By Mark Blendheim. Small Business BC, the province’s premier resource for entrepreneurs, and the Insurance Bureau of Canada, opened nominations and voting for the 14 th Annual Small Business BC Awards on October 1, 2016. Four small businesses in Abbotsford have been nominated:
Fire & Ice Hair Company – Best Company, Best Community Impact and Best Marketer
Sober Girls Designated Drivers – Premier’s People’s Choice and Best Community Impact
Sumas Mountain Contracting Ltd. – Premier’s People’s Choice
Visionary Mechanical Solutions – Premier’s People’s Choice, Best Innovation and Best Company The Small Business BC Awards is the largest small business awards competition in the province.
These awards recognize the outstanding achievements of BC’s entrepreneurs and celebrate the contributions new and existing businesses registered in BC, with fewer than 50 employees, make to their local communities and the global economy. Nominations and voting close on November 30, 2016.
Entrepreneurs are invited to nominate their businesses and the public is encouraged to nominate their favourite small businesses in any of this year’s 10 categories:
PREMIER’S PEOPLE’S CHOICE Presented by the Province of British Columbia
BEST APPRENTICE TRAINING Presented by ITA and Kwantlen Polytechnic University
BEST COMMUNITY IMPACT Presented by Vancity
BEST COMPANY Presented by Sage
BEST CONCEPT Presented by Small Business
BC BEST EMPLOYER Presented by TruShield Insurance
BEST IMMIGRANT ENTREPRENEUR Presented by Small Business
BC BEST INNOVATION Presented by BC Innovation Council
BEST INTERNATIONAL TRADE Presented by UPS Canada
BEST MARKETER Presented by Yellow Pages Recipients of Small Business BC
Awards are recognized with the Premier’s Prize in the amount of $1,500 cash. The winners are also offered a one-year all-access pass to Small Business BC education, resources and experts, and one-on-one business mentorship opportunities with notable advisors from the award sponsors. Nominated business owners are tasked with gaining as many votes as possible through social media, word of mouth, e-mail or any other means by November 30, 2016 to make it to the Top 10 in each category.
The Top 10 will be announced as finalists on December 12, 2016. The winners of each category will be announced at the Small Business BC Awards Ceremony on February 23, 2017 at the Pan Pacific Vancouver Hotel. More details on the Small Business BC Awards can be found at www.sbbcawards.ca