The South Surrey and White Rock Chamber of Commerce will honour outstanding businesses — and resilience during the pandemic — in a special online awards ceremony next month.
The chamber’s business annual excellence awards, this year themed A Celebration of Resilience will take place Thursday, May 27 starting at 7 p.m.
Finalists for the awards have been announced in 10 categories.
For Business of the Year – Small (1-10 employees, sponsored by Cleveland Doan LLP), they are Five Corners Café; Golden Glory Martial Arts Academy; Holly’s Poultry in Motion; Kin Thai Kitchen and Bar, Laura’s Coffee Corner Inc.; Live Well Exercise Clinic; Tap Restaurant and Thrive Movement Studio.
For Business of the Year – Medium (11-25 employees, sponsored by Peace Arch News), finalists are Eternity Medical Equipment Manufactural Inc.; Flinnwest Solutions Inc.; Strong Foundations Learning Inc. and White Rock U-Lock Mini Storage.
Nominated for Business of the Year – Large (26 or more employees, sponsored by SFU) are Amica White Rock; Creative Kids Learning Centers; Peace Arch News and Splashes Wash Lodge.
Nominations for New Business of the Year (sponsored by Starline Windows) are Delight Indian Bistro Ltd.; Mainland Whisky; SOMA MD; The Base Coat Nails and West Coast Center for Regenerative Medicine.
For the Supporter of the Arts Business of the Year award (sponsored by Oceana PARC), finalists are Attractive Distraction Framing & Gallery; Creo Art Studio & Creo Kids; Surrey Youth Theatre Company (SYTCO) and XBa School of Dance.
In the Community Builder Business of the Year category (sponsored by the Rotary Club of Semiahmoo and Canadian Western Bank) the nominees are Elkay Developments Ltd.; Everbean Cafe and Community; Landmark Premiere Properties Ltd.; Oceana PARC/PARC Retirement Living and Ocean Promenade Hotel.
For Non-Profit Organization of the Year (sponsored by Amica White Rock) the finalists are Friends of the Pier; Peace Arch Hospital Foundation; READ Surrey/WR Society and the Rotary Club of White Rock.
For Business Leader of the Year – self-owned (sponsored by Janzen Insurance) the nominees are Elaine Cheung, Hilarapy; Faith Gibson, Mink Chocolates; Charlotte Morton, C&K Courtesy Cleaners; Michele Partridge, Your Confidence Coach; and Adam Smith, Uptown Business Machines Inc.
In the Business Leader of the Year – corporate category (sponsored by PwC), finalists are Sandra Christian, Creative Kids Learning Centers; Marlyn Graziano, Kwantlen Polytechnic University; Shelley Grenier, Oceana PARC and Lesley Noland, Starline Windows Ltd.
In the Business Leader of the Year – under-40 category (sponsored by Kwantlen Polytechnic University), the nominees are Jamie Carson, Flinnwest Solutions Inc.; Ramandeep Dhaliwal, WR Mattress Gallery; Anna DiBella, ProFix Accounting & Strategy; Wes Levesque, Sheila’s Catering Co. and Josiah Tam, Barrique Kitchen & Wine Bar.
Those registering to ‘attend’ the awards will receive a Zoom call invitation prior to the event. Participants are also being encouraged to order a take-out meal for the event in place of the usual dinner, which can count as additional entries in the organization’s current Eat Local Contest (and a list of member restaurants and cafes involved can be found on the chamber website).
“Now, more than ever, it is important that we take the time to recognize and celebrate the resilient and hard-working people behind the businesses and organizations in our community and how they have gone above and beyond to survive and thrive through the pandemic,” chamber executive director Ritu Khanna said in a media release.
The release noted that the chamber is still seeking nominations for its Frontline Heroes Honour Roll, highlighting service workers in the community (pictures of those who are being nominated can be submitted to info@sswrchamber.ca).
To register for the event, visit sswrchamberofcommerce.ca/business-excellence