Business diversity celebrated by London Chamber of Commerce

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From a global brewing giant to a bicycle shop and freight audit company, London celebrated its business diversity.

The London Chamber of Commerce business achievement awards honoured winners in several categories from a cross-section of different sectors throughout the city.

“We heard business owners talking about how they loved the city, whether they were newcomers or grew up here, how this is a fantastic place,” Graham Henderson, chief executive of the chamber, said of the awards event at RBC London Place on Wednesday attended by more than 1,000 people.

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Labatt Brewing Co. Ltd. won large company of the year, Orca Intelligence was named top medium-sized business and London Bicycle Cafe won small company of the year.

“It’s an incredible honour,” said Matt Grossi, chief executive of Orca. “It speaks to how hard we work. It is exciting.”

Orca won in the small business category three years ago and, since 2021, has grown from eight staff to 25.

Freight audit is “a niche business,” Grossi said, working with businesses to find the most cost-efficient way to ship goods. For example, if a cellphone provider sells and ships a new phone to a customer, Orca will take the data from that transaction and suggest a different shipper that could reduce costs. Located on Ridout Street in the InfoTech building, the company has been in business for eight years. It has seen growth as a result of businesses using e-commerce to sell goods directly to consumers.

“Our product is something needed in the market. It is the right product at the right time,” Grossi said.

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At the Bicycle Cafe, not only is the retailer helping get London out of cars and offering coffee and baked treats to boot, it is helping establish the Riverwalk community, a waterfront oasis in the downtown on Thames Street.

“Honestly, this is a great honour,” said Andrew McClenaghan, owner of the Bicycle Cafe.

“To be recognized by the business community is the next step in our evolution. It gives credibility to what we are doing.”

At Labatt, founded in London in 1847 where the brewery still stands, the company now has more than 3,600 employees and brews more than 60 beers at 10 breweries across Canada. It is headquartered in Toronto and owned by AB-InBev in Brazil. 

“We’re extremely honoured to be recognized,” said Jeff Ryan, vice-president legal and corporate affairs at Labatt.

“This recognition is really meaningful for all of us at Labatt, given our 177-year history in our hometown of London. It has special meaning for us considering that we have recently made significant investments in the brewery.” 

In 2023, Labatt announced a $26.6 million expansion of the London plant.

Here is the complete list of winners:

• Small business of the year: London Bicycle Café
• Medium-sized  business of the year: Orca Intelligence Inc.
• Large business of the year: Labatt Brewing Co. Ltd.
• Agribusiness award: Proof Line Farm
• Environmental leadership award: General Motors of Canada Co. Cami assembly plant
• Excellence in people and culture award: PSD Citywide Inc.
• Innovation award: ITPS Canada Ltd.
• Manufacturer award: Artcal Graphics
• Nonprofit award: Meals on Wheels London  

ndebono@postmedia.com

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