Citing its record of service to the community, the Slave Lake & District Chamber of Commerce has named Boston Pizza its Business of the Year for 2005. Also recognized at the Mar. 10 ceremony were the Employee of the Year and Employer of the Year.
Boston Pizza became eligible for the award through its nomination as one of the Chamber’s 12 businesses of the month during 2005. The other 11 were Grizzly Ridge Honda, MacLeods True Value, Connexion Telecom, Landing Transport, The Point Steakhouse and Marina, CAT The Rental Store, ATCO Electric, The Source By Circuit City, Nordic Home Furniture, Allarie Cleaners and RBC Financial.
“Boston Pizza,” says the Chamber’s blurb from the awards ceremony, has “been involved in numerous community projects. They have donated over $100,000 worth of cash and product... They hugely support local sports as well as community non-profit organizations...They support local businesses whenever possible and have excellent relations with the business community. Boston Pizza Slave Lake is the type of business (that) strives to provide service to the community wherever possible and I’m sure this is a goal (it) will continue to meet in the many years to come.”
General Manager Tyler Warman accepted the award on behalf of the owners, who are from Peace River.
Accepting the Chamber’s award of Employer of the Year was Bill Lukan, owner of Remote Helicopters, Seguin Construction, Billy’s Outlaw Inn, The Point Steakhouse and The Liquor Barn. Speaking of just one of those ventures, his nominator said: The legacy of The Point Steakhouse is a fine example of Bill’s determination to see his entrepreneurial skills pass to his children and grandchildren. As I see it, The Point is his gift to the community. It is the structure that will bring many tourist dollars into the area and his opened up many possibilities for other entrepreneurs to expand on the tourism theme. It took a lot of faith and trust to put himself out there and be the first on the south side of the river, sometimes against the odds. Today, The Point is a successful and growing business...”
Lukan’s charitable activities – many of them ‘under the radar’ were also cited by his nominator. Winning the Employee of the Year award was actually a group of employees. The support staff at the Slave Lake Dental Clinic – all eight of them – got the nod.
Their employer, Dr. Terri Pukanich, presented the award with these words:
“In any successful business it always takes a team of dedicated individuals, working together to meet and surpass any goals. What John and I have learned while owning the Slave Lake Dental Clinic is that although individual performance is very important and should be rewarded, it is ultimately teamwork that can help you achieve anything. Our team at the SLDC is bar none the best team of people who display exemplary skill, attitude and dedication. We are truly honoured to have them working not ‘for us’, but ‘with us.’ They have helped us succeed in ways we never dreamed possible.”

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