Champions of Business Gala Awards Finale 2022!

Champions of Business is an Awards programme presented by the Chamber which was introduced in 2005 under the name Business Hall of Fame and rebranded in 2014.

The Awards capture a spectrum of achievements in business enterprise that encompasses creativity, innovation, tech development, sustainability, internationalisation and life legacy. Each category is hinged on both business acumen and corporate responsibility. The Awards are tailored to either individuals or companies and are open to Trinidad and Tobago entities, whether or not they are members of the Chamber. These Awards are truly aligned to the ethos and visions of the Chamber and our partner sponsors who all have taken the opportunity to help highlight the people and corporations who are the pride of our nation.

The stories of the Award recipients are presented each year in “True Stories” a weekly four-part made-for-tv series (covering the six categories of Award) that tells the stories of the success – and sometimes failures – experienced while building a business. This is followed by a live show to present the awards in person.

With the exception of the Business Hall of Fame and the Internationally Known…T&T Owned Company of the Year, the winners in all categories are only revealed at the Gala Awards Finale, a live show featuring all Award recipients, the key people who have supported them, and category sponsors. This year, the show was held at the National Academy for the Performing Arts (NAPA) on November 24 from 6:30 p.m.

After two years of being away physically due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Trinidad and Tobago Chamber of Industry and Commerce (T&T Chamber) returned to its in-person Gala Awards and Cocktail Reception. The Champions of Business Gala Awards 2022 was themed “Leadership and Legacy.”

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The faces of the Awards, 2022

The Business Hall of Fame started in 2005 with the posthumous induction of founding member of the Chamber, Joseph Leon Agostini. The very first Business Hall of Fame was a simple ceremony that took place in the Board Room of the Chamber’s offices. The award ceremony soon outgrew its modest beginnings and evolved into an official programme which now inducts a maximum of two business leaders at its annual awards event. Each year outstanding individuals are inducted (one of whom may be posthumous) into our Business Hall of Fame. This year the Chamber is honoured to induct Langston Roach and J. Nicholas Galt into its Business Hall of Fame!

The recipients will be inducted with the presentation of their awards at the Gala Awards Finale to be held at NAPA on November 24, 2022.

The Business Hall of Fame Inductee: Mr. Langston Roach

Mr. Langston Roach, the founder of Langston Roach Industries Limited, is one of Trinidad and Tobago’s largest indigenous manufacturers of household cleaners and personal care products. He currently serves as Executive Chairman and a Director of the LRI Group of Companies, namely, Langston Roach Industries Limited, Rojan Marketing Limited, Lazuri Apparel Limited, LRI Automotive Limited and Roach Capital Investment Limited. Mr. Roach also served as Vice President of the San Juan Business Association from 2004 to 2005 and Director of the Trinidad and Tobago Manufacturers’ Association from 2010 to 2011.

Mr. Roach is truly an example and inspiration to any entrepreneur or aspiring businessperson. He considers determination and perseverance through failure as just steppingstones to success. His hard work has earned him many other awards, including the National Entrepreneurship Development Company Limited award in 2002 for his outstanding dedication and contribution to the National Entrepreneurship Development Company Limited; the 2004, 2006 and 2011

Supermarket Association’s Distributor of the Year and the 2007 and 2011 Hair & Beauty Trade Show award, in appreciation of the company’s partnership for the students’ competition.

 

The Business Hall of Fame Inductee: Mr. Nicholas Galt

Mr. Nicholas Galt, founder of Trinidad Systems Limited (the TSL Group), who opened his company in 1979 has successfully expanded across the region as a leader in the ICT services arena.

Mr. Galt also has an impactful role in the region. He currently sits as Chairman Emeritus of the Governing Board of Directors of the Association of American Chambers of Commerce of Latin America and the Caribbean (AACCLA) and a Board Member of the Caribbean Science Foundation of Florida, from which interns have been able to work at his company. Additionally, he is a Trustee and a Board Director of the Pan American Development Foundation (PADF) in

Washington. In 2008, Mr. Galt was appointed membership at the Worshipful Company of Information Technologists, a London Livery company

Mr. Galt continues his philanthropic work with his wife at the TSL Foundation, a charitable arm of the TSL Group which lends support to other organisations.

 

 

The Green Agenda Award

The recipient of the Green Agenda Award for 2022 is DeNovo Energy Limited.

The Green Agenda Award recognises the contribution and commitment that companies now make towards growing a greener future in business and delivering a new blueprint for business in the 21st Century. The award is given to a company which demonstrates leadership in implementing energy efficiency strategies and works to positively contribute to the promotion of a greener T&T.

The Internationally Known…T&T Owned Company of the Year

The Internationally Known…T&T Owned Company of the Year recognizes Trinidad and Tobago businesses that have achieved excellence in performance locally and regionally or internationally. The company would have demonstrated how they have successfully built their export capacity and internationalised. The category is open to corporate entities only (not individuals or professionals in business) and is awarded to one company which has been selected from among the nominees. 

