It’s time once again to nominate the “best of the best” among South Cariboo businesses.
Submit your choices now for the South Cariboo Chamber of Commerce (SCCC) 2013 Awards of Excellence to recognize the community’s most outstanding businesses.
The SCCC hosts these awards each year, and will present them at a Red Carpet Gala awards dinner and silent action event at the 100 Mile Community Hall on March 22.
SCCC executive director Lianne Heales says it is accepting nominations from now until Feb. 26.
“We encourage everybody to consider those hard-working, great businesses out there in their community, and to help ensure they get recognized by nominating them.”
There are some new and changed awards to take note of this year, she adds.
“There was a Top Business Owner Under (age) 40 category last year. We are changing that up a bit so that we are having a Rising Star Award. It still embodies that entrepreneurial [essence] that they are creating and really building something, but we didn’t want to have it age-restricted.”
Two brand-new awards will help ensure other economic zones and outlying geographical areas are included in the categories, Heales explains.
“We’ve started a new one called the community-based business award … we are talking about those hardworking businesses that serve the community in which they are in.”
That community may be 100 Mile House, Lone Butte, Canim Lake or anywhere else in the South Cariboo, she notes.
Heales adds the other new category is Resource-Based Excellence Award.
“We are just looking at our industries that are here in the area … we wanted to make sure that people in the forest industry – those people who are working out there in the bush – are also getting recognized.
“We are a ‘South Cariboo’ Chamber of Commerce. We didn’t want it to be just about our downtown businesses.”
Sponsors are still being sought for several of the award categories, she explains, as well as for silent auction donations and other contributions.
Heales says it is not necessary to be a Chamber member to nominate a business, or to be nominated.
However, any business that won last year is ineligible to win in the same category, she notes, although it may be nominated to any other category.
The 2013 award categories are Family-Friendly Business Award, Greatest Improvement in 2013 Award, Rising Star Award, Top in Tourism/Recreation Award, Best Marketing and Promotion Award, Community Living Award, Best Home-Based Business, Best New Business, Non-Profit Organization, Community-Based Business Award, Resource-Based Excellence Award, People’s Choice Award and Best Business.
Nomination forms are available at the SCCC office at #2-385 Birch Ave. (off Fourth Street), the 100 Mile House Free Press office (see page A6), A&B Photo, TIMBER MART and Andre’s Electronic Experts. Then, drop off your completed paper nomination forms at the SCCC office (or through mail slot).
Digital forms can be both obtained and returned by e-mail to manager@southcariboochamber.org.
Tickets for the Red Carpet Gala will be available a few weeks prior to the event for $40 each, so watch for more details to follow. It will feature a gala awards dinner and presentations, silent auction, cash bar by the 100 Mile House Lions Club, and a Safe Ride Home available for those who need it.
The separate Citizen of the Year Award will be presented by Donna Barnett at the same event.
(Read the story on page A17 of the Jan. 29 100 Mile House Free Press edition for more details, but note the deadline has been extended to Feb. 11.)
