Belleville Chamber of Commerce

Peter Kempenaar | Cornerstone Lifetime Achievement Peter Kempenaar, Co-Founder of @taskforce_engineering , was named the Cornerstone Lifetime Achievement recipient at this year's Belleville Chamber of Commerce President's Dinner. Peter Kempenaar was one of the longest serving members of the Belleville Chamber Board in recent history. His passion for the work of the chamber and its role as an advocate for business has been inspiring within the organization. He founded Taskforce Engineering with Dave Brown, after devoting many years to Bel-Con. He’d thought they’d “stay small” but he didn’t have much luck with that. His quiet contributions to the Field of Ability and the Humane Society don’t make the news often, but he builds the foundations for these organizations to grow. Topping it off is his representation of Canada as part of a rowing team that competes internationally, acknowledging “rowing” saved his life and there is nothing like standing on a podium for your country. The LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT is presented to someone who could receive each of the Cornerstone Awards individually. Peter joins past Lifetime Achievement recipients Maurice Rollins, Gerry Bongard, Alvin Parkhurst, Ed Lehtinen, Armin Quickert, Bob Doyle, Peter Knudsen, Roli & Linda Tipper and Bernie Ouellet, as a most deserving representative and we thank him for his continued service to the transportation industry and property development in Belleville. Read the full story and see the photo gallery, here: https://www.bellevillechamber.ca/lifetime-achievement-the-life-and-work-of-peter-kempenaar/

Belleville Senators | 2026 BCC Community Partner Belleville Senators received this year's honourary 'Key to the Cabin' and was named the BCC Community Partner at the President's Dinner & Cornerstone Awards on May 8, 2026. A nomination was received to support the work of the Belleville Senators in the community and their transformational approach to the community. From their continued work supporting local charities through the Senators Foundation to many of their staff participating as Career Coaches, the Belleville Chamber of Commerce is happy to recognize the impact of this organization. Read the full story and photo gallery, here: https://www.bellevillechamber.ca/community-partner-the-belleville-senators/ The COMMUNITY PARTNER award is presented to a person or organization that has been a valued partner with Chamber initiatives and they receive the honorary "Key to the Cabin". The tradition started with the Rotary Club of Belleville, in honour of the 100 year commitment to work together.

Keith Watson | 2026 BCC Founder Cornerstone Recognition Watson Land Surveyors Ltd. Keith Watson, of Watson Land Surveyors Ltd., received the Founder Cornerstone recognition after following in his father’s footsteps in the land surveyor journey. Keith holds an unmeasurable amount of historical information about the mapping of the region (and Ontario) and has worked on the layout and design of properties such as the Quinte Mall, Metro, Walmart and the fields at Mary Ann Sills park. His son, Dylan, is now articling to be a land surveyor – a craft and trade unknown to many, but essential to development everywhere. Read the full story and photo gallery here: https://www.bellevillechamber.ca/founder-the-story-of-watson-land-surveyors/ The FOUNDER award is presented to a Chamber member who has built a business from its beginning or expanded an existing business that enhances the reputation of Belleville as a place where business can come to grow.

Campbell Monument | 2026 BCC Visionary Cornerstone Recognition Trevor Howard, of the Campbell Monument Company Ltd. , accepted the Visionary Cornerstone recognition on behalf of the company during the Belleville Chamber of Commerce's President's Dinner on May 8, 2026. The vision of Founder Bill Campbell dates back almost half a century, but at a time when succession planning is a critical concern of government, he developed an employee ownership model that broke barriers to building a company that is wholly owned by its employees. The dedication and vision Bill Campbell instilled into Campbell Monument has resulted in raising the profile of Belleville and has contributed to the overall prosperity of the community. He also set up a trust that is used to support the Campbell Craft guarantee, that means they retain responsibility for every memorial they hand craft – right here in Belleville. The benefits of that trust are used to support cemetery vandalism, aging monument restoration and the overall maintenance of cemeteries across the province. Read the full story and view the photo gallery, here: https://www.bellevillechamber.ca/the-visionary-story-of-campbell-monument/ The VISIONARY award is presented to a Chamber member who has seen an opportunity to revive or create something unique or unprecedented.

