CIBPA Awards
Each year at our Annual Gala Dinner, we award two Canadian Italian Business Professional Association (CIBPA) awards to people in Manitoba of Italian heritage that rise above the rest and demonstrate the success that can be achieved by hard work.
There are two CIBPA Awards:
If you wish to nominate someone for our next award, please contact us via email.
CIBPA Professional of the Year Award
The CIBPA Professional of the Year Award is given to a business professional of Italian heritage who gains a high level of professional achievement while at the same time continues to recognize his Italian heritage by working within both the Italian community of Winnipeg as well as the greater community to achieve improvements.
2012 Award - Mr. Joe Aiello (92 CITI FM)
For Joe Aiello, a person’s life is often measured in the memories of strangers. A celebrated media personality, Joe’s face and name are known to generations of Winnipeggers, most of whom he has never met. Joe understands that with celebrity comes responsibility because he knows that when his days are up, people will remember more than just his voice.
“I’ve always believed that this job gives people like me a voice to speak out,” explains Joe. “When someone needs help, it’s important that we do what we can. I hope that when my time is up, people remember that I did what I could.”
Joe’s heart of gold comes naturally, he says. Born into a typical Italian family, he learned early on that familial ties and friendship are keys to a loving life and that giving back is something expected of everyone. As for his gilded tongue, well, that’s another story.
“Since I was a kid, I wanted to be in broadcasting,” he recalls. “I think my parents thought I was crazy because I’d walk around with my Mom’s spoons, pretending I was talking into a microphone. I was always fascinated with radio and I’ve been blessed with a long professional career in my hometown.”
Since 1986, Joe has been a fixture on local radio, working behind the scenes as a producer and on-air as a broadcaster. For the past 18 years, he’s been “Joe” in the Tom and Joe morning show on 92 CITI FM. It’s a gig he’s proud of because it lets him be himself; something that he doesn’t take for granted. read more... (PDF)
2011 Award - Mr. Charllie Aiello (CIBC Wood Gundy)
As a successful investment advisor and wealth manager, Charlie Aiello certainly understands the concept of risk and reward. For Charlie however, the true definition of the term is reflected in a lifetime of striving to balance his career with his family.
“My father taught us from an early age that while money may give you unlimited options, you’ll never be truly happy unless you have a life outside work,” explains Charlie. “There are plenty of financial rewards in the work I do but there’s great risk too if you don’t make time for family.”
To that end, Charlie is not only building a thriving financial planning business, he and his wife Pina are raising their daughter Samantha and sons Peter and Franco in a way that would make any Italian nonno and nonna proud. “Italian families love to get together to celebrate life and we’ve tried to raise our kids in that tradition,” states Charlie. “From my own experience, I’m closer to my cousins than many Canadians are to their own brothers
and sisters.” read more...
Video of 2011 Award to Charlie Aiello
Past Awards
2010 - Charles Sherbo, (Fillmore Riley LLP)
2009 - Vince Bueti (Pullan Kammerloch Frohlinger)
2008 - Tony Taronno & Tony Cesario (Horizon Insurance)
2007 - Dr. Frank Albi
CIBPA Entrepreneur of the Year Award
This award goes to someone of Italian descent who demonstrates the entrepreneurial spirit to achieve acclaim within the community.
2010 Award - The Aura Group
Like virtually every new Canadian who leaves behind the country of their birth to begin life anew in Canada, Pat Potenza, Tony Santarsieri, Mike Santarsieri, Rocco Macchia and Pasquale Martino arrived in Winnipeg from Italy with a dream to succeed. A half-century or so after settling in Canada and 31 years after launching their first professional endeavor, the partners of Winnipeg-based Aura Hair Group have triumphed by building one of western Canada's largest private hairstyling companies.
Pat, Mike, Tony, Rocco and Pasquale came to Canada at an early age. They were indicative of the many intrepid men and women who ventured far from their homelands in the 1960's to seize the opportunity to build careers, raise families and contribute to the prosperity of their new country. After several years of toiling for others, the partners formed Aura Hair Group to launch St. Vital Unisex in the St. Vital Shopping Centre. Full Story...
Past Award Winners
2012 - not awarded
2011 - not awarded
2009 - not awarded
2008 - Joe Zirino (Zirino's group)
2007 - De Luca family (De Luca's group)
2006 - Maria De Nardi (De Nardi group)
2006 - Joe Paletta (Paletta Group)
2005 - Joe Bova (Manshield Construction)
