The Sooke Region Chamber of Commerce’s Business Excellence Awards held on Saturday April 11, 2015 at the Prestige Oceanfront Resort was a HUGE success!
Tickets were completely sold out for this premier Sooke event, with over 120 attendees enjoying a cocktail and appetizer reception while watching artist Christopher Lucas paint a beautiful rainforest image (which was auctioned off later in the evening). This was followed by the awards presentations and a delicious dinner of beef and salmon with all the trimmings and desserts provided by the West Coast Grill.
Community leaders, such as local Councillor Kerry Reay and Conservative MLA Candidate Shari Lukens, were in attendance to enjoy the evening’s festivities, while Mayor Tait and the other Councillors were at the AVICC conference in Courtenay.
Chamber President Sean Dyble emceed the award presentations, and oversaw the auctioning of numerous silent and live auction items.
Many emotional acceptance speeches were delivered by the award recipients, most notably by the gang from The Stick in the Mud who won both the ‘Business of the Year’ and ‘People’s Choice’ awards, as well as by Heather Cochrane (owner of Star Mobile Aesthetics) who won the ‘Home-Based Business Excellence’ award.
An impactful speech on the importance of business community collaboration, shopping locally, and supporting the Chamber organization as a crucial business resource was also delivered by Past President Michael Nyikes, who was honoured with the ‘Award of Recognition’ for his contributions to the community.
There was a great sense of pride and positive energy in the room throughout the evening, and a definite feeling that the people in the room were all part of something very special.
The Sooke Region Chamber of Commerce thanks and appreciates all the sponsors, prize donors and individuals who volunteered their time to make this event such a success.
Please visit the Business Excellence Awards section on the Events page of the Chamber’s website for full list of the finalists and award recipients, as well as the Member Gallery section of the Membership page of the Chamber’s website (www.sookeregionchamber.com) for photographs from the evening’s celebrations.
