Nominations have started flowing in for the first Grant Thornton LLP Thompson Okanagan Business Excellence Awards.
The nomination deadline for the celebration of the finest and most successful businesses in the Thompson Okanagan region – from Kamloops to Osoyoos – over the past year is May 1. The event is set for Thursday, June 14 at the Coast Capri Hotel in Kelowna.
“Businesses can nominate themselves, and many do in these types of awards, and there is no charge to nominate,” said Mark MacDonald of Business Examiner Thompson Okanagan. “It’s an excellent way to put a company forward in front of the public and the possibility of becoming an award-winning company only adds to the marketing arsenal of businesses that make it through as a Finalist, and perhaps even a winner.”
Grant Thornton LLP has signed on as the title platinum sponsor for the event, and Innov8 Digital Solutions is in as a gold sponsor. Category sponsors so far include RBC Royal Bank and Sandler Training. Black Press is the Media Sponsor for the event, coordinated by Business Examiner Thompson Okanagan newspaper.
The Kelowna event will be similar to the Vancouver Island Business Excellence Awards, which completed its 18th annual event in January.
A team of independent judges located throughout the Thompson Okanagan region will adjudicate nominations.
There will be 17 Categories in the inaugural Grant Thornton BE Awards:
• Automotive (car and truck dealerships & fleet sales)
• Construction/ Development/Real Estate
• Entrepreneur
• Food & Food Production (agriculture and food products)
• Green
• Health Care
• Hospitality
• Industrial Manufacturer
• Manufactured Wood Products
• Professional (legal, accounting, insurance, coaching)
• Retail
• Technology
• Tourism
• Trades (automotive repair, plumbing, electrical, roofing, etc.)
• Wine Industry
• Small Business (under 20 employees & under $1 million in sales)
• Business of the Year (over 50 employees & over $1 million in sales).
Nomination forms can be downloaded at www.businessexaminer.ca/events.