And now for the video and the voting, as Prince Rupert and District Chamber of Commerce release finalists for Business Excellence Awards

After a four week period of collecting nominees, it will soon be up to the residents of Prince Rupert and area to make the final vote, that as the Prince Rupert and District Chamber of Commerce introduces the finalists for the 2020-21 Business Excellence Awards.

The roll out of the finalists came through the Chamber of Commerce on Thursday, with Chamber President Michelle Boomars-MacNeil celebrating the finalists and making note of how the 2021 edition of the Awards will be a bit different.

“We are proud to congratulate all nominees and finalists on being honoured by their customers and members of our community. The diverse achievements identified by the nominators are a testament to the creativity and diligence of entrepreneurs in Prince Rupert and Port Edward. 

The modifications we have made to this year’s Business Excellence Awards are a reflection of flexibility shown by our members to protect the safety of neighbours and clients. Even during once-in-a-century difficulties on a global scale, we are working hard to celebrate the perseverance and resourcefulness of local business leaders.

The Awards make for one of the biggest events of the year for the Prince Rupert and area Business Community and the big day of celebration is still just over a month away.  

But as of yesterday, the path to a potential Business Excellence Award for the nominees is now in the home stretch, that after a committee assigned by the Chamber, designated up to five finalists for consideration from each award category.

Among the categories for this years event are:

Business of the Year
(All finalists are eligible to Win in this peer voted category)

With yesterday's announcement, the Finalists have been named for each of the categories below:

Community involvement 
Dining Distinction 
Home Based Business 
Indigenous People's Entrepreneurship 
Individual Customer Service 
Industry and Manufacturing
Not For Profit
Professional Excellence
Retail Excellence
Rookie Business
Tourism and Accommodation
Young Entrepreneur

There is one new category for 2020-21, an award that will reflect on challenges of the last year and offers reward for how those challenges were met.

Excellence in Responding to Unexpected Challenges

As they did last year, the Chamber once again will be featuring televised and streamed vignettes of the nominees, those  presentations that will be presented through CityWest Community TV and the Chamber's Facebook page next month.

The vignettes will showcase all of the finalists for this years competition, offering them a platform to present some of the background when it comes to their business/organization to the public. 

As part of their statement announcing the finalists the Port outlined how the video parade will take place.

A series of three video broadcasts will be released from February 17 to 19, providing a detailed look at finalists in each of the Business Excellence Awards categories. 

For the 24-hour period after each episode, members of the public may cast votes for any of the businesses and customer service professionals that appear among the ranks of featured finalists.

When Awards night comes around, the Chamber has taken a new approach, while also keeping Social gathering measures in mind. 

Towards the big night, the Chamber will be Spreading out the nominees across the city at local restaurants all sharing in the live stream of the Awards night presentation and naming of the Awards winners for 2020-21.

They outline how the Big Night will take place as follows:

In the evening of Saturday, February 27, the traditional Business Excellence Awards gala ceremony will be replaced by a live video celebration culminating in the announcement of winners. 

Nominees and their supporters will be encouraged to gather and watch the proceedings from local restaurants while observing all health authority-mandated restrictions. 

Trophies will be delivered in real time at locations throughout Prince Rupert and Port Edward.

Until then, you can review the Finalists for each of the thirteen categories below and prepare to watch them showcase their pursuits next month:

You can follow up on any updates on the road to Awards Night through the Chamber's Facebook page here.

For more notes related to the Business Sector in the Northwest see our archive page here.