Businesses on Vancouver Island are ready to celebrate excellence, and they’re going to do it in person this year.
The Grant Thornton LLP Vancouver Island Business Excellence Awards will go ahead Thursday, March 17 at the Delta Ocean Pointe Resort in Victoria. The event was canceled last January due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“We are expecting this to be a celebration about the best of the best in Vancouver Island like never before,” says Mark MacDonald of Business Examiner, which co-ordinates the event. This is the 21st year for the Island business awards.
“It has been a tremendous struggle for many Island businesses, and they probably deserve medals just for surviving the government restrictions and shutdowns,” MacDonald said. “So to have an opportunity to get together, visit and enjoy a great evening is something we’re all looking forward to.”
Grant Thornton LLP is the title sponsor of the event, and winners of each of the 17 categories will be invited to a special “Breakfast For Champions” round-table the following morning, hosted by Grant Thornton LLP and Business Examiner.
RBC Royal Bank, Van-Isle Windows and Coastal Community Credit Union are gold sponsors of the event, and Black Press is the media sponsor. Category sponsors include the Vancouver Island Construction Association, M&N Mattress, Freedom Capital, Pulver Crawford, Mid Island Co-op, Van Isle Windows, OnPoint Benefits, Canadian Western Bank, CBRE and Engel & Voelkers - Bronwen Campbell.
Because there was no BE Awards event last year, nominations cover the last two years – 2020 and 2021. Nominations are evenly split between companies north of the Malahat and south of the Malahat.
“Our judges have their work cut out for them, as the quality and number of finalists are outstanding, as it is each year,” notes MacDonald. “Everyone has been isolated to some degree, so it’s a re-introduction to celebratory, in-person gatherings that we have all missed.”
Nominations came from all over Vancouver Island, and there are 70 finalists as listed below:
Parksville (5) – Bravenet Marketing, Eat Fresh Urban Markets, Harris Oceanside Chevrolet, M&N Mattress and Osprey Electric.
Campbell River (4) – Campbell River Whale Watching, Dolphins Resort, French Creek Collective and TAP Bookkeeping.
Comox Valley (9) – Crown Isle, Excel Career College, Harmonic Arts, ServiceMaster Restore, Hakai Energy, Island Waterscapes and Design, Jim’s Clothes Closet, Nelson Roofing and Simba Investments.
Port Alberni (9) – Alberni Electric, Alberni Power & Marine, Dave Koszegi RE/MAX, Earth Land and Sea, Flurer Smokery, San Group, Shelter Farm, Timber Tiles and West Coast River Lodge.
Nanaimo (14) – Daryoush Firouzli Architecture, Eden Gardens, Island Red Cedar, Island West Coast Developments, Mazzei Electric, Minute Men Moving & Storage, Nanaimo Mitsubishi, Mood Cannabis, Penta Transport, Vancouver Island Home Group, VMAC, White Sails Brewing, Wild Coast Wellness and Wild Play.
Ladysmith (1) – 49th Parallel Grocery.
Lake Cowichan (1) – Farm Table Inn.
Cowichan Valley (8) – Ocean Ecoventures, 360 Super Techs, Country Chic Paint, Curvy Fashions, Ignition Motorsports, Duncan Wine Kitz, Kinsol Timber and OnPoint Benefits.
Malahat (1) – Malahat Valuation Group.
Saltspring Island (1) – Salt Spring Kitchen Co.
Sooke (3) – Mudology, Wenstob Timber Resources and West Shack Auto Service.
Victoria (14) – Arthur Murray Dance Studio, Auxilium Mortgage, Barnacle Systems, DB Services, Equilibrium Therapy, Islander Engineering, Justin Mayer Group, Kinetic Construction, Moduurn, Orca Masonry, Pacific Coast Health Services, Studio 531 Architects, Van Isle Windows and West Coast Autoproofing.
Provincial COVID-19 protocols mandate that all attendees must show Delta Ocean Pointe staff proof of vaccinations prior to admittance.
Tickets to the event are $145 plus GST, and are also available through the website:
www.businessexaminer.ca/events.
— Black Press