Lorrie Ostroskie | 2026 BCC Citizenship Cornerstone Recognition General Manager of the @holidayinnexpressbellevilleon , Lorrie Ostroskie, has been named this year's Citizenship Cornerstone recipient. Lorrie was nominated for the award based on the countless causes, opportunities, and community impact projects she has been a part of, particularly those involving children. Read her story and view the photo gallery, here: https://www.bellevillechamber.ca/citizenship-recognition-the-story-of-lorrie-ostroskie/ Lorrie was recognized on May 8, 2026, during the Belleville Chamber of Commerce President's Dinner & Cornerstone Awards. The CITIZENSHIP award is presented to a Belleville Chamber of Commerce member who has embraced the spirit of the community by their selfless acts and support to causes that improve the lives of Belleville’s citizens.

Thank you to @arabellaretirement for sponsoring our President's Dinner last Friday, AND for providing these take-homes at the end of the night for our attendees! #BCCMemberLove #PresidentsDinner

What an incredible evening! Thank you to everyone who joined us Friday night for the 162nd Annual President's Dinner & Cornerstone Awards! Your energy, enthusiasm, and community spirit made it a night to remember! A huge congratulations to our incoming President, Sandi Hibbard-Ramsay, CEO of the Centre for Workforce Development! We can't wait to see the year ahead under your leadership. And of course, our 2026 Cornerstone Award recipients deserve a massive round of applause: 🌟 Cornerstone Citizenship — Lorrie Ostroskie 🌟 Cornerstone Founder — Keith Watson | Watson Land Surveyors Ltd. 🌟 Cornerstone Visionary — Campbell Monument Company Ltd. 🌟 Cornerstone Lifetime Achievement — Peter Kempenaar 🏒 Community Partner — Belleville Senators These are the people and businesses who make Belleville exceptional. Thank you for everything you do! Gratitude also goes to our amazing partners and sponsors who make this event possible. OCL Ontario Career Lab (Theme), OLG (Presenting), Elexicon Energy (Premier), West City Honda, Wilkinson & Company LLP (Gold), Bel-Con Design-Builders Ltd. (Silver), huff estates (reception), Elevation Audiovisual, Ramada by Wyndham, Tulips & Maple event catering (event), Nurse Next Door Belleville, Aspira Quinte Gardens, Cool 100.1 FM / Hits95.5, InQuinte, McDougall Insurance & Financial (stations), Foley Communications & Consulting (Cornerstone stories), and every Champion, Cheerleader, and Fan sponsor who showed up for our community! If you missed it this year, mark your calendars. You won't want to miss 2027!

Thank you to our BCC President's Dinner Food Station Sponsors, @@aspiraretirementliving , [email protected], and @starboardcommunicationsltd ! Our president's dinner is THIS FRIDAY! For more information, or to register, visit: https://business.bellevillechamber.ca/events/details/bcc-president-s-dinner-cornerstone-awards-6688

Thank you to our BCC President's Dinner Cheerleader Sponsors, @bmonesbittburns , @mnpllp , and @microagebelleville ! Our president's dinner is THIS FRIDAY! For more information, or to register, visit: https://business.bellevillechamber.ca/events/details/bcc-president-s-dinner-cornerstone-awards-6688

Our President's Dinner is being catered by @tulipsandmaple THIS Friday! The cocktail reception is provided by @huffestateswine ! For more information, or to register, visit: https://business.bellevillechamber.ca/events/details/bcc-president-s-dinner-cornerstone-awards-6688

Thank you to our BCC President's Dinner Champion Sponsors, @ppfgca and @bellevillesens ! Our president's dinner is THIS FRIDAY! For more information, or to register, visit: https://business.bellevillechamber.ca/events/details/2026-president-s-dinner-cornerstone-awards-6688

Thank you to our CHAMPIONS Sponsors, @bellevillesens ! This President's Dinner Sponsorship includes eight tickets - we can't wait to see you there May 8! If you're looking for information about this year's @bcc1864 President's Dinner & Cornerstone Awards, or looking to register, visit: https://business.bellevillechamber.ca/events/details/bcc-president-s-dinner-cornerstone-awards-6688 #BCCMemberLove