For the second year in a row, the outstanding contribution to Corner Brook’s business community by the Alteen family has been recognized.
Thursday evening, Alteen Brothers Ltd. was named one of two Legacy Award winners at the Greater Corner Brook Board of Trade’s Business Excellence Awards.
Brothers Fred and Doug Alteen started the jewelry and watch-making company more than 50 years ago. Doug, who died in 2010, actually had set up shop in Grand Falls-Windsor about 10 years before coming to Corner Brook.
Fred, a 95-year-old Second World War veteran who still goes into work at the store, later followed Doug to Corner Brook from their hometown of Sydney, N.S.
The store is now owned and operated by Doug’s son, Bob Alteen.
One year ago, it was the legacy of Lou and Nick Alteen, the latter who founded National Shoe Store in Corner Brook in 1939, that was celebrated by the Legacy Award.
Neither Bob nor Fred Alteen was at the awards dinner Thursday. Lou Alteen’s daughter Ann Chaffey, who now owns the shoe store with her husband David, was honoured to accept the award Thursday night on behalf of her uncles and cousin.
“I’m just so happy for Bob and so happy for all of Uncle Doug’s family and Uncle Fred’s family,” she said. “They have definitely given a lot to this community and I love them dearly.”
Chaffey said Alteen Brothers Ltd. has really set a standard for how to operate a business in Corner Brook and how to interact with the community.
“I think they have done so many things that no one will ever know about to help people in their community in their own quiet ways,” she said.
While the board of trade doesn’t always hand out the Legacy Award every year, it did give a second one this year. The other winner was the Coleman Group of Companies.
Colemans was established in Corner Brook by Arthur James and Maggie Coleman in 1934 and has continued to thrive ever since. The group now consists of a dozen grocery outlets, plus four furniture and two clothing retail operations throughout Newfoundland and Labrador, along with a wholesale food division.
Here is the full list of winners of the Greater Corner Brook Board of Trade’s fourth annual Business Excellence Awards. Some winners were selected via public online voting, while others were submitted to a panel for review of criteria and selection.
- City Beautification Award: ECO Contracting Ltd.
- Best Customer Service Award: Danny's Paw Prints
- Best Online Presence Award: Silver Scissors and Emerald Spa
- Rising Star Award: Best Coast Cafe
- Community Impact Award: YMCA of Western NL
- Business of the Year: ECO Contracting Ltd.
- Youth Business of the Year: Holly Costello Interiors
- Qalipu Business of the Year: Western Steel Works Inc.
- Students of the year: Matt Tilley (Grenfell Campus, Memorial University) and Erica Park (College of the North Atlantic)
- Legacy Awards: Coleman group of Companies and Alteen Brothers Ltd.
Source: Greater Corner Brook Board of Trade
