Maz Entertainment doubles down as Business of the Year

Maz Entertainment stole the show as the only double award winner at the Lloydminster District Chamber of Commerce Business Excellence Awards.

The local company, owned by Cody Mazeroelle, captured the Small Business of the Year and Business of the Year awards before a sold-out dinner crowd at the WLS Convention Centre on Oct. 24. 

Cody was in Saskatoon leaving his wife, Stephanie, to accept the final coveted Business of the Year honour on behalf of her husband.

“So, Cody did not prepare a speech for this one,” she said.

“We’re just very grateful for this community and we just want to thank you for all the support. We just can’t wait for what the next year will have for us.”

The top Business of the Year Award was presented by Aaron Dyck, who represents the Chambers of Commerce Group Insurance Plan in the prairie region.

“I guess I’ll just get down to business. So, your Lloydminster Chamber of Commerce Business of the Year is Maz Entertainment,” announced Dyck.

The couple was shocked to win two awards, especially the Business of the Year Award.

“He’s going to be shocked about this one. I can’t wait to tell him on the phone later tonight,” said Stephanie.

“Cody is a very humble person in the community. He is just so grateful for all the support he gets as a small business.”

Chamber celebrates lifetime achiever

Add Glenda Elkow to the list of active community pillars in the Lloydminster area.

Elkow is this year’s recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award, presented at the Lloydminster Chamber of Commerce Business Excellence Awards at the WLS Convention Centre on Oct. 24.

“It’s an amazing honour. I’m really grateful to be given the award,” said Elkow, who lives on a farm close to town with her husband, Terry.

“You go through life and you do what you do, and you do what you think is right at the time —it’s not really for any recognition.”

As the role of the presiding Chamber president, Donna Schellenberg was pleased to choose Elkow for the award, as someone who has made a significant contribution to our
community.

“Every president has different parameters they choose. This is amazing as it really highlights a big variety of lifetime contributors to our community,” explained Schellenberg.

“There’s been an impressive line-up of recipients over the last 20 years, and I take great pleasure in introducing you to this year’s recipient.”

A familiar pillar of the border city

Spiro Kokanas – you’d be hard-pressed to find a member of the Lloydminster community who didn’t know the name, he’s been a pillar of the community for over half a century.

Spiro arrived in Canada at 16-years-old. His father, who had left Greece to go to Brazil, had been sponsored to come to Canada by family. Eventually, his father sponsored him to come to Canada. He went from Greece to Halifax by boat before taking a train to Saskatoon.

He spent his formative years in Saskatoon working in restaurants, eventually marrying his wife, Tina. 

Spiro, and his brothers, Jim, and Bill, were looking for a business to run.

Spiro, reflecting on his time here, has a deep admiration for not only the city, but Canada. His love for Canada was expressed through a poem he wrote.

“This is a story, my friend for everyone to hear, the story about Canada and everyone in here, we are all Canadians no matter what the breed. English, French, Indigenous, Germans, Arabs, Greeks. So, we should not discriminate our fellow countrymen. We should all live in peace because we are all Canadians. Canada is a blessed land and here is our home,” Spiro recited holding back tears.

“I can’t even say that without crying, we are all Canadians no matter where we’re from. I wrote the story from my heart and truly believe I am an immigrant, and here I chose to live,” he said, finishing the poem he wrote called “The Heart of an Immigrant.”

Spiro has given back to the community he holds dear with a Thanksgiving dinner, which he says was an idea his wife came up with.

“I went to the Anglican Church, they have a hall and I told them what I wanted to do,” said Spiro. “They donated the hall, first year approximately we had maybe 150 people.”

Residents of Lloydminster are familiar with the 50 Ave. restaurant, enjoying a taste of authentic Greek food from a family who has remained a pillar in the community over five decades later. Getting the chance to meet the man behind the name, and the successor to the restaurant, daughter Maria.

Lloyd working towards air service

The City of Lloydminster has accepted an updated airport master plan.

The presentation was made by Ben Crooks from HM Aero Aviation Consulting at the Oct. 21 council meeting. 

The old airport master plan was completed and approved in 2020, and in April 2024, WestJet ceased operation in Lloydminster. 

The master plan involved rounds of public engagement, there were in-person events in May 2024, two open houses totalling 53 attendees, and a Startup Lloydminster presentation with 25 attendees.

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