The Hamilton Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce that Blair McKeil is the recipient of the 2022 RBC Royal Bank Hamilton Citizen of the Year Award.

Blair will be honoured at the Hamilton Chamber’s in-person Outstanding Business Achievement Awards gala on May 11 at Carmen’s Banquet Centre. Registration and ticket information is available here.

Blair Backgrounder:

For over 30 years and while at the helm of his family-owned and operated business, Blair grew McKeil Marine Limited into one of Canada’s leading marine transportation and logistics companies. McKeil Marine was awarded the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce’s 2015 Outstanding Business Achievement Award in the Large Business category.

To facilitate further growth, he partnered with TorQuest Partners, one of Canada’s largest private equity firms and joined the board of Directors as Vice Chairman. In 2018, Blair launched Breakwater Financial, a single-family office with a focus on creating and sharing wealth.

As CEO of Breakwater Financial, Blair McKeil is a respected leader, entrepreneur, and philanthropist.

Blair is often described as a person who personifies generosity of spirit and gives quietly and consistently. He and his wife Kathy have given significant contributions – both in their time and financial donations through the McKeil Family Foundation – to local organizations: Mohawk College (McKeil School of Business), McNally House Hospice, Carpenter Hospice Burlington, ProAction Halton, CityKidz, and the Lighthouse Theatre, to name a few, and countless other anonymous contributions over the years to many causes and organizations.

Blair has has particular passion to advance and support Hamilton youth and teens. He has hosted summer camps for youth, provided annual scholarships to Mohawk College students, and is an active supporter of the Inner City Outreach Ministry and Eva Rothwell Centre. In 2021 Blair was instrumental in supporting the arrival of the TS Playfair as an educational tool for teens, in addition to the Arrival of Theodore the Tub boat to Hamilton and The Great Lakes.

Hamilton Citizen of the Year:

The Hamilton Citizen of the Year award recognizes individuals who have made a significant contribution to the Hamilton community and who have brought outstanding and remarkable attention to the Hamilton community beyond our municipal borders.

Created in 1938 by the Hamilton Advertising and Sales Club, the Hamilton Citizen of the Year Award has been under the stewardship of the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce since 1999. The award recognizes individuals who have made a significant contribution to the Hamilton community and who have brought outstanding and remarkable attention to the Hamilton community beyond our municipal borders. Past notable winners include Ron Foxcroft and the Honourable Lincoln Alexander.

The Hamilton Chamber of Commerce would like to thank the Royal Bank of Canada for its continued support for this award.

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