John Peller was awarded the Citizen of the Year award at the Spirit of Niagara awards ceremony Tuesday by the Niagara-on- the-Lake Chamber of Commerce.
staff photo by Bob Tymczyszyn
John Peller presented Citizen of Year award at Spirit of Niagara ceremony
Posted By SAMANTHA CRAGGS Special to the Standard
Updated 2 hours ago
John Peller has travelled across Canada visiting businesses and when he looks at the country’s future, he feels hope.
As past chairman of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, Peller saw the good and bad among the nation’s small business issues. But the newly-crowned Citizen of the Year for Niagara-on-the-Lake sees a bright future for the Niagara wine industry and Canada in general.
“There is no country that has greater opportunities for the future than Canada does,” Peller said. “We’ve evolved with a sense of humility and warmly embrace cultures from around the world. We have a strength that’s part of our national identity.”
Peller, 51, president of Andrew Peller Ltd., received the Citizen of the Year honour at the Spirit of Niagara Awards Tuesday.
Held annually by the Niagara-on-the-Lake Chamber of Commerce, the awards recognize achievements in business, innovation and volunteerism.
As a board member of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, Peller has watched the country go from an economic boom to an “obvious crisis,” he said in his speech.
“We went from riding the crest of the largest wave to a time to reflect and a change of direction,” he said.
“It’s amazing how the world has changed in a year.”
Peller was praised for his national Chamber of Commerce work, as well as chairing the Niagara Wine Weekend and Auction, an annual fundraiser that benefits SickKids Foundation and the St. Catharines General Hospital Foundation. The former helps a provincially-significant cause, the latter a local one, he said.
He called the auction “a perfect way for the wine industry to give back.”
“You only get back from the community what you give to it,” he said. “We’re a close group and we’ve been through a lot together. It’s a nice opportunity to celebrate the success we’ve had as an industry.”
Peller lives in Burlington with his wife and three sons. He practised law and worked in food packaging in the U.S. before returning to the family business in 1989.
He worked with his grandfather, Andrew Peller, until the elder Peller’s death in 1994. Andrew Peller immigrated to Canada from Hungary with “nothing in his pocket but hope for the future,” Peller said. “He ended up having the greatest life he could have imagined.”
Peller said he was inspired by his grandfather’s “passion for family and community and business.”
Peller is known for his “amazing business acumen...but he still makes other people, their needs and their goals, a priority,” Lord Mayor Gary Burroughs said. “This man has energy and vision enough for us all.”
Awards:
Chamber of Commerce President’s Award - Friends of Niagara District Secondary School
Peter Ling Award for Entrepreneurial Spirit - Catherine O’Donnell (Willow Cakes and Pastries)
Chamber of Commerce Community Leadership Award - Niagara-on-the-Lake Family Health Team
Christopher Newton Award for Extraordinary Vision in Business - John Marynissen
Chamber of Commerce Company of the Year Award - St. Davids Hydroponics Ltd.
Lord Mayor’s Award of Excellence to the Citizen of the Year - John Peller
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