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Ragged Ass Barbers named Business of the Year
Young barbershop honoured at Akaitcho Business Development Corp. awards ceremonyThandie Vela Northern News Services Published Tuesday, November 15, 2011
The annual awards, which celebrate the entrepreneurs of Dettah, Ndilo and Yellowknife, were presented at the corporation's annual general meeting and awards ceremony on Nov. 8, in the Museum Cafe at the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre. "It was kind of a big shock to be honest," Ragged Ass co-owner James McGaughey said. "Out of all the businesses to be chosen ... it feels pretty good." Still in its infancy, Ragged Ass opened in February 2010, when McGaughey and his partners Steve Payne and Craig Zamonsky bought Henry's barbershop in the back of the Nunasi Building. Since then, clientele has grown to a base of more than 1,500. "We're just really happy we've been so well received in Yellowknife," McGaughey said, crediting their customer patronage to "good service." "We all try our best to do the best job that we can," he said. "We hope to continue to keep the boys and men of Yellowknife looking their best." The company plans to move to a larger location downtown within a year, or expand its current space if the building owners consent. Other award winners this year included Grant Blondin's full-service mechanic garage Didehcho Gas and Diesel Services, which took the 2011 Aboriginal Business Award; Old Town Glassworks, formerly the Yellowknife Glass Recyclers Co-operative, which took the Environmental Business Award; and McKenna Funeral Home, named the 2011 Business of Excellence. The Business of Excellence award was presented to owner Janice McKenna, by David Ramsay, Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment (ITI), who also addressed attendants at the annual general meeting, focusing on an anticipated reduction in capital spending in the territory, in response to "a historic downturn in the Canadian economy. "In the face of this reality, small businesses – by providing the products, services, knowledge and skills needed by our communities – will play a key role in sustaining the local economies of our territory," Ramsay said. "Those of you who own and operate small businesses will also play another vital role – providing the leadership, mentorship and examples of success for those contemplating and following in your paths as entrepreneurs. You are fuelling and empowering the entrepreneurial spirit of our North." The corporation is among seven regional Community Futures organizations which assist small- and medium-sized businesses across the territory, funded by the department, which invested about $1.6 million to the initiative this year. Since the Akaitcho corporation's inception in 1998, it has invested $28 million in projects, providing loans to support businesses in the construction industry, service sector, tourism, traditional economies and the retail sector, and loans toward the purchase of more than $7 million worth of goods and services in the territory, according to ITI.
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