys Newcastle, is a motivated and customer focused individual who ensures customer satisfaction is consistently maintained each and every day. Joel formed a solid foundation at The Keg Steakhouse & Bar location in Moncton where a lot of his early management skills and customer interactions were formed. He then took on a leadership position... with Sobeys where he successfully completed The Store Manager Training Program at The Vaughan Harvey location and then was appointed to Assistant Store Manager. When Joel arrived to The Miramichi, he quickly got into the community where he joined The Big Brother Big Sisters in school mentorship program and also was supportive of the Special Olympics activities. Most recently, Joel was recognized as a Value Champion at The Sobeys National Gala for exemplifying Sobeys core values. Over the past eight months things have been a lot different at the grocery store, says McDonald. I have been challenged with the global pandemic and had to rethink the way things are done, not only operationally, but from a safety standpoint. This process was not textbook in the early weeks and was a learning curve for everyone, however, with customers being very understanding and patient and a solid team to work with, it was easier to overcome these new challenges. Joel is very appreciative of being recognized for this year’s Customer Service Award as he strives to go above and beyond for his customers each and every day! Congratulations to this years winner!

Our "Professional of the Year" Award, sponsored by Lynch’s Accounting Solutions, goes to... Rob Lehnert!! Rob Lehnert is currently a 4th year educator in Anglophone North School District (ASDN) and current Program Director of the ASDN ICE (Innovation, Collaboration, Education) Center. Mr. Lehnert comes from an entrepreneurial background as CEO of Buy the Cup Coffee and Director of Retail Strategy for Kienna Coffee Roasters. As a young educator it was his dream to create an...Continue reading

Our "New Business of the Year" Award, sponsored by CBDC Northumberland, goes to... Cali.co Café! Cali.Co Café is a specialty coffee shop located behind Northumberland Square, sharing space with Autism Resources Miramichi (ARM) and the Book Nook. Cali.co offers high quality coffees from organically grown farms from various parts of the world. All Cali.co products have today's socially responsible practices in their guiding principles that recognize challenges for social and e...nvironmental concerns. The café is approximately 800 square feet with a modern décor and atmosphere. Patrons are able to take advantage of the Autism Resources Miramichi Book Nook integrated inside the café. This partnership allows customers to browse books and sit comfortably while enjoying a beverage and a book. Caleigh Chadwick is the owner and operator of this new business and had this to say: "I am so honoured and excited to receive the MYPIE New Business of the Year award. When Cali.Co Café was simply just another one of my Pinterest board ideas, I had no idea the growth or potential it would hold. Experiencing my first year of business all in the same year as the COVID-19 pandemic has been an incredibly testing challenge, there have been so many twists and turns but it also allowed us to gain flexibility and not allow uncertainty to determine decision-making. We adapted, recalibrated and I believe this was a hurdle that ultimately resulted in us as a team and as a business to come out stronger. I am so beyond grateful to have the unconditional support of my family, my committed, hard-working staff, and the coffee community within Miramichi and what has extended beyond our city limits. I wish I could personally thank every person that has come through our door, because they are the reason we survive as a small business every day." Congratulations to this wonderful new business in Miramichi! See more

Our "Entrepreneur of the Year" sponsored by Miramichi Co-Working Centre, Tessa Clancy, started The Sweet Soaperie in 2014 from her kitchen. She sold her products at the local farmers markets and eventually started selling in local retail stores. Since then Tessa has steadily expanded her business. She now has 2 employees, a workshop, her products can be found in many stores throughout Canada, and she now ships her products worldwide. "Thank you so much MYPIE for such an i...ncredible honour. To be even considered as a nomination is thrilling. It is a real special treat to be the first home based business to receive this award & I can’t thank you all enough. I want to thank my local customers of Miramichi. You are all the roots of this business and without your past and current business and support, our little business wouldn’t be where it is today. I also want to say a huge thanks to Andrea Breau at Dream Design Studio for her amazing work on our branding and product labels. Last but not least, my fiancé who has always supported me through this journey and even joined the team last year! We hope to continue to grow and create more products you can all enjoy! " Tessa Clancy The Sweet Soaperie

2020 has been a year that we will all remember for as long as we live. There have been many hardships and difficult changes we have all had to make in the name of safety for our community. Unfortunately, due to COVID-19 we are not able to host our annual MYPIE Gala this year, however we believe it is even more important this year to recognize some members of our community who have gone above and beyond! Although we are only recognizing a few individuals in our community, with... one winner being announced each day this week, we would like to take a moment to thank all of the members of our community for what they have done in these circumstances. We have seen businesses adapt to delivery, online ordering, and safe curb side pickup. We have seen many make the sacrifice of closing their doors temporarily, putting the safety of our community ahead of their own personal benefit. We have seen front line workers in hospitals, grocery stores, pharmacies and many other businesses going to work every day knowing the risk they are taking but also taking care of our community. We have seen so many professionals change the entire way they work with clients to keep them safe while continuing to provide the services we all need. We have pulled together in hard times, as we always do. 2020 has not been an easy year for anyone, but it makes me very proud to be from the Miramichi and to see neighbours safely dropping off groceries to the elderly, donations coming from those who themselves have less than just a few months before, and a sense that is our duty to protect our community. 2020 has shown us again that there is no place like home and although we live in one of the most beautiful cities in the world, it is our work ethic, character, generosity, and selflessness that has always moved Miramichi forward. Congratulations to all of our winners this week, you are shining examples of what can be done in our hometown and how much we have to offer. Thank you for sharing your talents, generosity, and inspiration with all of us and for helping to grow our beautiful community. Brent Garrish MYPIE President

Nominations close THIS Saturday. Please nominate a deserving person today! :)

Remember, nominations are still open! Let's help celebrate the wonderful and deserving Miramichi people :) Fill out a form today!

Nominations are NOW OPEN for the 2020 Mypie Awards "Gala" !! Unfortunately, this year we will not be able to host a physical gala.. however, we feel like more now then ever, that we need to recognize all of the hardworking entrepreneurs & professionals in our community who have just experienced one of their most trying years. There will be awards given to the following: Professional of the year... Entrepreneur of the year New Business of the year Customer Service of the year Community Champion of the year Nomination forms can be found on our website: http://www.mypie.ca DEADLINE for nominations is October 31st, 2020. Please email to: [email protected]

Our annual boat cruise is happening THIS FRIDAY!! Email us ASAP at [email protected] to reserve your space now as seating is limited! Hope to see you there !!

Our annual MYPIE boat cruise is coming up!! Email us at [email protected] to reserve your spot! Space will be limited due to social distancing guidelines !!