By Matthew Liebenberg
There was a sense of anticipation and celebration at a gala event in Swift Current to recognize the contributions of businesses and non-profit organizations to the community.
The Swift Current Business Excellence (SCBEX) Spirit of Swift Current awards night took place at the Living Sky Casino Event Centre, Nov. 7.
This signature event is hosted annually by the Swift Current & District Chamber of Commerce. Awards were presented in 11 different categories and there was a capacity audience.
The evening was emceed by Chamber CEO Corla Rokochy and Chamber Board 2nd Vice-Chair Lindsay Gerbrandt.
Rokochy said it was very special to be on stage and to present the awards to the deserving recipients.
“There’s been a lot of challenges put upon business owners this year,” she said. “It’s nice for them to just take a moment and enjoy an evening together with other entrepreneurs, and really understand that the community is appreciating them and thinking about them, whether they’re a finalist or an award winner tonight.”
It was a memorable evening for the Rogue Cruisers, which won both the Not-for-Profit of the Year and Community Impact awards. This volunteer group of vehicle enthusiasts enjoys sharing car culture with the community and using its events to provide opportunities for local non-profit organizations to raise funds.
“We’re very unconventional as far as a non-profit or a fundraiser goes and it’s really great that people recognize the merit of it,” founding member Dustin Vipond said.
The group hosts the weekly Tail Light Tuesdays car show from spring to fall in the casino parking lot that features a different non-profit organization each month. The Rogue Cruisers feel it is important to use their events to give back to the community.
“That was definitely one of the pillars that we set out to do when we put this together,” he said. “If we’re going to all be together doing this, we may as well try and do some good with it.”
He estimated the Rogue Cruisers helped non-profit organizations to raise close to $60,000 since the group’s inception in 2023.
“It’s really amazing and the support of the community is what makes that happen,” he said.
Cory Schultz, who is also a Rogue Cruisers founding member, said they will continue to do what they can to make a difference.
“We’ll just keep doing what we’re doing,” he noted. “With all the people we’ve got around us, it’s become easy. There’s a lot of guys that put in a lot of hours and a lot of things, but we’ve got so many people around us that are helping and pitching in.”
Treen Packers, a family business in Swift Current since 1957, won the Employer of Person(s) Experiencing Disability award. Company owner Darrin Treen said it was a great honour to receive this recognition.
“It’s really appreciated,” he mentioned. “It’s the hard work of our staff and everybody working together to make everybody feel included in the workplace.”
The creation of a welcoming work environment requires a flexible approach that recognizes the uniqueness of each individual.
“There are challenges, but working through those challenges to everyone’s benefit provides a rewarding sense of accomplishment for the whole team,” he said. “Success leads to pride within our team and that sense of well-being extends well beyond the workplace for everyone involved.”
The Employer of the Year award was presented to First Avenue Dental. Owner and principal dentist Dr. Derek Thiessen said it means a lot to receive recognition in this particular award category.
“The dentistry is the easy part,” he noted. “It’s being the employer that’s the most difficult part of the job, but I have a really great team and they make it easy on me.”
There are 17 full-time and part-time staff members, but they feel more like friends than employees.
“We have a really good working relationship and we have a lot of fun at work,” he said. “In a stressful environment like a dental office my team makes it worthwhile.”
They do a lot of team building to create a sense of cohesion and a positive work environment.
“We usually, once a year, go somewhere,” he said. “Last year we went to Vancouver. We go golfing a couple times in the summer and we do lots of staff parties and stuff, and try and keep it like a family.”
Cassandra Crozier, the owner and personal trainer at Twist Of Fate Health & Fitness, won the Emerging Entrepreneur award. She felt honoured to be nominated and to receive this recognition.
The business was established as a group fitness studio in 2018 and she has been expanding the services offered since becoming owner in 2022. It now also provides personal training and nutrition services and she plans to provide more fitness services.
“I think being a business owner is rewarding in a lot of ways, but it also requires a lot of long hours and hard work,” she said.
