Five local women were honoured Monday for their contributions to their community and workplaces at the Quota International of Weyburn Women of the Year Awards. The winners were chosen from 15 nominees.

Kendra Gonczy won the Hoffmann, Michel and Associates Private Wealth Management Young Woman of Distinction Award for her work with children. She is a teacher at Assiniboia Park Elementary School and is very involved with musical theatre productions and school choirs. She is the President of the YF Wives.

"I just love what I do," said Gonczy. "It's not work to me. I just get to go hang out with kids all day so getting an award for this is pretty phenomenal."

Becky Tuchscherer won the M. Isabelle Butters Quota International of Weyburn Community Service Award.

"Nikki Dickie and the board of directors for the Weyburn Gold Wings nominated me for the award and nominated me for the volunteer hours that I put into working with the team and the players and the parents and getting them involved in our community," shared Tuchscherer.

wofy crowd
There were several attendees at the awards luncheon at McKenna Hall Monday.

Laura Resler and Krista Missal won the Access Communications Exceptional Entrepreneur Award. They are pharmacists and store operators for the Pharmasave's in Weyburn and Radville.

"We were nominated for bringing Starbucks into Weyburn," explained Missal.

The pair was nominated by their front store manager Jasmine Kravanya. Resler said they were very excited and humbled to be nominated.

"It means a lot to be recognized by our peers and our staff," shared Resler.

Margot Arnold won the Weyburn Credit Union Workplace Excellence Award. She has been a teacher at the Weyburn Comprehensive School for 17 years and has taught entrepreneurship for 15 years.

"In 2014 I introduced the Junior Achievement program into my classroom and since then I've had 14 companies go through," explained Arnold. "Two of those companies won national back-to-back and another won provincial."

wofy susanminard
Susan Minard was the guest speaker at the awards luncheon.

Susan Minard, Co-CEO of Minard's Leisure World, was the guest speaker at the awards luncheon. A long-time local entrepreneur, she owns Minard's Leisure World and Minard's Steadfast Homes with her husband Gene. She told the large crowd at the luncheon she started her entrepreneurial career raising show collies, which she sold worldwide due to good marketing (she had a website made 20 years ago) and raising the most champions at her kennel. She went on to sell a clothing line on her own before opening the RV dealership in 2004.

Minard shared some advice with the crowd to help them succeed, encouraging them to exercise, think positively, stay humble, surround themselves with good people, stay passionate about what they do and to find balance in good friends.