Eric Ruthven and his crew celebrated Kemway Lanes' induction into Humboldt's Business Hall of Fame on Sept. 29. Eric, Ken, and Martin opened up the bowling alley in 1986 and were honoured for nearly 38 years of work at the Humboldt and District Chamber of Commerce's Mark of Excellence ceremony. (Submitted photo/Chad Roberge)

By Becky Zimmer

Mark of Excellence

Humble in Humboldt: Mark of Excellence celebrates decades of local business

Sep 29, 2023 | 12:00 PM

The Humboldt and District Chamber of Commerce celebrated the many businesses within their district during their Mark of Excellence Awards on Thursday.

Kemway Lanes and the three Ruthven brothers were also inducted into the Chamber’s Business Hall of Fame.

The bowling alley has been a cornerstone of the community since opening in 1986 with Ken, Eric, and Martin involved with several organizations during that time, including Big Brothers Big Sisters and Special Olympics.

Ken, who passed away in 2017, had a special passion for bowling and it was his dream to own the alley, according to the business bio. Eric was humbled to accept the award and said Ken would be proud of the work they have done over the years.

Ken’s daughter and several others made the award possible, said Eric during his acceptance speech.

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“They bring the unique skills and the perspective and passion to the lanes every week and without their tireless efforts and commitment to excellence, this achievement would not have been possible, so thank you very much to the people that are here with me tonight.”

Ken also thanked the community of Humboldt for nearly 38 years of support for the lanes and for helping them provide a fun, educational and safe environment.

“I am immensely proud of what we have achieved that this award is to be shared by everyone in humble and the surrounding area. Because we’re only as successful because of your continued support.”

The big winner of the night was Strueby Plumbing and Heating. The local business has been in the community for 15 years and took home three awards, including Service, Community Involvement, and Business of the Year.

Owners Aaron and Monique accepted the awards with Monique saying they take pride in the level of service they provide but they and their staff have made some sacrifices over the years.

They also knew entering the business world that they wanted to use their business to help out in Humboldt and the surrounding communities when they could, said Monique.

“That is what we have strived for is to make this area better since the beginning and we will continue to do so. We feel that small town is the best place to be, we both grew up here and the experiences we had as children growing up, we wouldn’t change it for the world.”

Other winners of the night included The Humboldt Community Soup Kitchen in the Community Merit category for their work in supporting vulnerable members of society.

Trisha Berlinic and Cat’s Creamery took home the Growth and Expansion award. The Watson business is a leading wholesaler of locally made Saskatchewan ice cream.

Reel Attractions and Mike and Shannon Yager took home the marketing award. The last three years have created a lot of challenges for the film industry and those challenges have had an impact on local movie theatres, said Mike during his acceptance speech.

“What continues to keep us going is you folks and the people of the area that continue to have faith in us, continue to come to the movies no matter what we could get our hands on to play.”

Cody Hergott took home the award for Entrepreneur of the Year for his business, Dixon Ag Performance. The journeyman mechanic thanked his family for all the local support of his machinery service business.

Croptimistic Technology took home the New Business Award. The global reaching precision ag business got its beginnings in Naicam with Humboldt being the perfect place to set up a physical location to service central Canada. Brandon Smith accepted the award saying Humboldt has been a great place to grow the business with access to skilled labour, services, and suppliers.

Journalist, entrepreneur, and Senator Pamela Wallin was the guest speaker for the evening. Having grown up in Wadena, Sask., Wallin spoke about her own journey through the media, political, and business worlds, having plenty to say on the evening’s theme of resilience.

Many times, Wallin quoted inspirational people, including her father.

Speaking of a time when she was fired from a job, Wallin said her father’s words of wisdom were to keep her anger “ice cold not red hot.”

Elaborating, he said staying cool “keeps you focused on what’s next, not on what has happened. Red hot keeps you stuck. It’s about getting even, and in the end is counterproductive.”

Wallin congratulated all the deserving nominees, their families their colleagues, and their supporters, and encouraged them to let their light shine so that others will be inspired to do the same.

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becky.zimmer@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @bex_zim