Manitoba Champions Awards

In 2025, we brought back the tradition of honouring excellence in our province, with a new event celebrating Manitoba’s boldest champions and their outstanding contributions to our community – and we did it all on Manitoba Day.   

The Manitoba Chambers of Commerce created the Manitoba Champions Awards, presented by Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries, to honour those businesses and individuals that are not only driving economic growth but are also dedicated to making a positive impact in their communities and across the province.

The Manitoba Champions Awards consist of two parts:  

Future Champions Awards 

With the Future Champion Awards we recognized a combination of 10 outstanding businesses and individuals in 2025 that use their influence in their communities to drive social and economic innovation with real impact. Recipients live their lives and operate their businesses holding the belief that Manitoba is the best place to live and work, striving to build a strong future where all Manitobans prosper.  We presented Future Champions with their Awards at an evening reception on Manitoba Day at the Club Regent Event Centre.  

Watch our Video Highlight Reel from the reception!
Read the Event Recap, including a list of winners and link to the photo gallery.

2025 Future Champions Awards recipients:

Individuals:

• Pamela Kolochuk – CEO, Peak of the Market (Winnipeg)  
• Derek Earl – Chair, Biz for Climate (Winnipeg)  
• Marcel Kringe – Founder & CEO, Bushel Plus (Brandon) 

Lieutenant Governor Awards for Outstanding Contribution to the Community 

In addition to the Future Champions Awards, we’ve continued our collaboration with the Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba to select two recipients for the Lieutenant Governor Awards for Outstanding Contribution to the Community. These awards are presented to one business and one individual, honouring Manitoba’s foremost business leaders and longstanding champions whose exemplary accomplishments of vision, leadership, integrity, entrepreneurial spirit, and philanthropic contributions demonstrate consistent best practice in business at the highest level. We honoured the 2025 Lieutenant Governor Awards recipients at an exclusive gala luncheon at Government House on Manitoba Day. 

Read the Event Recap.

2025 Lieutenant Governor Awards recipients

Outstanding Contribution to the Community by a Business

Payworks Canada

Founded in Winnipeg in 2000, Payworks has grown to become a major player in the payroll, human resources, and time management sectors, providing services to over 40,000 businesses across Canada. In 2024, Payworks’ marked their twelfth year as one of Canada’s Best Managed Companies and in 2025 celebrated its fifth consecutive year as one of Manitoba’s Top Employers, a testament to its positive work environment and employee satisfaction. Beyond a beautiful new head office in Winnipeg with many conveniences and perks for staff, Payworks places a strong emphasis on inclusivity and fun, creating a workplace where everyone feels valued and engaged, and invests heavily in employee development, training and advancement opportunities. 

Fully Canadian owned and operated, Payworks ensures that its profits and investments remain within Canada, supporting local businesses and communities. Deeply committed to social responsibility and community engagement, Payworks supports nearly 300 community organizations across the country, with a significant focus on initiatives within Manitoba. Through its Pay it Forward Day program, Payworks employees have clocked more than 6,600 volunteer hours. This commitment to giving back is a core part of the company’s philosophy, encapsulated in their purpose statement: “doing right by people”. 

Outstanding Contribution to the Community by an Individual

Doug Stephen, President of WOW! Hospitality Concepts Inc. 

Raised in Dauphin, Doug Stephen has been a staple in Manitoba’s dining and hospitality industry for more than 40 years after learning to cook in Clear Lake’s pizza parlour as a teenager. Doug worked as a server at the Old Spaghetti Factory, later taking over the establishment alongside Brandy’s in 1980. He was a longtime area partner for The Keg, opened Stephen & Andrews Food and Wine Shoppe, Pasta la Vista, and Green Gates (now The Gates on Roblin), then co-founded WOW Hospitality Concepts (WOW) in 1995, which now includes seven well-known restaurants, provides preferred catering services to major Manitoba tourism attractions, and employs more than 600 people. Under Doug’s leadership, WOW places a strong emphasis on employee development and training. 

Doug actively supports several local organizations, from sitting on committees to raising funds. In 2022, he was given an honourary diploma in Hospitality and Tourism Management by RRC Polytech, recognizing his ongoing contributions to the industry and the college itself. He received the Award of Distinction in 2023 presented by Tourism Winnipeg and Travel Manitoba,and was inducted into the Manitoba Restaurant & Foodservice Association’s Hall of Fame in 2025.