Today we celebrate the official public launch of TrustedSaskatoon.com to the Saskatoon public .....oh my goodness what a wonderful ride we have had! As I look back at pictures, Facebook posts and the wonderful experiences my team and I have enjoyed. I also note they were accompanied by the hard lessons we have most definitely learnt over the years. I have one thing to say.
THANK YOU!
Thank you all for being with us every step of the way!! I thank my family, my wonderful friends and the Saskatoon business community. As I look back it has to be noted that a number of Facebook fans and Trusted Saskatoon Partners have been with us LITERALLY since the beginning! I can honestly say HAND ON HEART - it wouldn’t have been possible without you!!
Trustedsaskatoon.com has grown to over 95 businesses. Amazing Trusted Saskatoon partners- we are a strong community of locally owned and accountable Saskatoon companies run with integrity! TrustedRegina.com launched in 2012 ( now over 70 businesses) and in 2014 we launched Trusted Marketing Services, where we help clients all over North America with their marketing. We have over 17,000 Facebook fans across Saskatchewan , over 18,000 Twitter Followers ( @Trustedcanada) and our Trusted You Tube Channel’s videos have had over 52,000 views!!
In the last 5 years Trusted has won SABEX, ABEX and International business awards. I have gone from working at my kitchen table alone, to having 2 offices in Saskatchewan and 8 wonderful hard working team members! My super team and the amazing local businesses we promote are the key to the long term success of S & E Trusted Online Directories Inc ( the company behind the 3 websites) .
A NEW NORMAL HAS ARRIVED IN SASKATCHEWAN
I arrived as an immigrant from the UK 10 years ago in 2006. That was a time when people were leaving this fine province, that I am proud to call home and do business in! The last 5 years there has been SO MUCH GROWTH, the market place has shifted in Saskatchewan, it was the HAVE province and it has been a bit of a wild ride for many! Now, as the economy slows down, as it inevitably always was going to - we are here to see the dust settling. There is one thing we know for sure, TRUST is always a huge factor in success and I guarantee that you can TRUST us to be here in another 5 years , doing what we love - helping local people find amazing local businesses in Saskatoon!
SOME OF THE TRUSTED TEAM!!
(From R-L - Sara Wheelwright, Leanna Keyes, Solange Bosse & Ryan Neiman)
Celebrate Success! Trusted Announced as 2016 Award Finalists!
The Trusted Team are absolutely thrilled and honoured to have been selected as finalists for the 2016 SABEX Award for community Involvement. Trusted has been a finalist numerous time for SABEX and won the 2014 Marketing Award, we appreciate the recognition and the accolades that come with being a finalist! The Trusted team believes giving back is always in style. We are proud members of the Saskatoon business community. We love our city and do what we can to support local events, non profits and to help individuals in need, so this Community Involvement award is very close to our heart! To see what we do for our community please visit our community page by clicking here!
MEDIA RELEASE FROM THE GREATER SASKATOON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
Finalists are announced today for the 2016 Celebrate Success! Business
Awards, produced by the Greater Saskatoon Chamber of Commerce and presented by
PotashCorp.
The Celebrate Success! Awards Gala is a celebration of the exceptional
businesses growing and operating in the Saskatoon region. Finalists announced include the
Saskatoon Awards for Business Excellence (SABEX), the Award of Innovation, the Strategic
Alliance Award, the Community Leadership Award, the Oslo Business for Peace Award and
the prestigious RBC SABEX Hall of Fame.
The SABEX Awards are open to all private sector (non-governmental) enterprises based in
Saskatoon and district, whether large or small. All applications were forwarded to EY for initial
sorting and processing. Applications from each of the various categories were then delivered
to independent and anonymous judging panels. .
ALL 2016 award finalists are listed on this LINK.
Award recipients will be named at the
Celebrate Success! Awards Gala on May 19th at Prairieland Park.
2016 SABEX AWARD FINALISTS COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
For a business demonstrating substantial support for arts and culture, amateur sport,
education or volunteerism.
We would like to wish our fellow finalists in this category luck and congratulate them on being selected!
We would also like to congratulate
Trusted Saskatoon Alarm & Security partners REED SECURITY who are finalists in the
Customer Service and
Marketing Award category. Virgil and the Reed Security team have a long history of winning awards, and they always strive for excellence in all they do!!!
Here they give great Tips for Building an Outdoor Kitchen:
With warm weather beckoning us outside, why make a meal indoors? If you want to transform your yard into another favourite spot on your property, an outdoor kitchen is a great place to start - and it doesn't have to cost a lot to be functional.
Planning Your Space
Location is the key to an outdoor kitchen that is functional and well-integrated into your deck or yard.
- Consider what you want in your outdoor kitchen. It can be as simple as using your existing barbecue and adding a small counter prep area and storage unit.
