JORDAN STATION, ON, June 1, 2011 /CNW/ - Scotiabank and the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) today announced that Jordan Station's Creek Shore Farms has won the Small Business Big Impact Challenge in the Products or Services Category.

"We'd like to congratulate Creek Shore Farms' owners Amanda and Ryan Thiessen on their success in the challenge," said David Wilton, Director, Small Business, Scotiabank. "We had more than 1000 submissions in the Products or Services Category from small business owners from across the country. While we received many terrific submissions, we were impressed with Creek Shore Farms' business model, committing both to sustainable, organic farming and making their community a better place to live."

Creek Shore Farms is a small organic farm in Jordan Station, Ontario. Both in their mid-20s, owners Amanda and Ryan are passionate about agriculture. Aside from selling fresh organic produce, they are involved with their local food bank, with the attitude that fresh produce should be available for everyone. They also run a Community Supported Agriculture program which allows people to pre-purchase vegetables for the summer season.

"Creek Shore Farms exemplifies the very best qualities of small businesses in that they run the business in a first-class way and giving back to the community is an integral part of their business plan," said CFIB President Catherine Swift.

"Thank you to CFIB and Scotiabank for honouring how we run our business," said Amanda Thiessen, Co-Owner, Creek Shore Farms. "We strive to help out our community by providing them with healthy, organic produce, by using sustainable farming practices on our land, and by donating fresh produce to our local food bank."

The Small Business Big Impact Challenge invited nominations of local small businesses across Canada that could demonstrate that their business made a difference in the community where they live and work in one of the following three categories:

• Providing Employment: Implementing employment practices that reflect and support community needs as well as employment opportunities.
• Offering Products or Services: Creating new industries or ways of doing business, or offering unique products or services that benefit their community.
• Demonstrating Leadership: Taking a leadership role in initiatives for their community that ultimately makes it a better place to live and work.

The Challenge attracted more than 1200 small business entrants from across Canada, 496 of which were from Ontario. The list was recently narrowed down to 15 finalists including nine Ontario businesses. One winner has been selected in each of three categories: Employment, Products or Services, and Leadership.

About the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB)
As Canada's largest association of small- and medium-sized businesses, CFIB is Powered by Entrepreneurs™. Established in 1971, CFIB takes direction from more than 108,000 members in every sector nationwide, giving independent business a strong and influential voice at all levels of government and helping to grow the economy. www.cfib-fcei.ca.

About Scotiabank
Scotiabank is one of North America's premier financial institutions and Canada's most international bank. With more than 70,000 employees, Scotiabank Group and its affiliates serve some 18.6 million customers in more than 50 countries around the world. Scotiabank offers a broad range of products and services including personal, commercial, corporate and investment banking. With assets above $571 billion (as at April 30, 2011), Scotiabank trades on the Toronto (BNS) and New York Exchanges (BNS). For more information please visit www.scotiabank.com.