With an agenda focused on, “Maximizing Economic Prosperity”, this year’s presenters held different backgrounds representing a majority of the business sectors found throughout the Yukon including; mining, tourism, communication, transportation, energy, land disposition and human resources. Presentations focused on each sectors current state of operations within the Yukon, which direction the sector was heading and what it needed to successfully arrive at its destination, with both a near and extended focus.

This year’s winner of the Yukon Business Person of the Year went to Beverley Gray, CEO Aroma Borealis. Eight years ago Bev started Aroma Borealis, a manufacturer of herbal teas, natural health and body care products. She has grown her once small home-based business into a vibrant and successful “friend-chise”, with award winning products like the national Gold Award of Excellence for her famous “Green Aid Ointment”.

Bev also wears many other hats in the community. She has bettered the community by becoming a Herbalist & Registered Aromatherapist and a teacher of Boreal Botanical medicine. She has a bi-weekly CBC radio show called “Words on Herbs” and as a journalist writes healthy living articles for Alive magazine. She has a true entrepreneurial spirit and we congratulate her on becoming the 2006 Yukon Chamber of Commerce Business Person of the Year.

The Yukon Business Service of the Year went to Air North, “Yukon’s Airline”. Air North typifies what the business service portion of the award denotes. Air North dedicates its business to safety, service and reliable air transportation at affordable prices. It also ensures its customers, employees and shareholders benefit from its endeavors.

Also recognized for their role in fostering growth for other Yukon businesses. Providing opportunities to showcase products like caribou sausage from Yukon Meat and Sausage, water from Yukon Springs and coffee from Midnight Sun Coffee, as well as, Yukon publications in-flight, these features and more set Air North apart from other nominees.

For the first time the Yukon Chamber of Commerce was proud to present an Award to a Yukon based business that thought big, thought international. Arctic Premium Water Inc., co-founded by Barry Enders and Robert Wilson of Whitehorse was this year’s winner of the Yukon Exporter of the Year Award. These two gentlemen had an idea to not only produce water bottles that market themselves but to take water bottles and make them a corporate marketing machine.

Launched in 2003, they landed a contract to make a unique, custom water bottle for the White Pass & Yukon Route based in Skagway, Alaska that would bare the shape of a locomotive. Four years later their 250 and 500 milliliter water bottles are changing the face of water and ultimately marketing around the world.