One of Hamilton’s most treasured entertainers, comedian Martin Short, stars as one of three judges on Canada’s newest reality show, Canada’s Got Talent. The show is part of the America’s Got Talent franchise that has singers, actors, jugglers, magicians, ventriloquists and entertainers competing for a cash prize of $100,000 and the chance to be part of a Las Vegas show.

Mark your calendar on March 26, 2012, for the first-ever day-long conference to recognize Hamilton’s top businesses. The gala event, A Celebration of Businesses in Hamilton, will combine three business award events into one, and will be held at Hamilton’s first luxury boutique hotel, Chotel by Carmen and Carmen’s Boutique.

The 20th annual Community Food Drive for Ancaster gets underway in February, and 300-400 volunteers are needed to advertise and operate the event.

It’s not too late to take part in the Doorways to the Holidays at the Royal Botanical Gardens in Hamilton. While the event began on November 26, there are still lots of holiday related activities to look forward to; Doorways to the Holidays doesn’t end until January 8, 2012.

Maple Leaf Foods announced recently that they were closing several meat processing plants in Canada; among those cities that have lost a total of 1500 jobs due to this are Kitchener, Moncton and Toronto. However, at the same time, Maple Leaf Foods announced that they were investing $560 million over three years to build a prepared meat processing plant in Hamilton that will open in 2013.

Maple Leaf Foods opened what is being called Canada’s largest bakery in Hamilton on September 28. The 385,000 square foot facility will provide up to 300 full-time and 30 seasonal jobs to the city. Mayor Bob Bratina has stated that this brings “significant benefits to our local economy.”

The 1st annual Ancaster Business Showcase will take place on October 23 from 12 until 4pm. This free event is presented by the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce and will take place at the Ancaster Fairgrounds. Those businesses that plan to attend will be arranging for such things as brochure, businesses card and flyer printing so that they can promote their business or service well to the general public.

The Business Executives Organization is a business networking group based in Hamilton. One person from each type of industry is welcome to join BEO. Currently, members include representatives from a printing company, an advertising company and a marketing company as well as more niche businesses.