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PARKSVILLE – The Parksville & District Chamber of Commerce are prepping to recognize Excellence in Business at the annual Business Excellence Awards Ceremony to be held on March 3 at Tigh Na Mara Seaside Resort and Spa. Awards are presented in for categories for Business of the Year with more than 15 employees, Business of the Year with less than 15 employees, Entrepreneur of the Year and the ever popular Outstanding Customer Service.
Every community holds these programs of rewarding excellence and recognizing employers and employees who go the extra mile. It is an important function of the Chamber of Commerce. It is important to reward excellence and by example to encourage it.
The most important reward we can give to a business is of course our patronage. Whether it is a grocery store or a landscaper they need and are prepared to work for our business. We talk a lot about shopping local and the support that the community and community events receive from business. We set an example by supporting local businesses in our own day to day purchasing. The reason is simple, without local business people making the huge investment in our community it would not be the spectacular place to live that it is.
I’m not interested in driving to Nanaimo or Courtenay every week for my groceries and gas. I’m not interested in paying the extra to have someone come from outside of the community mow my lawn or clean my house. Our local retailers and services need a financial return to stay open.
If we do not patronize local business they will move or close up shop. There are examples in communities that have lost their major industry where the other support businesses have closed or moved leaving citizens two options, move or travel for goods and services.
We are through the January – post Christmas blahs and moving into spring with that feeling of a new awakening. Pick a business in Parksville and the surrounding region that you have never patronized. Go find out what they have to offer. You would be surprised at what you learn. It may not be as difficult to support our local merchants and service people as you think and they certainly support us by hiring, by contributing more than double to the local government through taxation and by generously supporting the various events that we are famous for.
– Kim Burden is the Executive Director of the Parksville & District Chamber of Commerce. He can reached at kim@parksvillechamber.com.
