Maria is the founder of FamilyEdmonton.com, a Web site directory for those in the Edmonton Area. In addition to connecting community members with local businesses and events,she gives free advertising to local nonprofits to increase community awareness. Maria is in the process of opening four more directories and has a five-year plan to provide a directory to each of Canada's major cities.
Humanitarian of the Year
John Gonsalves
After seeing a news story about a soldier that lost both of his legs in Iraq, John Gonsalves, a construction supervisor from Raynham, MA wondered what was being done to support these men and women who had sacrificed so much from our country. He set out on a mission to join in the effort to build specially adapted housing and modifying and retrofitting homes for those most severely injured. Not finding any organization that was supporting such a mission, he knew he needed to do something to help these American Heroes. In February 2004, John founded Homes for Our Troops.
Homes for Our Troops built a handful of homes in its first two years as it worked diligently to spread the word nationwide about its mission so it could raise the funds needed to meet the great need for hundreds of specially adapted homes for our most severely injured American Heroes. Since then, Homes for Our Troops has grown into a highly rated, prominent, national non-profit organization that has built more than three dozen homes through the end of 2008. During 2009 there are about 30 more homes in the build process.
Business Matchmaker of the Year
Ricci Neer, Austin, Texas
Equipped with only a laptop and an internet connection, Ricci Neer successfully developed her business distributorship into the #1 organization for sales volume, retail clients and mailing list data. She works with small businesses, independent representatives and corporate divisions to develop new media strategies including social media marketing and wordpress blogging.
"Made It to a Million" Award
Toni Sexton, Tampa/St. Petersburg, Florida
From high school dropout, teenage pregnancy and public assistance to CEO and founder of Fusion HealthCare, a 12 million dollar healthcare business, Toni Sexton has never forgotten where she started and values finding the hidden potential in employees and clients. Toni was recently named 2009’s Most Innovative Woman in Business by eWomenNetwork’s Tampa/St. Petersburg chapter.
Lifetime Achievement Award
Debbie Meyer
Debbie Meyer became a household name with the launch of her DEBBIE MEYER GreenBags™, developed to extend the usable life of produce and cut flowers. Launched in 2005, Debbie set sales records on shopping networks worldwide. Over 300 million DEBBIE MEYER GreenBags™ have sold and are available on home shopping networks and at retailers everywhere. The extended DEBBIE MEYER FoodFresh System™, which also had a spectacular launch, is an extensive line of products she has further developed to keep a wide variety of foods fresh, including breads, cheese and cold cuts.
Debbie is an innovator, who actually does the research and develops and designs her own products. As an inventor, she holds many patents and her many successful products are testament to her ability to tap into the needs of millions of people.
Debbie currently appears regularly on HSN in the USA in her own shows titled: Debbie Meyer Innovations and Debbie Meyer Foodfresh System. Debbie Meyer Innovations is also broadcast on QVC UK. Debbie’s show, Debbie Meyer Ideas, is featured on The Shopping Channel Canada, TVA Canada, and HSE24 Germany. She also appears as a guest on TV and radio, and is the co-founder of Housewares America, Inc.
