Tony Hendriks is marking 36 years since he began working at only grocery store that lives in Niagara-on-the-Lake’s busy downtown core — and his longtime efforts have not gone unnoticed.
At the Niagara-on-the-Lake Chamber of Commerce’s latest Business Achievement Awards, Hendriks was declared Citizen of the Year for 2026, in recognition of his more than three decades running the show at Hendriks Independent Grocer on Queen Street.
Hendriks says his win came as a big shock.
I did not expect to win,” he told The Lake Report. “I’ve just considered myself always just a local grocer and doing what I can for the town and getting involved with different activities, supporting different, great organizations and groups.”
The Lord Mayor’s Award of Excellence for Citizen of the Year, among several other awards, was presented at the Business Achivement Awards ceremony on May 20, where the lord mayor himself, Gary Zalepa, announced the winner and congratulated Hendriks.
“It took a few moments to have it register in my brain that they called my name,” Hendriks said. “It was a very surreal moment to hear your name called for that prestigious an honor.”
He was up against two other finalists in his category, including artist Trisha Romance and Shaw Festival executive director Tim Jennings.
“Tricia is quintessential Niagara-on-the-Lake. She’s really the heart and soul of our town,” he said. “And Tim, the Shaw Festival is the driving force behind the town and has been for decades. I think highly of all the work that he’s done for the Shaw and the town.”
The owner of Hendriks Independent Grocer started working at the grocery store in 1990 as store manager, back when it was De Laat Valu-mart, owned by his uncle, Adrian de Laat. In 1999, he purchased the franchise with his wife and was known as Hendriks Valu-mart. In 2022, the store rebranded to Independent Grocer.
“We do consider ourselves the local grocers of the old town and it is a privilege to have our business be considered kind of the meeting place for locals,” Hendriks said. “It’s really a hub of communications and interactions between residents. And we’re a part of it.”
In total, eight awards with given out last Wednesday evening at the ceremony, held at Ravine Vineyard Estate Winery.
Kathy Weiss, the Chamber’s CEO, told the attendees that the evening’s award recipients and finalists represent “the very best of Niagara-on-the-Lake.”
“Their passion, innovation, resilience and dedication to community are what make this town so exceptional.”
The Business of the Year Award went to Niagara College Research & Innovation, which collaborates with small and medium-sized businesses to help them grow and improve through applied research, including developing and testing new ideas.
It went up against four other businesses, including the Niagara District Airport, the Irish Harp pub, Andrew Peller Ltd. and 2×4 Jam Co.
The Dan Patterson Award for Entrepreneurial Spirit was given to Erinn Lockard, who owns Sweets & Swirls Cafe in the NOTL Community Centre.
Sumie Yamakawa, estate manager of the Inniskillin winery, was awarded the Celia Lieu Award for Excellence in Hospitality and Tourism.
The Christopher Newton Award for Arts and Culture went to Debra Antoncic, the director and curator at RiverBrink Art Museum.
Michelle Miller, committee chair of the NOTL In Bloom Festival, which was celebrated three weeks ago in town for the second time ever, received the Peter Ling Award for Business Leadership.
The Outstanding Achievement in Agriculture Award, meanwhile, was won by Paul Kent, the owner and operator of the family-run business Kent Heritage Farms.
At the start of the ceremony, the Chamber bestowed Janice Thomson with the honour of this year’s Chamber of Commerce Award, announced before the ceremony on May 20. Thomson spent 18 years as the head of the Chamber and has occupied several leadership roles in the Niagara region.
David Levesque, the Chamber’s chair, shared on stage with the attendees that the annual awards may be his favourite out of all the events the Chamber hosts each year.
“This one is about us celebrating the incredible community we are,” he said. “It’s about bringing us all together for a night, toasting to our successes, honouring our own and showcasing what it truly means to live according to the ‘Niagara-on-the-Lake spirit.'”