The Internationally Known…T&T Owned Company of the Year Winner: K.C. Confectionery
The K.C. Confectionery story started in 1922, with a home candy-making enterprise, then developed into a factory by 1957 and moved into full automation in the early 1990s. It has since diversified and expanded to a fast-paced, people-driven organisation, which has embraced technological advancements and innovations along the way.  

The company prides itself on a highly skilled workforce, with teams of trained technicians in contemporary laboratory techniques to ensure the candies are manufactured to the highest quality standards. A Total Quality Management (TQM) approach has been adopted, allowing all personnel at the company to play an integral part in guaranteeing optimum product quality and the highest customer satisfaction. 

Over the decades K.C. Confectionery Limited has evolved into a household name, from its famous K.C. Dinner Mint and love notes packaging to a wide range of mouth-watering candy products ranging from hard candies, gums, toffees and soft chews, bars, and lollipops.   

Today, about 70 per cent of K.C. Confectionery’s products are exported to markets such as the United States of America, Canada, the United Kingdom, Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominican Republic, Dominica, Grenada and Carriacou, Guyana, St. Kitts and Nevis, Anguilla, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Jamaica, Suriname, the British Virgin Islands, Curacao, Aruba, and Guadeloupe. 

Likewise, the company upholds its Corporate Social Responsibility and Environment, Social Governance roles through various activities and initiatives such as, but not limited to, the K.C. KIN (Kids in Need) Foundation – a non-profit organisation formed in August 2022; recycling cardboard boxes and plastic with Lezama Recycling Company, a partnership formed since 2014. In 2020 another collaboration started with New Age Recycling to recycle cardboard boxes only. 

The Breakthrough Exporter of the Year

The recipient of Breakthrough Exporter of the Year Award 2022 is Kamri Investments Limited.

The Breakthrough Exporter of the Year category is open to smaller companies (not individuals or professionals in business) which have branched out into export markets and have been able to show significant growth

 

 

The Entrepreneurship Award

The recipient of the Entrepreneurship Award 2022 is A&J’s Homemade Ice Cream Co. Ltd.

The Entrepreneurship Award is presented to an individual for a business that has been founded within the last 10 years and which has been experiencing strong growth. The nominee must be an owner or leader of a private or public company with primary responsibility for the recent performance of the company, as well as be an active member of management. Non-founding entrepreneurs are also eligible if the individual manages the business and assumes the associated risks.

  • Anthony and June-Ann Henry for A&J’s Homemade Ice Cream Co. Ltd.
    The duo founded the enterprise in 2017 and currently manufactures and sells over 120 ice cream flavours that have a local twist. They include such unique flavours salt prune, doubles, Thai curry coconut and ginger turmeric. They also produce sugar-free, dairy-free, and eggless options, as well as eggless waffle cones.  The husband/wife team is aiming to make their product a household name in Trinidad and Tobago.  They plan to open additional branches across the country and begin distribution across the country to supermarkets and other retail outlets. They are also working towards exporting to the wider Caribbean within the next five years.  

The category consisted of three finalists vying for the award. The other two finalists were:

  • Sian Cuffy Young for Siel Environmental Services Ltd.
    This social enterprise was started in 2015 with the goal of changing people’s attitudes towards waste.  The company specialises in waste management education and training for children and youths, and waste reduction and circular economy training for organisations.
    Sian hopes to show how waste can be a valuable resource that can provide economic benefits. The objectives are aligned to meeting this country’s commitments to the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals 13 (Climate Action) and 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production).
    The goal within the next five years is to establish an organic waste processing facility and possibly exporting to another country in the Caribbean.  

 

  • Keron Les Pierre for Grapes Technology Group
    Keron Les Pierre entered the local technology landscape in 2020 with his company Grapes Technology Group. He offers data and call accessibility via a partnership with a local telecommunications provider through a monthly subscription.
    In the next five years, the brand with its distinctive “grape” logo laptops and smartphones hopes to be a new mobile “Network,” providing connectivity, accessibility, and hardware under one roof.
    As the digital era continues to grow significantly, Grapes Technology Group is working with the Ministry of Education and the Catholic Education Board of Management to provide laptop-smartphone-data bundle packages to parents. Mr. Les Pierre also helps charitable organisations by providing access to devices at breakeven prices for children in need.

 

 

The Business Technology Award

The recipient of the Business Technology Award 2022 is Air Link Communications Limited.

The Business Technology award is aligned to one of the fastest growing business sectors in Trinidad and Tobago. Due to its boundaryless nature, technology enables local companies to have a presence and be competitive on the world stage. Its revolutionary impact on industries continues to change every day. The award recognises the significant transformational role that technology plays for success in business. It celebrates a technology-based company or an individual that has created or provided innovative technological solutions for new and existing market needs.

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