Editor, The Times:
What a year it’s been for business in Clearwater! What with all the changes in Europe and the rest of the world, the highs and lows in the markets, in commodities, and in the trade shift to Asia, it’s definitely been a chaotic year if not a boom year.
The forest industry has geared up and headed back to the bush, much to the relief of us all. The tourism sector survived a summer of high Canadian dollars and higher rainfalls with the sun only really arriving in September. And the mining sector seems to be on the fast track to becoming a huge influence on the valley.
As a business community, it seems we will have a lot on our plates to deal with for many years to come.
With the past year in mind, the Chamber of Commerce is gearing up to celebrate another year of accomplishments with our annual ” Of the Year” awards gala. This year’s event will be Friday, Nov. 4 at the Wells Gray Inn. We will follow essentially the same format as last year’s events – light on the speeches and ceremony and heavy on fun, music and great food.
The awards categories will be the same as last year: Citizen of the Year, Best Corporate Citizen, Youth Leadership and Initiative Award, Service Excellence Award, Business Excellence Award, Business Person of the Year, Rookie of the Year, and Community Spirit!
Inspired by a recent CBC contest, we’ve added an “Out Standing in their Field” award to honor the professional farmers and ranchers in the valley who go so far beyond the call of duty to feed us all.
Please get your nominations for any or all categories in by Oct. 25. Watch for nomination forms at the usual places or download one from the chamber website. See the ad in next week’s paper for more information.
It’s such a rare occasion that we can all get in one room and celebrate why what we do is so important, so get those nominations in, and come on out and have some fun.
Merlin Blackwell, president
Clearwater and District Chamber of Commerce
