The hardware was handed out Saturday at St. Eugene as the Cranbrook business community honoured its own.
The Cranbrook Chamber of Commerce’s 28th annual Business Excellence Awards celebrated the best in Cranbrook’s Business Community, presenting awards in 13 categories, some of them new this year.
St. Eugene Golf Resort and Casino hosted the event once again in the Pavilion, Saturday, April 13, serving dinner to 297 attendees at the gala function.
Chamber President Jason Fast explained that the Business Excellence Awards more than 80 businesses and business people were nominated by the community at large. The winners were chosen through a juried panel interview system. Each nominee was interviewed by a three-person panel and measured against other nominees. Thirty-nine volunteers served on the panels.
Steve Mercandelli and Derek Kortschaga were Masters of Ceremonies for the occasion. James Neve provided music before dinner and during awards intermission.
And the winners are:
• Hospitality and Tourism Excellence (Sponsored by Pacific Coastal Airlines) — The Heidout & Fisher Peak Brewing
• Non-Profit Organization of the Year (Columbia Basin Trust) — East Kootenay MS Support Group
• Professional Services Excellence ((Jim Pattison Broadcast Group) — Arch Allure Microblading.
• Retailer Excellence (Community Futures East Kootenay) — Huckleberry Books
• Inclusive Employer Award ((CMHA-Kootenays) — Leiman Homes
• Business to Business Excellence (Koocanusa Publications) — Genex Marketing
• Customer Service Excellence (New Dawn Developments) — Bighorn Electric
• Age-Friendly Business (Cranbrook Age-Friendly Advisory Committee) — Auntie Barb’s Bakery
• Business of the Year 1-15 Employees (Bedroom Furniture Galleries) — The Hearing Loss Clinic
• Business of the Year 16-Plus Employees (St. Eugene Golf Resort and Casino) — New Dawn Developments
• New Business of the Year (Dunlop Truck Centres) — Kootenay Farm to Folk
• Young Entrepreneur of the Year (College of the Rockies) — Kootenay Soulfood Company
• Business Person of the Year (TD Canada Trust) — Chris Thom, Dunlop Truck Centres
Story and photos by Barry Coulter
• Pictured at top: The Hearing Loss Clinic won Business of the Year 1-15 Employees (sponsored by Bedroom Furniture Galleries). Left to right: Joey Hoeschman (presenter), Crystal Thouret, Michelle Hatala, Becky Kamps and Gerry Rhodes.
• New Dawn Developments won the award for Business of the Year 16-Plus Employees (sponsored by St. Eugene Golf Resort and Casino). Left to right: Barry Zwueste (presenter) and Chad Jensen (New Dawn).
• Chris Thom of Dunlop Truck Centres won Business Person of the Year (sponsored by TD Canada Trust). Left to right: Isabelle Randal (presenter) and Chris Thom.
• Kootenay Soulfood Company won Young Entrepreneur of the Year (sponsored by College of the Rockies). Lef to right: Caitlin Berkheim, Christel Hagn, Tamara Mercandelli and Patricia Bowron (COTR).
• Genex Marketing won for Business to Business Excellence (sponsored by Koocanusa Publications). Left to right: Keith Powell (presenter) and Chris Botterill.
• The Heidout & Fisher Peak Brewing won the award for Hospitality and Tourism Excellence (Sponsored by Pacific Coastal Airlines). Left to right: Amanda Martz of the Heidout, Kristi Jahn Smith (presenter) and Rusty Cox of the Heidout.
• Huckleberry Books won the Retailer Excellence award (sponsored by Community Futures East Kootenay). Left to right: Janice Alpine (Community Futures) and Erin Dalton of Huckleberry Books.
• Leiman Homes won the Inclusive Employer Award ((sponsored by CMHA-Kootenays). Left to right: Kerstin Renner (CMHA) and Kevin Leiman and Krister Leiman.
• Arch Allure Microblading won the award for Professional Services Excellence (sponsored by Jim Pattison Broadcast Group). Left to right: Matt Van Boeyen (Presenter) and Catherine Spring
• Kootenay Farm to Folk won for New Business of the Year (sponsored by Dunlop Truck Centres). Left to right: Chris Thom of Dunlop, Jessy and Rhianna Embury of Kootenay Farm to Folk.
• Bighorn Electric won the award for Customer Service Excellence (sponsored by New Dawn Developments). Left to right: Rick Jensen (New Dawn) and Bronte Dickson on behalf of Bighorn Electric.
• East Kootenay MS Support Group won for Non-Profit Organization of the Year (sponsored by Columbia Basin Trust). Left to right: Rick Jensen (CBT) and John and Sylvia Leasak.
• Auntie Barb’s Bakery won for Age-Friendly Business (sponsored by the Cranbrook Age-Friendly Advisory Committee). Left to right: Tod Beboice and Barb Smythe of Auntie Barb’s Bakery, Melanie Fiorentino (presenter).