On Friday 15th August, 2008, the Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry along with the Rotary Club of Belize hosted the First Ever Employer of the Year ceremonies at the Belize Biltmore Plaza Hotel. 
 
ScotiaBank (Belize) Ltd walked off with the Overall Best Employer Award. Awards were also given in three other Categories: Industry, Tourism and Conservation.  Citrus Products of Belize Ltd was chosen as the Best Industry Employer. Ka’ana Boutique Resort was chosen as the Best Tourism Employer and Belize Recycling Company was chosen as the Most Environmentally Conscious Employer. An award was also given for the Best Physical Environment, all companies had their restrooms inspected, and ScotiaBank (Belize) Ltd walked away with that award.
The Employer of the Year Competition was launched in March of 2008 and employees were encouraged to nominate their employers for the prestigious Paul J. Harris Award. There were ten finalists in the competition ScotiaBank (Belize) Ltd, Belize Telemedia Ltd, Radisson Fort George Hotel, GraceKennedy (Belize) Ltd, Citrus Products of Belize Ltd, Courts (Belize) Ltd, Reimer’s Feed Mill, Morgan & Morgan Trust Corp Belize, and Ka’ana Boutique Resort.
 
The sponsors for the night’s event were Belize Tourism Board, Protected Areas Conservations Trust, Belize Biltmore Plaza Hotel, The Rotary Club of Belize, Raul Villanueva and the Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
 
All proceeds from the Awards Ceremony will be donated to Youth Business Trust Belize, an IADB funded program offering young persons between the ages of 18 and 35 assistance in starting their own businesses. The program offers loan financing, training and the valued component, mentoring, which guides the young persons’ businesses on the road to success.