Thank you to everyone who joined us for this very special celebration. Your presence, energy, and support helped make the evening a meaningful reflection on PARO’s journey and the collective impact of women entrepreneurs over the past 30 years. It was truly inspiring to gather together to honour the stories, achievements, and resilience that continue to shape our community.

We were proud to recognize outstanding women entrepreneurs across three eras of PARO’s history. Era One (1995–2005) award recipients were Sheila Fortes of Office Works, Levina Collins of Levina Collins Economic Development Consulting, and Rebecca Johnson of Rebecca Reports…for the Record. Era Two (2005–2015) honourees included Linda Bruins of Evergreen A United Neighbourhood, Donna Nordstrom of NorthStream Safety & Rehab, and Pat Newman of White Owl Unique Crafts. For Era Three (2015–2025), we celebrated Sarah Sekalala of Siika Foods, Mel Simmonds of The Mel Collective, and Theresa Bailey of Starfish Synergies Inc. Each award recipient represents innovation, leadership, and dedication, and we are grateful for the opportunity to celebrate their impact.

We would also like to extend our sincere thanks to our generous sponsors whose support helped make this event possible: ACO Marketing; Northern Ontario Angels (NOA) | Les Anges du Nord de l’Ontario (ANO); Thunder Bay Ventures CEDC; Boreal Tree Service; Freight Managers; Investor Q&Q; North Superior Workforce Planning Board | Commission de planification de la main-d’œuvre du Nord Supérieur; Spadoni Used Car & Truck – Sales and Leasing; and Sportop. Your commitment to supporting women entrepreneurs and community-led economic development is deeply appreciated.

We hope you will join us again next year as we continue to celebrate and uplift women in business. We also invite you to save the date for our upcoming International Women’s Day event on March 5, 2026, taking place at Deerhurst Resort in Huntsville, Ontario. This will be a hybrid event, welcoming both in-person and virtual attendees, and we would be honoured to have you join us once again for another inspiring day of connection and celebration.