At Wiegers Financial & Benefits, we deeply value the power of community and understand the critical role that local businesses play in Saskatoon’s growth and prosperity. This year, we were thrilled to sponsor the 2024 SABEX Family Business of the Year Award, a prestigious honor that celebrates the unique contributions of multi-generational family-owned businesses in our city.
What Is the Family Business of the Year Award?
The SABEX Awards celebrate excellence in Saskatoon’s business community, and the Family Business of the Year Award is one of the most meaningful for us. Each year, it honors a local business that has successfully navigated both family and business dynamics—a remarkable achievement! These businesses go beyond making a profit; they create jobs, contribute to the community, and strengthen families within and beyond their company through groups like FBAS.
This award, judged by the Family Business Association Saskatoon (FBAS) and co-presented by our very own Colton Wiegers, goes to a family-owned business that has made an outstanding impact on Saskatoon’s economy and community.
Wiegers Financial & Benefits: A Family Business at Heart
This award holds a special place in our hearts because Wiegers Financial & Benefits is a family-owned business, too! Founded by Cliff and Deb Wiegers, we’ve spent years helping people secure their financial futures and navigate life’s challenges. While Cliff is focused on building comprehensive financial plans for clients, Deb is shaping our group benefits solutions, helping companies support their employees’ health and well-being.
Just like many of the family businesses we support, we’ve experienced the excitement—and challenges—of passing the reins from one generation to the next. It’s this personal understanding of family business dynamics that makes us so passionate about helping other family-run companies grow, thrive, and secure their legacies.
“On behalf of the entire Wiegers team, we’re very proud to be sponsoring this award. Wiegers Financial & Benefits has been a family business since day 1 when Deb and Cliff decided to start their own company 33 years ago. Like many founders, they had a vision back then of creating a legacy and doing their part to make Saskatoon a place that their kids would want to build a future in. I think I can speak for a lot of people that you and the many businesses in this room have done more than your share to make our community the best it can be.
What makes family business different is that what happens in the business becomes the entire family’s business. This can be a great thing because if you’re feeling inspired you can turn to your partner in the car or on the couch and hash things out. This also makes it nearly impossible to escape the stresses of work and I’m sure anyone who has grown up in a family business knows what I mean. As a kid you get to see the good, the bad, and the ugly days of running a business but for how many people witness all of that and still grow up and say, that’s what I want to do with my future. That tells you that the opportunity and inspiration has won through on what a family business truly can be.
All of this to say, family business is not inherently better or worse than any other business or profession. It’s just unique. And it’s important that we celebrate those who have worked hard over numerous generations to succeed in it.” – Colton Wiegers, CEO
Why Family-Owned Businesses Matter
Family businesses aren’t just businesses—they’re a core part of the Canadian economy. The Conference Board of Canada recently released a study that shows;
Nearly two-thirds of all private sector firms in Canada are family owned
Family firms generate nearly half of Canada’s GDP in the private sector
They employed 6.9 million workers in 2017, equivalent to 47% of all private sector employment
Congratulations to Dutch Growers: The 2024 Recipient
We’re thrilled to announce that this year’s Family Business of the Year Award goes to Dutch Growersand the Van Duyvendyk family! Since 1953, Dutch Growers has been a family-run business, starting out as a small nursery and growing into one of Saskatoon’s go-to lifestyle stores. From plants and home décor to giftware and fashion, Dutch Growers offers not only products but also a creative, inspiring experience for everyone who visits.
The Van Duyvendyk family’s dedication, hard work, and ability to adapt over the years make them a perfect fit for this award. Their contributions to Saskatoon’s business landscape are truly something to celebrate.
Celebrating Success and Supporting the Future
At Wiegers Financial & Benefits, we’re proud to be part of the SABEX Awards and to support family-owned businesses like Dutch Growers. These businesses are key to Saskatoon’s success, and we’re here to help them continue to thrive with financial and benefits planning that’s built for their unique needs. We would to extent our best wishes to all the other award winners.
We can’t wait to hear from Dutch Growers at the upcoming Family Business Excellence Dinner in 2025 to hear more about their story! If you’d like to learn more about this event please reach out to us or FBAS directly.
(function() {
var file = ["https:\/\/wiegers.ca\/wp-content\/et-cache\/10582\/et-divi-dynamic-tb-3257-tb-8575-10582-late.css"];
var handle = document.getElementById('divi-style-parent-css');
var location = handle.parentNode;
if (0===document.querySelectorAll('link[href="' + file + '"]').length) {
var link = document.createElement('link');
link.rel = 'stylesheet';
link.id = 'et-dynamic-late-css';
link.href = file;
location.insertBefore(link, handle.nextSibling);
}
})();
var et_link_options_data = [{"class":"et_pb_text_0_tb_header","url":"mailto:wiegers@manulifewealth.ca","target":"_blank"},{"class":"et_pb_text_1_tb_header","url":"mailto:%20inquiries@wiegers.ca","target":"_blank"}];
jQuery(document).ready(() => {
let body = jQuery('body');
let header = jQuery('.header-floater');
let observer = new IntersectionObserver(
(entries, observer) => {
entries.forEach(entry => {
/* Here's where we deal with every intersection */
if(entry.isIntersecting) {
header.removeClass('header-floating');
body.removeClass('header-is-floating');
}
else {
header.addClass('header-floating');
body.addClass('header-is-floating');
}
});
},
{rootMargin: "0px 0px -200px 0px"}
);
let observed = jQuery('.header-placeholder-observation')[0];
observer.observe(observed);
})
document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', function() {
var currentYear = new Date().getFullYear(); // Get the current year
var yearElement = document.getElementById('copyright-year'); // Get the year element by id
if (yearElement) { // Check if the element exists
yearElement.textContent = currentYear; // Update the year
}
});
var DIVI = {"item_count":"%d Item","items_count":"%d Items"};
var et_builder_utils_params = {"condition":{"diviTheme":true,"extraTheme":false},"scrollLocations":["app","top"],"builderScrollLocations":{"desktop":"app","tablet":"app","phone":"app"},"onloadScrollLocation":"app","builderType":"fe"};
var et_frontend_scripts = {"builderCssContainerPrefix":"#et-boc","builderCssLayoutPrefix":"#et-boc .et-l"};
var et_pb_custom = {"ajaxurl":"https:\/\/wiegers.ca\/wp-admin\/admin-ajax.php","images_uri":"https:\/\/wiegers.ca\/wp-content\/themes\/Divi\/images","builder_images_uri":"https:\/\/wiegers.ca\/wp-content\/themes\/Divi\/includes\/builder\/images","et_frontend_nonce":"e892dbbc8f","subscription_failed":"Please, check the fields below to make sure you entered the correct information.","et_ab_log_nonce":"359723a890","fill_message":"Please, fill in the following fields:","contact_error_message":"Please, fix the following errors:","invalid":"Invalid email","captcha":"Captcha","prev":"Prev","previous":"Previous","next":"Next","wrong_captcha":"You entered the wrong number in captcha.","wrong_checkbox":"Checkbox","ignore_waypoints":"no","is_divi_theme_used":"1","widget_search_selector":".widget_search","ab_tests":[],"is_ab_testing_active":"","page_id":"10582","unique_test_id":"","ab_bounce_rate":"5","is_cache_plugin_active":"yes","is_shortcode_tracking":"","tinymce_uri":"https:\/\/wiegers.ca\/wp-content\/themes\/Divi\/includes\/builder\/frontend-builder\/assets\/vendors","accent_color":"#a6192e","waypoints_options":[]};
var et_pb_box_shadow_elements = [];
