For shoppers, clients and customers who wish to highlight extraordinary service or bring attention to local businesses or organizations for going above and beyond in the past year, the time has come to express those sentiments.
Nomination forms for Powell River Chamber of Commerce Business Awards are now available for residents to fill out and submit.
“A lot of people in the community go into stores all year long and receive great customer service,” says Powell River Chamber of Commerce manager Kim Miller. “Now is the time for them to recognize and nominate their favourite businesses.”
Anyone can nominate a business, and that business does not have to be a member of the chamber.
“We have more than 300 hundred business members in the chamber, but there are more than 1,000 businesses in this community,” says Miller. “It’s important for people to realize that every single one of those businesses can be nominated for one of these awards.”
Miller says the nomination process often leads to the chamber finding out about businesses not previously on its radar.
“We try to be as much in the know about businesses in the community as we can be,” she says, “but every year we have one or two nominated that we have never heard of before, so we try to seek them out and find out where and who they are.”
Residents have several easily accessible ways to nominate a business. Entry forms are available in the November, December and January issues of Powell River Living and online at powellriverchamber.com.
“There is a nomination form on our website, under the Business Awards drop-down menu,” says Miller. “People are also welcome to drop by the chamber at 6807 Wharf Street to pick one up.”
A nomination form will also be included in the Wednesday, January 11, issue of the Powell River Peak.
The nomination period for the 22nd annual event is open until January 20. Businesses will be recognized in 15 categories, each with its own detailed criteria, including two new awards: aboriginal business of the year and the forestry sector award.
“We have an aboriginal community we are working so closely with, and trying to be inclusive the chamber board felt there should be an award for aboriginal business,” says Miller. “Tla’amin businesses can be nominated in other categories, too.”
According to Miller, several forestry sector nominations have already been submitted for the new category.
“This whole community evolved from the forestry industry, so we’re hoping it will be well-received,” she says.
To determine a winner in each category, a panel of seven judges, all business leaders in the community, reads over all the nominations and makes a final decision.
“It is a huge process for the judges; they have to go through every single one,” explains Miller.
“It’s not at all easy.”
Judges only see that a business is nominated, not how many nominations it receives. “If 20 nominations come in for one business, it doesn’t mean they automatically win,” says Miller.
Judges are given the award title, criteria and names of all businesses nominated in each category and select winners and runners-up. The process usually encompasses an entire day.
“We’re more than willing to share the process with anyone who asks,” says Miller. “Transparency of these awards is very important to us.”
While honouring local business excellence, the annual Chamber of Commerce event also serves as a major fundraising event for the organization.
“The event, including live and silent auctions, is critical to our financial viability,” says Miller.
The awards presentation and dinner banquet, catered by The Convenient Chef, takes place Saturday, February 4, at Dwight Hall. Organizers have arranged for a large bus to take celebratory attendees home safely afterward.
For more information, call 604.485.4051, or email office@powellriver
chamber.com.
