Some of the winners at the 2022 ABEX Awards. (ABEX Awards/Facebook)

By paNOW Staff

BEST IN BUSINESS

P.A. based businesses nominated for 2023 ABEX Awards

Jul 26, 2023 | 5:00 PM

The best businesses in Saskatchewan will soon be recognized and some Prince Albert-based companies are among those vying for an ABEX Award.

On Wednesday morning, the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce which holds the ABEX Awards released the list of finalists for 2023.

“These finalists have demonstrated remarkable achievements, resilience, and a commitment to excellence. They are the driving force behind our province’s economic growth, and we look forward to celebrating their contributions,” said Prabha Ramaswamy, CEO of the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce.

Phantom Light Distillery and Athabasca Basin Developments, which has an office in Prince Albert, were among the finalists for this year’s awards.

Phantom Light already won big at the Samuel McLeod Business Awards in P.A., taking the Best New Venture Award while being nominated for Business of The Year.

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This year, the company is a finalist for the ABEX Business Venture Award.

“We came off winning a new venture award from the Prince Albert Chamber of Commerce and then to be recognized out of Saskatoon is a real thrill,” one of the partners with Phantom Light said.

To be nominated for a provincial honour speaks to the unbelievable year the company has had and how much they have grown since launching roughly three years ago.

“Things are really going extremely well for us in all areas of the province from the Far North down to the southern border and both east and west, we’re getting a fire of a response on our products here,” said Miller.

“We are firing on all cylinders. There’s many of us here that are working basically 24/7. We are managing but it is taking work from all of us.”

Within the past few months alone, Phantom Light has seen its products hit major stages such as the GMC Stadium at the Calgary Stampede where they were this year’s house vodka.

Earlier this year, they also signed a deal to be the official vodka of the SJHL and have lent their sponsorship to numerous events including Rock The Ville, The Saskatchewan Country Music Awards and the Waskesiu Music Festival coming next month.

Miller said they’re also lending their sponsorship to charitable causes.

“Our big one was the Saskatchewan Professional Firefighters Burn Fund and we’re looking at giving them probably about 16 or $17,000,” he said.

Another business that is up for an ABEX is Athabasca Basin Development, an Indigenous-owned investment company working in industries like construction, mining, logistics, retail, and aviation.

The company is a finalist for the Community Involvement Award and has made many investments in Saskatchewan. The group is jointly owned by the seven communities in the Athabasca region of northern Saskatchewan.

“We are honoured to be nominated for an ABEX award in the category of Community Involvement. Especially alongside such a fantastic group of companies that do such good work giving back to their communities,” said CEO Geoff Gay. “This nomination is a recognition of the efforts from our staff, our board, and our partners in the communities, and we are honoured that the selection committee chose our story as one of the five to be nominated for this award.”

Other honours that will be handed out at the ABEX Awards include the Business Leader of the Year Award to Cameco CEO Tim Gitzel and the Hill Companies which will be inducted into the Saskatchewan Business Hall of Fame.

This year’s ABEX Awards ceremony is scheduled to take place Sept. 16.

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panews@pattisonmedia.com

Twitter: @princealbertnow