Honors a new business (3 years or less from the date of incorporation) that has achieved outstanding business performance in a short period of time; demonstrates exceptional promise of continued growth; and serves as an inspiration for other new businesses.
Sponsored by Aecon SNC-Lavalin Joint Venture (Eh-con S.N.C La-va-lin)
Nominees:
Berwick By The Sea, Campbell River
Berwick Campbell River is family owned and operated business. Living on Vancouver Island gives owners, Gordon and Chris Denford an intimate knowledge of community needs and a commitment to local growth. At Berwick Retirement Communities we strive to foster a sense of belonging, dignity and respect with residents, families and team members. Our senior living experts are dedicated to creating an energetic life force within our communities. All six Berwick Retirement communities provide a best in class home with a strong customer service focus.
Our mission is to create a wonderful environment where residents enjoy exceptional services from friendly staff. We nourish vibrant environments for seniors across British Columbia. Our senior housing options include various levels of assisted living, exceptional recreation services and unparalleled locations, but above all, friendly people who are eager and invested in the well-being of BC seniors.
Comfort Inn & Suites, Campbell River
Centrally located on the waterfront in downtown Campbell River, the brand new Comfort Inn and Suites opened in April 2015. Since then we’ve been welcoming our guests to enjoy both the comforts of our well appointed guest rooms and suites as well as the convenience of our hotel amenities – indoor ocean view pool and hot tub, fitness centre, business centre, two corporate meeting rooms and wifi internet throughout the hotel. Each of our guests also enjoys a hot breakfast served in our ocean front breakfast room. We are thrilled to be part of the downtown Campbell River community and to be showcasing to guests from all over the world what Campbell River has to offer. Currently ranked #1 on Trip Advisor!
French Creek Collective
French Creek Collective is an innovative new business that provides customers with a fun and eclectic array of shopping: gifts, home décor, clothing and vintage items, favouring Canadian made, green, repurposed and recycled pieces. FCC supports many Canadian Artisans by featuring their pieces in our shop and provides Campbell River and area, as well as visitors to our beautiful city, with a unique shopping experience!
Fresh Dental
Fresh Dental is a modern dental clinic located in Campbell River’s new Timberline Village Mall. Dr. Hildebrand and her team offer high quality, affordable and comfortable dental care that is personalized for each patient’s needs. They are proud of the exceptional service they provide.
Heart Strong Fitness
Heart Strong Fitness aims to provide professional, effective exercise programming to a broad range of clientele. We truly believe Exercise is Medicine. Not every mode of exercise works for every person, therefore Heart Strong Fitness provides individualized programming to meet the goals of all types of athletes. In order to facilitate self-management, we provide services within the clinic, at your home, at CR Fitness and at local facilities. Our services are guided by evidence based clinical practice guidelines and focus on functional, educational, sustainable, safe and effective lifestyle change. Good things take time. For this reason, we provide twice weekly and monthly sessions (and everything in between) depending on the needs of the client and their need for monitoring and follow-up. We expect clients to have a long term commitment to their health, and plan to help them keep on track along the way. 2015 has been a year of huge growth; we are now providing services out of own private clinic in Willow Point, sharing space with Active Living Physiotherapy. We also now have dedicated contractors to provide services along a broader continuum of care, including CSEP (Canadian Society of Exercise Physiology) Certified Exercise Physiologists, Practicing Kinesiologists, and CSEP Certified Personal Trainers.
KB Strength & Wellness
KB Strength & Wellness provides small group fitness classes with a specific focus on Kettlebell training. By keeping the class sizes small, I am better able to provide one on one attention to each person, correcting form and technique, while still providing the upbeat energy you find in group settings. I also offer Personal Training for those who like a more focused session, tailoring the workout to their individual needs. It doesn’t just stop with fitness. At KB Strength & Wellness, I focus on the entire body. I offer private nutrition consulting, host whole food nutrition challenges, and always provide tips and advice to all my clients and groups. I believe that in order to achieve true health, we need a balance between how we eat, how we move, and how we live.
Papa Murphies Take n Bake Pizza
We are a Canadian franchise with 23 stores in Canada and 1500 in the USA. We are a take n bake pizza place. We prep all products in store and make the pizza in front of the customer. We are the pizza equivalent to Subway. We have a friendly, helpful staff and a great customer base.
