Chamber turns to tech to promote Business Excellence
By Kyra Hoggan
The first round of voting is over, and the Castlegar Chamber of Commerce now has five finalists for each of the seven categories in this year’s Business Excellence Awards (The Source is a finalist in the Green Award category).
Chamber executive director Pam McLeod says turning to technology in the voting process has meant far more residents were engaged in the process, thus adding a new thrill for voters and finalists alike.
“We put up a survey on Survey Monkey (an Internet website) so people could vote for their favourite business in each category, and it was astonishing, how many responses we got,” she said. “We put out paper ballots, too, and only about 20 of those were returned – but we got more than 350 replies online.
“We’ve never got that kind of response in the history of the Business Excellence Awards, which started in 1996.”
The voting was open to the general public, and established five finalists in each of seven categories. Now, a new Survey Monkey ballot, open only to Chamber members, will be monitored and tallied by Yule Anderson to determine the final winners.
The winners themselves won’t even know they won, until the Chamber’s Business Excellence Awards Gala, slated for the Fireside Inn on June 11.
“The incredible response we got on the survey has heightened the excitement, definitely,” McLeod said.
“This event, the Chamber’s largest, brings together business, government and industry leaders from all over the area to join in celebrating the Chamber’s and business community’s achievements,” she added. “Every Business Excellence Awards event is an elaborate production. It has extraordinary exposure and prestige attached to it and has become a must-attend, sell-out event.”
McLeod said sponsors are critical to the success of the gala event, namely: BC Hydro, Heritage Credit Union. BMO Castlegar, Columbia Power Corporation, City of Castlegar and Zellstoff Celgar.
“This is a special evening when our local entrepreneurs are honored by their peers, as is evident in the past where hundreds’ of Chamber members and guests have gathered to pay tribute to the award recipients.”
The evening starts with cocktails at 6 p.m., then entertainment, dinner, awards, live auction and ends with a dance. To purchase tickets ($45 each) please contact the Chamber office at 250-365-6313 or tourism@castlegar.com There will be a safe ride home provided by Mountain Transport Institute.
The finalists are as follows:
Business Person of the Year
- Valhalla Physiotherapy – Kirby Epp
- Element Club Bar & Grill – Florio Vassilakakis
- Fireside Inn – Kerry Hobbs
- Trowelex Rental & Sales – Kevin Chernoff
- Hanson Decking – Garth Hanson
Business of the Year
- Valhalla Physiotherapy
- Element Club Bar & Grill
- Fireside Inn
- Hanson Decking
- Krueckl Financial
Retail Service Excellence Award
- Trowelex Rental & Sales
- JJ’s Fashions
- Hanson Decking
- Kootenay Market
- Benson oil
Food & Beverage Excellence Award
- Element Club Bar & Grill
- Black Rooster Classic Bar & Grill
- Fireside Inn
- Boston Pizza
- A&W
Green Award
- Gaia Janitorial
- Doug Johnstone C.A.
- The Castlegar Source
- Valhalla Physiotherapy
- Zellstoff Celgar
Tourism & Hospitality Award
- Castlegar Golf Club
- Fireside Inn
- Castlegar & District Heritage Society
- Super 8 Hotel
- Sandman Hotel
Professional Business Award
- Valhalla Physiotherapy
- Krueckl Financial
- Doug Johnstone C.A.
- Back in Balance Family Chiropractic
- Castlegar Hospice Society
Comments