The Greater Vernon Chamber of Commerce is getting ready to recognize the best in business.
Nominations are now open for the 2019 Business Excellence Awards presented by Valley First. Nominations end at noon on Monday, July 15. Winners will be unveiled at a gala Friday, Oct. 18 at the Vernon Lodge Hotel.
“The Business Excellence Awards are among the signature events in Vernon and we anticipate a lot of interest and enthusiasm surrounding the nomination process,” said Dione Chambers, Greater Vernon Chamber general manager.
“We encourage the public to provide nominations in 11 categories and to actively participate in this celebration of the entrepreneurial spirit and the contributions businesses of all sizes make to our community. This is also an opportunity to honour an outstanding non-profit organization and individuals who make a difference.”
The online nomination form and descriptions of the categories can be found at www.vernonchamber.ca/business-excellence-awards.
The individual categories are:
- Small Business of the Year sponsored by Community Futures
- New Business of the Year sponsored by MNP LLP
- Young Entrepreneur of the Year sponsored by Nixon Wengers Lawyers LLP
- Employer of the Year sponsored by Telus
- Customer Service Award sponsored by Okanagan Spring Brewery
- Manufacturer of the Year sponsored by the City of Vernon
- Non-Profit Excellence Award sponsored by Lake City Casinos
- Community Leader of the Year sponsored by White House Mortgages
- Business Person of the Year sponsored by Kal Tire
- Tourism Excellence Award sponsored by YLW Kelowna International Airport
- Innovator of the Year sponsored by SilverStar Mountain Resort
There are also two other categories as part of the Business Excellence Awards:
- People’s Choice Award sponsored by Total Restoration. It is chosen by a public vote of all nominees in the 11 categories and voting begins Sept. 1.
- Business of the Year sponsored by BDC — chosen by a panel of judges from all of the nominees in the 11 categories.
A panel of independent business leaders will review all nominations and announce the three finalists in each category at a nominee reception Wednesday, Sept. 4 at the Vernon Performing Arts Centre, with the winners revealed at the awards gala in October. Tickets for the nominee reception, which is a near sell-out each year, are currently on sale at vernonchamber.ca.
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