Kootenay Business magazine held its annual celebrations for Influential Women in Business on May 2 in Cranbrook and May 3 in Nelson. Nakusp & District Chamber of Commerce Visitor Centre Manager Cedra Eichenauer was recently nominated for the distinction. The honour goes to women ‘who we believe amply represent the spirit of Kootenay women in business in 2018,’ according to the magazine.
Eichenauer explained that she hasn’t been told who nominated her, and was notified by an email with an invitation to the awards luncheon. A certificate followed in the mail. More than 100 women were nominated and seven winners were selected from each of the East and West Kootenays. They were honored with a luncheon and awards ceremony, held on May 2 in Cranbrook and May 3 in Nelson.
“I was surprised and honored. A little bit like ‘why me?’ I love this job and I am good at it, it’s what I am supposed to do. To have somebody say, ‘Oh you should be recognized for that,’ is a little startling. I am kind of starting to feel like maybe it was appropriate,” Eichenauer said. She recently announced the nomination with a Facebook post on the Nakusp and Arrow Lakes page and said she has gotten “so much support. I think that post has gotten more comments than anything else we have ever put on Facebook.”
It wasn’t something she had intended to share publicly until the opportunity to talk about staff accomplishments presented itself. Tourism Week took place during the last part of May and into early June, so she opted to share something personal about the staff using the hashtag that DestinationBC created to promote it [#bctourismmatters.] Cedra has been part of the Nakusp Visitor Centre team since 2008.
The magazine stated, “To the more than 100 women who were nominated in the Kootenay region, we offer our applause and appreciation.” The honours are awarded annually.
