VOTING starts today for the 2016 Terrace and District Chamber of Commerce Business Excellence Awards with anyone in the community invited to choose their favourites. Winners will be announced at the chamber’s awards gala Oct. 15 at the Sportsplex banquet room. Here are the nominees:
Community Booster – making an outstanding contribution through donations of time, service, product, or fundraising, for local charities, festivals, events, or community projects.
Nominees: Sherwood Mountain Brewhouse, Terrace Community in Blooms Committee, Ron Bartlett, Bell Media, Northwest Education 88, Silvertip Promotions & Signs, Bryan Gascon.
Company of the Year – excels through quality service or product, environment for customers or staff, and proven growth and development. This business or organization makes a positive impact on its employees, and customers and our community, and has been operating in Terrace for three years or more.
Nominees: Geier Waste Services, Coast Mountain Wireless, Skeena Landing, Copperside Foods, Universal Restoration Systems.
Contributor to the Arts – a business/organization/individual involved in a specific discipline or variety of arts disciplines.
Nominees: Art in Motion Dance Studio, Atlantis TaeKwondo, Barb Ames / Mountainside Gallery, R.E. Choir.
Customer Service – dedication to customer satisfaction through integrity and excellent service and/or development of an outstanding product, consistently going beyond expectations and providing updated training to meet changing customer needs.
Nominees: Sonny’s Collectibles, Blue Fin Sushi Bar, DeeDee McLeod / Get Nailed, Jaecen Aspa, K’9 O’Hana, Knute Olson, Puckered Pig Mobile Bistro, Blackstone Restaurant.
Employee of the Year – an employee demonstrating initiative and enthusiasm through exemplary customer service, going above and beyond, and taking a leadership role and/or working on team spirit within their place of business.
Nominees: Lloyd Norton / And the Wiener Is..., Grace Edison / Terrace Yoga Studio, Matilde de Ponte / Save On Foods, Knute Olson Westland Insurance, Sonya Gill - Hawkair, Geoff Parr / Caledonia Secondary School, Neil Wilson / Hawkair, Carol Baudias / Fabricland.
Executive of the Year – one who is creating success through social, and economic innovation with standards of excellence and personal style providing a business role model for others to emulate.
Nominees: Rob Dykman / Coast Mountain Wireless, Darryl Tucker & Linda Wilson / Sherwood Mountain Brewhouse, Ed Lavoie / Copperside Foods.
Home-based Business – one consistently showing excellence and quality in service, merchandising, and product.
Nominees: Terrace Trails & Tails, The Cutting Room, Eye4Nature Photography, Sandra Stefanik, Mike Spak’s Bobcat Services, Helen Martinot / M&M Supplies.
Newsmaker of the Year – a person or business whose activities have generated public attention and news coverage by the media some time during 2015-2016.
Nominees: K’san House Society, The Puckered Pig Mobile Bistro, Terrace Aquatic Centre.
Renovation of the Year – a company or person who has done a significant renovation in 2015-2016 which has enhanced customer, staff, and/or public experience.
Nominees: Northwest Regional Airport, Fusion Eyecare, Ninja Restaurant, Westland Insurance Group, House of Sim-Oi-Ghets, Wings, Michael Hogg.
Rookie of the Year – a company in business for three years or less demonstrating success, innovation and community involvement.
Nominees: UC Fashions at Urban Colour, The Painted Squirrel, Get Nailed, Hidden Valley Acres, Repose Massage, Sherwood Mountain Brewhouse, Spruce Moose Studios, Terrace Yoga Studio, Transcend Fitness, Wedgewood Guest House, Wings.
Tourism Excellence – an individual, business or organization whose efforts have promoted tourism in this area.
Nominees: Tyler Clarke, Nicholas Dean Outdoors, Northwest Regional Airport, Khutzeymateen Wilderness Lodge.
Volunteer of the Year – one who has helped at one or more non-profit organizations, volunteering with a sense of commitment, dedication, enjoyment and pride.
Nominees: Rob Dykman, Skeena Diversity Society, Paul Fleming, Terri Soucie, Kristen Riley, Andrew Johnstone, Nick Kollias, Donna Slavik, Terri Edmonds.
Chamber’s Choice Award – an outstanding member of the Chamber of Commerce who has actively participated, promoted, and supported the Terrace Chamber of Commerce in 2015-2016. This recipient is determined by the Terrace & District Chamber of Commerce board of directors.
Members of the public can vote on the nominees by going to https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2016beavotes.
Voting ends Oct. 5, 2016.