June 19, 2012
Export and Innovation Award Winners Announced
Best Boy Entertainment, Verafin, and the Marine Institute’s Centre for Marine Simulation, are the winners of the 2012 Export and Innovation Awards. St. Francis School in Harbour Grace is the recipient of an Award of Merit for their continued high level of excellence for encouraging youth innovation.
The Honourable Keith Hutchings, Minister of Innovation, Business and Rural Development, announced the winners of the Export and Innovation Awards, which recognize individuals, businesses and organizations that are excelling in the areas of innovation and exporting, at a ceremony at the Delta St. John’s Hotel and Conference Ceremony.
“The success of the companies celebrated through the 2012 Export and Innovation Awards shines the light on the vibrancy and increasingly diversified nature of Newfoundland and Labrador’s business community,” said Minister Hutchings. “It is a community that has become synonymous for developing new products, finding new markets, and using innovation to ultimately create new opportunities for Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.”
The Exporter of the Year Award acknowledges a local entrepreneur or business that is successfully exporting its products to international markets. Experiencing rapid growth and with more than 850 customers world-wide, Verafin, a provider of fraud detection and anti-money laundering software, is this year’s winner.
The Innovation in Business Award acknowledges a company for its ability to create new opportunities through innovation. This year’s winner is Best Boy Entertainment, a film, television, and interactive digital media company that is using innovation to drive company growth and diversify its line of products.
The Distinction in Innovation Award distinguishes an individual or group that has taken a leadership role in advancing Newfoundland and Labrador’s innovative culture and creating new opportunities for industry. This year’s winner is Centre for Marine Simulation, Marine Institute, which has developed simulators that provide its clients with the ability to undertake ship maneuvering and procedural trials, performance examination and improvements, marine equipment testing and port design evaluation.
Additionally, St. Francis School in Harbour Grace, led by the school’s technology teacher – Norman Littlejohn – has consistently introduced students to innovative learning experiences that capture their interest and encourage them to think, create and innovate. For their efforts, the school is receiving an Award of Merit.
“I extend congratulations to each of this year’s winners and thank them for their contribution to a vibrant, increasingly innovative Newfoundland and Labrador,” said Minister Hutchings. “I’d also like to acknowledge all of those companies and organizations who submitted an application for consideration. It was a difficult decision and I wish them the best of success in the future.”
Partners of the Provincial Government in coordinating the Export and Innovation Awards are the Newfoundland and Labrador Organization of Women Entrepreneurs, Newfoundland and Labrador Association of Technology Industries, Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters, and OceansAdvance.
The Export and Innovation Awards are coordinated annually by the Department of Innovation, Business and Rural Development. The department is focused on the development of a positive economic environment – one that encourages and supports private sector business growth, export activity, and innovation in all regions of the province.
To view past winners of these awards, visit www.gov.nl.ca/ibrd/innovation/awards/exportawardswinners.html
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Media contact:
Scott Barfoot
Director of Communications
Department of Innovation, Business and Rural Development
709-729-4570, 690-6290
scottbarfoot@gov.nl.ca
2012 06 19 9:25 a.m.