London and District Business Hall of Fame

October 25th, 2023 | RBC Place London

Thank you to everyone who joined in the annual London and District Business Hall of Fame Gala on October 20th. What a great night celebrating our newest Laureates Tina Bax and Michelle Quintyn! Click here to see the program from our 2022 Gala.

2023 NOMINATIONS ARE NOW CLOSED and the Laureates will be announced soon.

Each year, in recognition of outstanding contributions and ethics in business, Hall of Fame Laureates are nominated and selected by respected members of the London and District business community.

Established in 1990, the London and District Business Hall of Fame supports the work of JA South Western Ontario. It was created to honour respected members of the London and area business community, past and present, for their outstanding contributions to business, entrepreneurship and philanthropy.

This annual signature gala event showcases the lives of the Inductees allowing us to learn about their achievements and how they have developed and nurtured their legacies. The 2022 London and District Business Hall of Fame Inductees joined a distinguished list of previous Laureates whose portraits are showcased in the London and District Business Hall of Fame Gallery located in the London Public Library, downtown London.

2022 Gala Raffle Winners:

Copp’s Buildall gift card – Marc John
Leaf’s tickets – Kyra Merkley
Necklace – Micca Kenrick

Presenting Sponsor

2023 SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

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About the 2022 Laureates

TINA BAX
Founder of CultureWorks ESL and Canada Immigration Pathway

Tina Bax is the Founder and Former President of CultureWorks ESL, and Founder of Canada Immigration Pathway. Founded in 1998, CultureWorks English as a Second Language was the first of its kind public-private partnership in Canada, graduating thousands of students to colleges and universities across Canada. CultureWorks gave 10% of its net back to the London area each year in scholarships and community sponsorships. Tina pioneered the transition from an on-campus bricks-and-mortar school to a multi-university approved virtual classroom, well before the global pandemic.

Tina is a former Director of the Board of the London Y, a volunteer for the Pioneer Park Association, and a member of the breakfast team at Ronald McDonald House. She has received various awards including Business of the Year for CultureWorks, and a Women of Excellence Award for Entrepreneurship.

Tina sold the majority stake in CultureWorks in 2021, after increasing revenue tenfold. She now works with immigrant entrepreneurs to Canada, pairing them with best-fit investors and helping them launch their own businesses in Canada. Her philanthropic work continues as a founding Board Member of the Huron Community Fund.

MICHELLE QUINTYN
President and CEO, Goodwill Industries, Ontario Great Lakes

Michelle is President and CEO, Ontario Great Lakes, Goodwill Industries. She is a leader in building social enterprise, inclusive economies, and community development. As CEO, she has steered Goodwill Industries, serving across Ontario, to a $59 million enterprise with 1,200 employees who train and work on several platforms including thrift/recycling, food and hospitality, light manufacturing, power industrial sewing, and commercial/industrial contracts.

Michelle helped create and launch Edgar and Joe’s Café, Goodwill Commercial Solutions, and an emerging social enterprise collaboration called WORTH – a fully circular, re-manufactured product line comprised of post consumer textiles heading to waste. Employing and training many people who face barriers, Goodwill has propelled tens of thousands of individuals to work and prosperity.

Michelle has received many awards including the YMCA Woman of Excellence for Business and Professions, the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal, and the Chamber of Commerce Business Achievement Award for Environmental Leadership to name a few.