Roxann’s Hats in Fort Langley is one of three Langley businesses in the semifinals for the 14th annual Small Business BC Awards.

Roxann’s Hats in Fort Langley is one of three Langley businesses in the semifinals for the 14th annual Small Business BC Awards.

Three Langley businesses named semifinalists in Small Business BC Awards

Roxann’s Hats, Lilian Cazacu Notary Corporation and Vancouver ProStyle Contractors Ltd. are vying for awards

In April 2017, Roxann’s Hats in Fort Langley will be in business for 19 years.

Run by mother/daughter duo Roxann and Megan McKamey, they sell one-of-a-kind hats for all occasions, from fedoras to bonnets.

The popular hat store, known for its customer service, is also one of the top 10 semifinalists in the People’s Choice category for the 14th annual Small Business BC Awards.

“It’s really an honour to be a semifinalist and be in the people’s choice category too,” said Megan.

“It’s a neat award especially considering there were 690 submissions across the board. We are excited that it is the people who took the time to vote us in.”

The B.C. government announced the top 10 semifinalists for the 14th annual Small Business BC Awards last week and three businesses in Langley have made it: Roxann’s Hats — Premier’s People’s Choice, Lilian Cazacu Notary Corporation — Best Immigrant Entrepreneur and Vancouver ProStyle Contractors Ltd. — Best Immigrant Entrepreneur.

The next step is similar to a Dragon’s Den scenario, said Megan.

The top 10 semifinalists will be given one month to provide the panel of judges a detailed application outlining why they deserve to win the award. These applications will be used to decide the top five finalists, which will be announced on Jan. 23, 2017.

The winners of each category will be announced at the Small Business BC Awards ceremony on Feb. 23, at the Pan Pacific Vancouver.

Winners are recognized with the Premier’s Prize in the amount of $1,500 cash, a one-year all-access pass to Small Business BC education, resources and experts, and one-on-one business mentorship with notable advisors from the award sponsors.

“Small businesses are the backbone of Canada’s leading economy, responsible for creating over a million jobs in B.C. That’s why we worked hard to become the most small business-friendly jurisdiction in North America,” said B.C. Premier Christy Clark.

“Congratulations all the top 10 semifinalists for being recognized as innovative, responsible pillars in their community.”

Langley Times