It was a big commitment to purchase this business, which is not a typical 9-5 job, at a time when she had two small children.
“It was a lot of work to get your name out there and introduce the business to the community, but once you get everything on its feet it’s very rewarding,” she said.
The Start-up/New Business award was presented to Frosty Bean Coffee House & Ice Cream Parlour, which has been open in downtown Swift Current for just over a year and a half. Owner Kimberly Cyrenne was surprised to receive the award.
“It’s a shock,” she said. “I really didn’t think I was winning this year.”
The various cheesecakes created in the café’s kitchen have been among the many popular menu items offered to patrons. It is necessary to do things different to stand out among other coffee shops and to offer customers what they want.
“We look forward to all the custom creations,” she said. “We like people coming up with creative ideas and making something new all the time. We always want to change and be one step ahead.”
Sage Creek Prairie School received the Small Business of the Year award. It is located on a rural property just north of Swift Current and aims to reconnect participants to the land through outdoor play and nature-based learning. Owner and lead educator Kristen Simonson said it was an honour to receive this recognition.
“We always knew that we were on the right track and we knew that we have a lot of support behind what we’re doing, but it’s always nice to be recognized in a community with some really incredible businesses,” she said.
She realized during nearly 30 years as an educator that young people are becoming less connected to the land. They will be familiar with a variety of apps, but they do not know the difference between a meadow lark and a robin.
“We didn’t ever start this with the idea of making money,” she said. “We started it with the idea just to get kids outside and then realized that it worked almost better as a small business. So we did it as a bit on the side and all of a sudden it’s kind of taking over into more full time.”
Rocky Rents received the Medium Business of the Year award. Manager Verlan Voth said it was overwhelming to have been nominated and to be the winner.
“It’s amazing to think that there are customers that feel that strongly about us to put us in a position like this,” he mentioned.
This equipment rental company has been in Swift Current for about 20 years, but has only been operating under the name Rocky Rents for three years after being purchased by Rocky Mountain Equipment. Voth has been manager for about 12 years.
“I’ve always felt that we should treat our customers the way that we would like to be treated if we were customers,” he said. “As long as we keep that foremost in our mind, everything else falls into place.”
Shoppers Drug Mart won the Large Business of the Year award. Pharmacy Manager Marshall Siemens said it was an honour to win after being nominated a few times.
“It just goes to show the commitment that our store has made to focusing first on helping others and the commitment to impacting in the community,” he noted.
He felt the store is able to stand out as a pharmacy through the provision of specialty consultation services as well as chronic disease management and medication reviews. It also participates in different pilot projects in the province as a way to serve the community.
Sola Oyawale, the front store manager, added that workplace diversity is another aspect of the store’s success.
“It’s a hub for just about all cultures and it’s just a really great place where we’ve got a good blend of generations in there as well,” he said. “It’s just a fantastic, fun place to work first, but then we care about our people a lot and that shows up in how we also treat customers.”
The floral business Smart Flowers received recognition as the 2025 Chamber Hall of Fame inductee. It has been operating in Swift Current since 1975 and previous owners were Jim Smart (1975-2004), Pat Friesen (2004-2007) and Poppy Parsons (2007-2025).
The award was accepted by Mya Leibel, who became the new owner of Smart Flowers in mid-October.
“I’m really excited to continue the legacy,” she said. “I’m a very creative person and very artistic. So I’m glad to bring that artistic expression to the city.”
The award for Chamber Member Business of the Year was presented to the Swift Current Community Youth Initiative (SCCYI) – The Center in recognition of the non-profit organization’s 15 years of dedication to creating a welcoming and safe space for youth and families.
SCCYI Executive Director Nathan Wiebe said it is very meaningful for them to receive this award.
“For us as an organization, it truly is about community impact,” he said. “I think it is a representation too that the work that’s being done is being heard and on top of that, there’s still more that needs to get done. We love the community support, that’s a huge proponent of this, to know that we have people in our corner that are willing to support us and continue to do that. We always look towards the future and how we can be more impactful in our community and make a difference.”
