The winners won’t be known for a few months yet, but some of the best local businesses in town have been nominated for the annual chamber awards.
The Chamber of Commerce Serving Maple Ridge & Pitt Meadows has released the full list of nominees for the annual 2020 Business Excellence Awards, and among them News’ publisher Lisa Craik is in the running for business leader of the year award.
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The call for nominations went out in late summer, with the cutoff being Oct. 2.
The number of nominees is pretty much in keeping with past numbers, said executive director Flori Chaykowski, who noted that only two were eliminated from the running.
One was the company of a chamber director, automatically making the business ineligible. And similarly, a recent business excellence winner was nominated again, but they are disqualified from winning for three years after a past win, Chaykowski explained.
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Those in the running for the 2020 Business Excellence Awards are:
Small business
Sherwood Electric
Western Shrink Wrap
Ridge Meadows Doula
Coast Dental
Westgate Flower Garden
Haney Automotive
Meadow Cleaners
Lash Freak
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Large business
Envision Financial (Maple Ridge)
Coast Therapy (Maple Ridge)
Euro-Rite Cabinets
Home Restaurant
Johnston Meier
Naturally Splendid
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Community spirit
Courtney Thane – Centrestage Dance
Danielle Spraggs – Grass Greetings
Rick Howard – Haney Rotary Club, Community Volunteer
Paul Gurm – RMHF Board, South Asian Cultural Society
Ariane Jaschke – Capture Studios
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Under 40 professional
Troy MacBeth – Bucci Investment Corp
Jhan Tamminga – Investors Group
Matteo Signorelli – Air Rec Center
Dan Golkar – Scorpion Combat Sports
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Medium business
Maple Ridge Wellness Centre
Happy Hearts Childcare
Il Corsaro Pasta Bar
Maple Ridge Towing
Partner’s In Health Chiropractic & Massage Therapy
Pad Thai Restaurant
Brownies Chicken & Seafood
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Non-profit organization
North Fraser Therapeutic Riding Association
Friends In Need Food Bank
Maple Ridge Pitt Meadows Community Services
Ridge Meadows Recycling Society
Fraser North Farmers Market Society
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Business leader of the year
Laura Butler – Ridge Meadows Hospital Foundation
Lisa Craik – Maple Ridge Pitt Meadows News
Taryn Stephenson – Once Upon A Tea Leaf
Kailea Risdale – Lash Freak
Ariane Jaschke – Capture Studios
Cheri Hamm – The Place To Mortgage
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The winners will be announced in a virtual gala on Saturday, Feb. 6, 2021.
Chaykowski said the chamber is not yet sure whether it will be a paid event or a pay-what-you-can event, but she said normal gala attendance is between 160 and 200 people, and with people being able to enjoy this year’s awards from the comfort of their own homes, she actually expects attendance to climb.
Asked about what was new, outside of virtual, in this year’s awards process, the chamber executive director said judging will change somewhat. Judges will have to take into consideration what resiliency efforts have been taken by companies, individuals, and organizations up for this year’s awards. The award judging will not be totally focused around COVID, Chaykowski said, but how the candidates have been able to pivot and move forward will undoubtedly be a factor in who wins.
Each of the nominees receives a $50 voucher towards their future chamber membership, Chaykowski said.
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OTHER UPCOMING EVENTS
In the meantime, the chamber is continuing it’s Talk of the Town networking sessions bi-weekly, the next one scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 3.
Talk of the Town has been going since late June, as an alternative to in-person networking session. The Zoom-based session are maximum of one hour, and held on alternating Tuesdays. One a month starts at 10 a.m., and the next at 2 p.m.
It started as a weekly networking and info sharing opportunity where Chamber member businesses, organizations and government or city officials / reps can present current information to the business community and public. It has since been cut to bi-weekly.
It too is a pre-registration chamber event. To register, visit the chamber website or click here.
RELATED: Maple Ridge Pitt Meadows Chamber of Commerce to host virtual weekly meetings
The chamberwill also be hosting its annual general meeting in mid-November.
The virtual meeting is set to happen on Wednesday, Nov. 18, at 5 p.m. Pre-registration is required through Zoom.
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