She Works She Plays Active Wear Inc.
I have been driving commercially for the past decade. I started by running a snow plow for highways, spent time hauling fish up and down the island, ran the Mt. Washington ski busses, but my home in the trades was at Island Ready Mix where I drove concrete trucks for almost 8 years. I was always frustrated with not being able to find women’s work wear, and when an ongoing injury put me at a crossroads in life, I decided to take the challenge of finding women’s work wear into my own hands. Research and connections with other women taught me I was not alone in my struggle. I designed The Chick Truck, and my husband, Doug Rippingale, did the construction work from my graph paper. The truck/shop is packed with women’s high-viz, boots, coveralls, gloves and assorted work wear. I have a Kenworth, and I now haul the 32 foot semi-trailer to communities all over the province helping women working in industry and trades get the work wear they need, but that is so hard to find. It is more than my business, it is my destiny. I love truck driving and I am passionate about women in trades.
Signature Oil & Vinegar
Signature Oil and Vinegar is an on tap Tasting Bar featuring fresh, organic extra virgin olive oil and barrel aged Italian balsamic vinegars. The olives are harvested slightly under ripe when the anti-oxidant count is the highest. The fruit is cold pressed at 69 degrees Fahrenheit within four hours of being picked. All of the fused and infused oils are fresh twice a year, as the harvest changes from Northern to Southern hemisphere. The oils are independently analyzed and chemistry is posted. Customers at Tyee Plaza can be confident in the quality of what they are buying. The white and dark balsamic vinegars come from Modena, Italy, and are barrel aged 12 to 18 years. The oils and vinegars at Signature make amazing salad dressings, pasta sauces, bread dippers, and anything you can imagine for grilling, broiling, or sautéing vegetables, meat, chicken, game meat, fish, or shellfish. The store also carries truffle, almond, walnut and sesame oil, as well as a wonderful selection of gourmet products from around the world. Everything in the store is available to taste before purchase, and prices start at $5. This is food they way it was 100 years ago, the way it is meant to be – fresh, pure, and simple.
SoCal Restaurant & Lounge
SoCal Restaurant & Lounge is a small business with deep roots in the Campbell RIver area. We strive to support other small businesses in the area in terms of cross promotion as well as purchasing as much food product we can through our local suppliers. As we grow and learn and become stronger, it gives us more opportunity to connect with other small businesses and learn how we can better support each other. Our company strives to create a unique dining experience, with creative and trendy dishes and delicious features nightly. Our team is a family, our service is 2nd to none because our employees feel a real connection to the company. We all work our hardest and give our best every day to the community.
SuavAir
SuavAir uses drones, or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), to capture low elevation aerial imagery around Vancouver Island. Our ability to digitally capture both photographs and videos from new heights and angles provides endless opportunities for a variety of applications. We produce high quality, geo-referenced aerial photography, and videography for the forestry, real estate, and tourism industries. We can also create 3D models and high resolution maps that can be used in ArcGIS and GoogleEarth.
The Home Guard
As an ex-RCMP officer, on retirement I wanted to start a business that would “serve & protect” and so Home Guard was incorporated to look after homes of people who were on vacation or business trips beyond 30 days.
Toad in a Tree
Encouraged by her Nana, Kim designed her first hats to suit her own kid’s needs. Adjustable and fashionable, these prototypes drew immediate attention from other parents. Rapidly swamped with orders, Kim started her first company, Woodland Rogue, and she was soon producing hats, hoodies, and diaper bags to a growing demand. Unable to find a comfortable baby carrier, Amanda designed her first baby carrier for herself. Soon after, friends started asking for copies of her stylish, practical creation. This lead to orders from retail stores, and to the start of Pipa Creations, Amanda’s first company. Inspired by the fabrics she was using, Amanda soon added lines of jackets, skirts, and dresses to her product range. In February 2007, Kim and Amanda joined forces when they realized they had the same goals: to create exciting children’s clothes and accessories while working from home. Together they formed Toad in a Tree, selling their designs at local markets and baby fairs. In March 2014 they incorporated and started their current business PipaRogue Designs. They have a retail and manufacturing space in Campbell River. Their designs can also be found in stores across Canada.
