Barry Coulter
A record crowd of more than 260 turned out for the 26th annual Cranbrook Chamber of Commerce Business Excellence Awards, Saturday, April 1, at St. Eugene Resort.
The annual celebration of Cranbrook’s business community proved again to be one of the social events of the season, seeing the return nominations of many local long-time entrepreneurs as well as some new faces in the community who have been marking their mark in the local economy.
The event was emceed by Mariah McDonnell and Matt Van Boeyen. Local troubadour James Neve provided entertainment at the interval.Awards winners were as follows:
• Hospitality and Tourism Excellence (Sponsored by College of the Rockies)St. Eugene Golf Resort and Casino
• Non-Profit Organization of the Year (Sponsored by Jim Pattison Broadcast Group)Cranbrook Health Care Auxiliary Society
• Professional Services Excellence(Sponsored by Columbia Basin Trust)Kootenay Therapy Centre
• Retailer Excellence( Sponsored by Business Development Bank)Sherwin Williams Paint Store
•Business To Business Excellence(Sponsored by Koocanusa Publications)Kootenay Kwik Print
• Manufacturing and Production Excellence(Sponsored by Rocky Mountain Diesel)Pets Go Raw
• New Business of the Year (Sponsored by Community Futures East Kootenay)Soulfood
• Customer Service Excellence(Spnosored by Investors Group)Nutter’s Bulk and Natural Food
• Business of the Year – 1-15 employees(Sponsored by Downtown Business Association)The Choice
• Business of the Year – 16+ employees(Sponsored by St. Eugene Gold Resort and Casino)Royal LePage East Kootenay Realty
• Young Entrepreneur of the Year(Sponsored by New Dawn Developments)Kelsey Taylor -MJ’s Floral Boutique
• Business Person of the Year(Sponsored by Banking Association of Cranbrook)Steve Mercandelli – Cranbrook Dodge
