A long-serving member of the St. Thomas & District Chamber of Commerce was honoured last week for his dedication, leadership and contributions to the community.
Chris Patriquin (seen in photo at left with Paul Jenkins) is this year’s recipient of the Richard Dolphin Community Service Award, presented at the Ontario Chamber of Commerce AGM and convention in Ottawa.
The award is presented to an individual who goes above and beyond in support of their chamber or board of trade.
Chamber CEO Paul Jenkins, who nominated Patriquin, noted he “is the consummate community leader who works tirelessly to ensure St. Thomas and Elgin County are great places to live, work, and play.”
Patriquin, along with his wife, Jame, have owned Simply Pure Water in St. Thomas since 2019.
He stresses, “Community has always been at the heart of what my wife and I do at Simply Pure water.”
Patriquin has serverd the Chamber in numerous leadership roles and is now Past President and board chair.
Recognized for his belief that, “we are a chamber community,” Patriquin has been a strong advocate for Indigenous communities, often saying, “there is no truth and reconciliation until there is clean drinking water.”
At the Ottawa convention, Paul Jenkins was also recognized, as he received an Honourable Mention for the Burnie Gillespie Memorial Award.
Written by Ian McCallum
