The Castlegar and District Chamber of Commerce has released the shortlist for its annual Business Excellence Awards.
Valhalla Physiotherapy is in the lead with four nominations, followed by Hanson Decking and Element Club Bar and Grill with three each.
Pam McLeod, executive director of the chamber, said the first round of voting went out in April, where the public could vote for businesses either on a paper ballot or online. Chamber staff then tallied the results and the top five in each category are sent out to chamber members for voting.
Those results will then be sent to Yule Anderson for a final tally.
“Very top secret at this point,” McLeod said. “This round is out there for three weeks.”
This year, the chamber has introduced a “green award” which acknowledges the business that appreciates the protection of the environment as a shared responsibility. The finalists for this award are Gaia Janitorial, Doug Johnstone C.A., the Castlegar Source, Valhalla Physiotherapy and Zellstoff Celgar.
This is the chamber’s largest event of the year, McLeod said, bringing together business, government and industry leaders from all over the area. This year’s ceremony will be held on June 11 at the Fireside Inn.
“Every Business Excellence Awards event is an elaborate production,” McLeod said. “It has extraordinary exposure and prestige attached to it and has become a must attend, sell-out event.” The chamber would like to thank their major sponsors, she added. Those include BC Hydro, Heritage Credit Union. BMO Castlegar, Columbia Power Corporation, the 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,” McLeod said. “Make sure you don’t miss this opportunity to honor business excellence.”
The awards evening starts with cocktails at 6 p.m. Tickets are $45 each and can be purchased by contacting the chamber office at 250-365-6313 or tourism@castlegar.com. Mountain Transport Institute will provide safe rides home.