Winners Will Be Unveiled At June 16 Gala At Coast Capri Hotel In Kelowna
KELOWNA – A total of 80 Finalists have been announced for the Grant Thornton LLP Thompson Okanagan Business Excellence Awards, set for the Coast Capri Hotel in Kelowna on Thursday, June 16.
The nomination deadline for the celebration of the finest and most successful businesses in the Thompson Okanagan region – from Kamloops to Oliver – was May 13.
Grant Thornton LLP is the Title Platinum Sponsor for the event, and Pushor Mitchell LLP is in as a Gold Sponsor. Category sponsors include William Wright Commercial, Freedom Capital, Wayside and All Elements Design • Manage • Build. The event is coordinated by Business Examiner Thompson Okanagan.
“We are really shocked by the number of finalists, which came from all over the region,” says Mark MacDonald of Business Examiner Thompson Okanagan. “We are ecstatic with the response, as we had the highest number of businesses nominated ever, and I think this is indicative of the pent-up demand for people to get out and celebrate the fact they’ve survived – and thrived – during the past two years of pandemic shutdowns.
“This will be a great time to get out and network with people face to face, something we haven’t been able to do for a long, long time. We are expecting the event to sell out.”
A team of independent judges located throughout the Thompson Okanagan region will adjudicate nominations. They include Maxine DeHart of the Ramada Hotel, a Kelowna city councillor and business columnist; Jim Anderson, Executive Director of Venture Kamloops; and Ellen Walker-Matthews, CEO of Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association.
There will be 18 Categories in the awards.
The finalists are, by city:
Kamloops (9)
Academy of Dance, DiVine Tours, Far + Wide, Fiddleheads Violin Studio, Five Oak Contracting, Movement Collective, Ocean Pacific Adventure Sports, RE/MAX Kamloops and Therapeutic Riding Association.
Kelowna (31)
Agents of Discovery, Balance Financial, Canadian Blood Services, Central Okanagan Food Bank, CHBA Central Okanagan, Childhood Connections, Coe & Company Electric, Kelowna Concierge, Current Taxi, FH&P Lawyers, Financial Dream Solutions, Harmony Chiropractic, Hub Office Furniture, Kelowna Hyundai, Inspire Property Management, Lexus of Kelowna, Meiklejohn Architects, Modern Purair, Okanagan Insulation Services, Perfit Dental Solutions, Prospera Credit Union, Society of Hope, Spearhead Winery, Strut Footwear, Taste Advisor Inc., The Recovery Spa, TKI Construction, Tranq Sleep Centre, Twin Creek Media, Twirling Umbrellas and Vigilante Marketing.
Monte Creek (1)
Monte Creek Winery.
Naramata (2)
Naramata Inn and Serendipity Winery.
Oliver (1)
Covert Farms Family Estate.
Penticton (9)
Cannery Brewing, Ellis Creek Auto Body, Eskala Mountain Sports, Jafa Signs, Long-Haggerty Robertson LLP, Maple Leaf Spirits, Rise Wellness Centre, Skaha Rock Adventures and Slackwater Brewing.
Salmon Arm (5)
Cameron Exteriors, GeoConnect Energy, Gym of Rock, Lawson Engineering and Shuswap Cider Company.
Summerland (6)
Alchemist Distiller, Beauty Box Studio, Granny’s Bakery and Café, Nailed It Landscaping, Summerland Taxi and Verity Electrical Contracting.
Vernon (13)
North Okanagan Cycling Society, Vernon Teach & Learn, FILL Vernon’s Refill Store, Fox Plumbing Heating Cooling Electrical, Monashee Health Collective, Olive Us Oil & Vinegar, Sparkling Hill Resort, Summit Tiny Homes, Sweet Hoopla, Teassential, The Okanagan Science Centre, UnderGround Brews and Wayside Press.
West Kelowna (3)
Impact Drywall, Paynter’s Fruit Market and Potentia Human Resources.
Tickets for the event are $140 plus GST, and available through https://business-examiner-news-group.myshopify.com/products/2022-thompson-okanagan-business-excellence-awards
The event starts with cocktails at 6 p.m., dinner at 7 p.m. and awards at 8 p.m. Dress is business (not casual).
A few category sponsorships are still available, and other information about the event can be obtained by contacting MacDonald at mark@businessexaminer.ca