Posted on by Deborah Jones
WEST’s Journey Towards Success Awards - Biz X magazine
Journey Towards Success award recipients pose with sponsors and WEST staff for this group shot after the official ceremony on March 8 in the Dieppe Room of St. Clair College Centre for the Arts. Photo courtesy of Tobi Olawale of Mactools Visual.
05
May

FROM THE PUBLISHER – WEST’s Journey Towards Success Awards

By now, since you have been reading Biz X magazine for many years, you know I’m all about girl power!

Considering I am the ONLY female recipient to date to earn a Business Excellence Award in the Entrepreneur of the Year category (yep I won back in 2007!) from the Windsor Essex Chamber of Commerce, I love to write about organizations that celebrate the strength, resilience and achievements of local women in the workplace. And of course this also includes recognizing men who believe in gender equality and know by working together, we can create a more inclusive future for us all.

This is one of the reasons why the magazine sponsors the annual International Women’s Day Gala hosted by Women’s Enterprise Skills Training of Windsor Inc. (WEST), on March 8 of every year.

WEST recently commemorated its 20th International Women’s Day Gala at the St. Clair College Centre of the Arts with an esteemed gathering of 530 guests, including the Journey Towards Success Award recipients (more to come on this shortly), sponsors, community partners, families, and friends.

The event featured an impactful keynote address by Harriet Thornhill, MBA, ICD.D, former RBC Executive and Chancellor of Tyndale University, who emphasized the critical need to accelerate action for women’s leadership, inclusion, and equity.

Her address focused on the “3 Cs”: Care for oneself and others; Challenge oneself to grow; and Cultivate a mindset of continuous learning and progress.

The evening also featured entertainment by The Eclipse Duo and an interactive photo booth by CYLK Studios.

For the past two decades, the Journey Towards Success Awards have been presented during the gala to recognize individuals, businesses, and organizations in Windsor Essex that have made significant contributions to supporting WEST’s mission, vision, and advancing the success of women.

This year the award ceremony took place in the Dieppe Room, prior to the main gala. It was a special occasion where award recipients, sponsors, families, and friends came together to celebrate these achievements and I was pleased to be among the attendees.

TO VIEW PHOTOS FROM THE AWARD PRESENTATIONS CLICK HERE TO LINK TO THE MAY ISSUE OF BIZ X MAGAZINE

Deborah Jones

Deborah Jones – Publisher of Biz X Magazine Deborah Jones graduated from the University of Windsor with an Honours Degree in Communication Studies and was employed at two other local magazines shortly after for a few years learning all she could about writing, advertising, public relations and more. She made the jump in 1998 to go out on her own to publish Biz X magazine and has worked in the publishing industry since 1990. In 2007, she earned the “Entrepreneur of the Year” award from the Windsor & District Chamber of Commerce. To date, she is the ONLY woman so far to receive this award. In 2013, she received one of the first “Windsor Women of the Year” awards from the Ladies Exclusive Alliance. Her most recent achievement is the 2023 Media Award from the Windsor Essex Chapter of the Kidney Foundation of Canada. Deborah is proud to live in Windsor and truly cares about each and every business and strives to make Windsor Essex the best place to live, work and play.