- Plan the arrangement of your components. Place them against an existing wall or fence for a galley-style kitchen that takes up the least amount of space. Or use a corner to create a more expansive L-shaped space that works well if you have several cooks in the kitchen.
- Factor in the placement of your outdoor eating area - it should be close enough to the grill to work in tandem with it but not so near that smoke wafts over the dining set.
- Pick a spot close to outdoor electrical outlets and a water source.
- Make sure you have room to expand the kitchen in the future to add more counter space and storage, or perhaps a wood-burning pizza oven or smoker.
Choosing Materials
With a little planning, it's possible to choose materials to create an outdoor kitchen without spending a fortune.
- Use materials that can stand up to sun, water and stains for counter prep area and storage. Durable solid surface Corian®, quartz Silestone® and stainless steel are all great options.
- If you're short on space, use storage units on castors, a serving cart, or build a counter that folds down.
- You'll need a level surface to start. Pavers are the most economical option for creating a patio space and easy to add to if you want to expand your outdoor kitchen space in the future.
- If you're planning to have a permanent grilling area, build your base with affordable brick and stone for decorative emphasis.
- Make sure your outdoor fridge and grill are easy to move so they can be stored inside during the winter.
- If you live in an area with high humidity, choose rust-resistant materials.
Safety Tips
An outdoor kitchen tends to be a high-traffic area, so it's important to follow these safety guidelines.
- Keep a first-aid kit and fire extinguisher on hand.
- Ensure the grill is located at least five feet from the house and not too close to the dining area to restrict movement between the cooking area and the rest of the yard.
- Choose a location that gets some shade so you don't have to worry about always being exposed to the elements.
- Make sure the grill isn't too close to windows and doors to avoid your house filling with smoke when you're cooking.
- To avoid attracting insects and wildlife, choose materials and appliances that are easy to clean.
The Trusted Saskatoon Directory team always try to do something for the Saskatoon community, we are committed to helping where we can, but especially at Christmas
On Dec 21st a Trusted Saskatoon Facebook post revealed our cunning plan in full!
Trusted Saskatoon fans on Facebook had been enjoying 5 weeks of giveaways to celebrate the new website. & contests to celebrate reaching 7000 FacebookFans- but this the 8th contest and this time they weren’t going to be the winners....
We love a good rhyme .......
“ Saskatoon... Christmas eve is drawing near Part 8 of our give away is becoming clear.
The Trusted Saskatoon teams Christmas spirit is strongWe could pick 1 person to benefit, but feel that would be wrong So we ask YOU Saskatoon to tell us WHO is in need?
We will select a recipient not based on GREED
A charity, group or family we can gift this year
$700 dollars for them to use or to share.
Please share your thoughts and tell us a reason
Why YOUR nomination should benefit this Christmas season! “
The response was amazing, although some what overwhelming too, as we ONLY had $700 to donate to worthy people or organizations!
HOW AWESOME IT WAS to receive 4 additional donations!
1 from an single mother who wished to remain anon
3 from Trusted Saskatoon partners of $100 each- thank you to:
So,who did we choose and how?
WE AGONIZED over every nomination - but in the end decided to split the $1100 pot 11 ways equally and choose who we thought would benefit most
If we had more, believe us, everyone would have been helped, but we know less than $100/ recipient wouldn’t have made much of an impact! $100 for a family for example is a turkey and all the trimmings on Xmas day for 6+ people
The RECIPIENTS for Trusted Saskatoon’s ANNUAL December Christmas eve comfort are :
‘ organizations’
- Oskāyak High school - $100 donation GC for winter clothes fund for teens - we will be raising more awareness for this after New Year as so needed for this age group!
- Saskatoon Interval house - $100 Walmart GC for personal hygiene items, diapers and grooming items left behindin their urgency.
- Hands on Outreach Saskatoon - $100 Walmart GC - a wonderful grass roots organization in Saskatoon teaching real skills to youth in our city
- Saskatoon Cancer Clinic’s Playroom - $100 Donation ( TBD)- we have friends with cancer, we know kids with cancer- enough said
‘People’ nominated - we will contact individually and will not disclose full names or details.- just to say they will appreciate the $100 help this Christmas.
- Rhonda- Sponsored by anon single mom donor - $100 Superstore GC ( we will contact )
- Tammy - Sponsored by Perfection Plumbing $100 Superstore GC ( we will contact)
- Gail - sponsored by Curtis $100 Superstore GC ( we will contact)
- Deb - sponsored by Solange $100 Superstore GC ( we will contact)
‘OTHER'
- Parkridge Centre - TBD - we want to bring some Christmas into the lives of their residents young and old on Christmas Eve
- A refugee family from Syria - TBD ( $100 Walmart GC)
- Homeless men - $10 Timmies Gift Card x 10 men - they DO get forgotten !!