Fleming College

Peterborough ON – (November 22, 2010) – Belinda Junkin, Business Administration – Materials Management and Distribution graduate of the class of 1985, has tonight been announced as the recipient of the 2010 Premier’s Award for Outstanding Colleges Graduates – Business category.

Presented annually to six recipients, the Premier’s Awards for Ontario College Graduates celebrate the outstanding contributions college graduates make to Ontario and throughout the world. Nominations are submitted from each of Ontario’s 24 colleges in six categories: Business, Creative Arts and Design, Community Services, Health Sciences, Technology and Recent Graduate.

Ms. Junkin was selected out of seventeen outstanding nominations in the business category for her accomplishments throughout her career including production planning and transportation at Quaker Oats Canada, and as the current president and CEO of the Cobourg-based Canadian Pallet Council (CPC), a national not-for-profit organization that provides low cost, competitive pallet services to the Canadian grocery industry.

In her role, Ms. Junkin oversees 1,300 members, who own and exchange over seven million orange pallets annually. This efficient interchange system saves Canadian consumers close to $300 million annually.

Ms. Junkin is currently working on a new software project that will reduce shipping distances for the return of empty pallets and save tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions. She manages a board of 28 consumer goods industry leaders and travels throughout Canada and the world promoting the work of the CPC.

“It is such an honour to be selected for this award. I came to the college as a single mother of two to make a better life for my family. The broad spectrum of the business department at Fleming allowed me to get exposure and experience in all aspects of business as well as my chosen specialty. Work placements offered “real world” experience and the programs were directly linked with professional associations that brought legitimacy to my studies. The faculty were extremely supportive and proven successful in the industries for which they taught, which made all the difference,” said Ms. Junkin. “I am truly humbled to receive this award,”

Each of the six recipients will receive a bronze medal as well as a $5,000 donation directed to their college.

Ms. Junkin is Fleming College’s second recipient of this prestigious award. Fleming College last had a provincial winner in 1995 when Cindy Pettersen-Rugsten won the honour in the Health Sciences category for her international nursing career. She donated her $5,000 prize to assist students from Africa who wished to attend Fleming College.

Fleming College’s additional Premier’s Award nominees included:
•    Candace Chartier, Nursing (1991)
•    Supriya Chattodpadhyay, Educational Assistant (2007)
•    Mark Trealout, Ecosystem Management Technician (2001)
•    Phil White, Art Conservation Techniques (1988)

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