Six Nations celebrates business award, new building

Dignitaries and community members gathered Thursday to celebrate the opening of a new building and the awarding of the Aboriginal Economic Development Corporation of the Year Award to the Six Nations of the Grand River Development Corporation.

The award, sponsored by Sodexo Canada, is awarded annually by the Canadian Council of Aboriginal Business.

“It’s an application process and they select one corporation a year,” said Tabitha Curley, manager of communications and stakeholder relations for Six Nations of the Grand River Development Corporation. “We received the award in Calgary, but Sodexo thought it was important that we brought a celebration to our community.”

The Gathering Place, which hosted the award celebration, was also celebrating its grand opening, with both Six Nations Elected Council Chief Ava Hill and Six Nations of the Grand Erie Development Corporation CEO Matt Jamieson in attendance.

Both Hill and Jamieson took to the microphone to congratulate those around them on the award.

“I just wanted to say that we are so proud of the development corporation,” Hill said. “For our development corporation to win such a prestigious award so early in its development, within the first two years, is really a testament to the team and the board, as well as the community.”

Jamieson said the award was “an aspirational goal of mine when we started.

Curley described the development corporation as a “for-profit organization with a nonprofit mindset.”