A Vernon company is a finalist for a Small Business BC Award.
Summit Tiny Homes is a finalist for the Premier’s People’s Choice Award, a unique category as the winner is selected by the public alone. Sponsored by the Province of British Columbia, this award will be presented to a B.C.-based small business that can demonstrate they have the unwavering and loyal support of their community by gaining the most votes in their award category.
Summit Tiny Homes is the Okanagan’s premier constructor of tiny homes. Their vision is to share their love of the sustainable, versatile and free lifestyle afforded by tiny home dwelling.
Joining Summitt Tiny Homes as a finalist in the category are Bigfoot Donuts of Courtenay; Raven Reads Books Ltd. from Logan Lake; Sḵwálwen Botanicals of Squamish; and Justo’s Craft Dips from Victoria.
This year, the Small Business BC Awards received a record number of nominations, a sign of support for local entrepreneurs who endured many challenges this past year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
A total of 937 nominations were received, representing 558 small businesses (some businesses nominated in multiple award categories) in 88 communities across B.C.
“I think it’s clear from the overwhelming number of nominations and the more than 50,000 public votes, that the spirit of support for small business runs strong in our province,” said Small Business BC CEO Tom Conway. “This has been the most difficult year for small business owners and now their communities are standing behind them, recognizing what they’ve been through and celebrating their success.”
After being nominated, small businesses had until March 8 to gain as many votes as possible from the public. Votes were collected by Small Business BC through their website, and the businesses with the most votes in each category (after a normalization process to allow for regional populations) were narrowed down to the top 20.
After being assessed and judged by an internal panel of business experts, the top five finalists in each category were announced.
MisMacK Clean Cosmetics from Canoe, in the Shuswap, was nominated for three awards – Best Youth Entrepreneur; Best Community Impact; Best Innovation.
The Top Five finalists will now be required to make a presentation about their business to panel of judges, pitching why their business should win an award. The panel of independent business owners and professionals will then select the winners.
The winners of the Small Business BC Awards will be announced over the course of a three-day virtual gala, from May 4 to May 6. The winners will receive $1,500, a short video shot by a professional film crew of their business, and an all-access pass to Small Business BC’s services.
This year the Small Business BC Awards are sponsored by First West Credit Union and its four locally known and trusted divisions: Envision Financial, Valley First, Island Savings and Enderby & District Financial.
Members of the public, small businesses, and supporters are encouraged to attend the virtual gala where the winners of the Small Business BC Awards will be announced. Show your support and register today at smallbusinessbc.ca/awards/gala.
For more information about the Small Business BC awards and the top five finalists, visit smallbusinessbc.ca/awards.
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