Frontenac Business Awards

Nov 13, 2024

Business of the Year - Maple Ridge Farm

Maple Ridge Farm, of Sydenham, which has transitioned from mainly meat production, to offering cut flowers, honey, and popular workshops, is a mixed farm that is operated in a sustainable way.

Becky and Mark McGrady have spent years learning how to make their land richer and more productive, and through workshops and newsletters, they share their knowledge to help other growers around the region. They were also part of the founding group behind Open Farms.

They were named Business of the Year at the Frontenac County Business Retreat and Awards ceremony at RKY camp on November 5.

New Business of the Year – White Lake Pickleball

Pickleball evangelist Kelli McRobert has been playing, and promoting the sport throughout Frontenac County and Kingston for years. Two years ago she started up White Lake Pickleball as a focus for her coaching, and other activities around the sport. She has trained over 600 people in the first couple of years of her company, and has made Godfrey not only the geographical, but also the pickleball centre of Frontenac County.

Partnership and Collaboration Award – Kim and Dave Perry

Operating a working farm, a retail store featuring locally grown food from their own, and other farms, and creating a large grab and go business to boot, Kim and Dave Perry have been linchpins for the local community of farmers, growers, and food producers for decades.

Sustainability Award – Jeff and Jenna Fenwick – Back Forty Cheese

Jeff and Jenna Fenwick were running their own businesses, Back Forty Cheese and Jenna Rose Textiles, from a secluded location near Watson's Corners in Lanark County, when a picturesque farm property became available on Gulley Road near Mississippi Station. Since moving there, they have augmented and expanded their business, by working with the land. Open for summer and holidays as a place to eat, shop for cheese and more, and enjoy the land and the river, Back Forty has become the largest tourist draw in North Frontenac, aside from Bon Echo Park.  

They have also cultivated gardens, pastured animals and developed trails through the property, while Jeff continues to make sheep's milk cheese and Jenna Rose textiles remains a thriving business as well. Their Christmas Open House is set for December 9.

Women led Business Award – Kate Slagle Blue Moose B&B

Kate Slagle takes the principle of continuous improvement seriously. At the Blue Moose B&B, which is located in a picturesque spot on the St. Lawrence River on Wolfe Island, upgrades are a constant. One of them was to make the heritage building that is Blue Moose, fully accessible, garnering her the Frontenac County Accessibility award in 2019.

Focusing on three things; making the customer experience at Blue Moose memorable, supporting the local community and the local school, and keeping her family thriving, Kate Slagle has become a role model for how to build a thriving business.