Celebration Of The Best of Island Business
Sooke’s Kevin Wenstob, owner of Wenstob Timber, left, plays around with Wood Manufacturer of the Year award winner Mark Anson of Timber Tiles in Port Alberni at the 21st Annual Grant Thornton LLP Vancouver Island Business Excellence Awards March 17 at the Delta Ocean Pointe Resort in Victoria. Kevin is the star of the hit Netflix TV series “Big Timber”, and was runner-up to Timber Tiles.
VICTORIA – San Group of Port Alberni was named Business of the Year and Ignition Motorsports of Duncan the Small Business of the Year at the 21st annual Grant Thornton LLP Vancouver Island Business Excellence Awards Thursday, March 17 at the Delta Ocean Pointe Resort in Victoria.
San Group Inc. is a vertically integrated forest products company, and their operations include timber harvesting, sawmilling, lumber remanufacturing, value added lumber manufacturing, global distribution sales and consumer retail sales via their San Cedar Direct stores. San Group is manufactures its products in Port Alberni and export 100% Canadian-Made wood products to over 27 Countries.
Ignition Motorsports has grown into a full service 8,000 square foot motorcycle shop and a staple of Cowichan Valley over the past 10 years. They host motorcycle track days at Vancouver Island Motorsport Circuit and have gained a large sport bike following thanks to their involvement there.
The event was canceled last January due to the COVID pandemic.
“This was a great celebration about the best of the best in Vancouver Island like never before,” says Mark MacDonald of Business Examiner, which coordinates the event. “It’s been a very long two years since we’ve been able to gather at events like this, and we’re grateful that so many wonderful businesses have been able to make it through such difficult, unprecedented times and have success stories to share and we could celebrate with them.”
Grant Thornton LLP is the Title Sponsor of the event, and RBC Royal Bank, Van-Isle Windows and Coastal Community Credit Union are Gold Sponsors, with Black Press Media as the Media Sponsor. Category sponsor include the Vancouver Island Construction Association, M&N Mattress, Freedom Capital, Pulver Crawford Munroe LLP, Mid Island Co-op, Van Isle Windows, OnPoint Benefits, Henley & Straub LLP Personal & Business Law, Canadian Western Bank, Waypoint Insurance, CBRE Investment Properties Group and Engel & Voelkers – Bronwen Campbell.
Because there was no BE Awards event last year, nominations covered the last two years – 2020 and 2021. Nominations were, as usual, evenly split between companies north of the Malahat and south of the Malahat.
Marcia McNeil, left, of Pulver Crawford Munroe LLP presents the Entrepreneur of the Year Award to winner Daniel Seguin of Arthur Murray Dance Studio in Victoria
And The Winners Are
Nominations came from all over Vancouver Island, and there were 72 Finalists. Category winners and runners-up are listed below:
Business of the Year: Sponsored by Grant Thornton LLP – San Group of Port Alberni. Runners-up: Island West Coast Developments of Nanaimo, Mazzei Electric of Nanaimo and Van Isle Windows of Victoria.
Small Business of the Year: Sponsored by Bronwen Campbell of Engel and Volkers – Ignition Motorsports of Duncan. Runners-up: Earth Land and Sea of Port Alberni, Justin Mayer Group of Victoria and ServiceMaster Restore of Comox.
Automotive Business of the Year: Sponsored by Coastal Community Credit Union – Harris Oceanside Chevrolet Buick GMC Ltd. of Parksville. Runners-up: Nanaimo Mitsubishi of Nanaimo, Penta Transport of Nanaimo, and West Shack Auto Service of Sooke.
Construction/Development Business of the Year: Sponsored by Vancouver Island Construction Association – Simba Investments of Courtenay. Runners-up: DB Services of Victoria, Island West Coast Developments of Nanaimo, Kinetic Construction of Victoria, Nelson Roofing & Sheet Metal Ltd. of Courtenay, Island Red Cedar Construction of Nanaimo and Kinsol Timber of Mill Bay.
Entrepreneur of the Year: Sponosred by Pulver Crawford Munroe LLP – Arthur Murray Dance Studio of Victoria. Runners-up: Country Chic Paint of Duncan, Eat Fresh Urban Market of Parksville and Blissful Baskets of Sooke.
Financial Business of the Year: Sponsored by Black Press Media – Auxilium Mortgage Corporation of Victoria. Runners-up: The Malahat Valuation Group of the Malahat and TAP Bookkeeping of Campbell River.
Food & Beverage Business of the Year: Sponsored by RBC Royal Bank – Harmonic Arts of Cumberland. Runners-up: Salt Spring Kitchen Co. of Salt Spring Island, White Sails Brewing of Nanaimo, Flurer Smokery of Port Alberni and Shelter Farm of Port Alberni.
Green Business of the Year: Sponsored by Van Isle Windows – Hakai Energy Solutions of Cumberland. Runners-up: Island Waterscape and Design of Courtenay and Mudology of Victoria.
Health Care Business of the Year: Sponsored by OnPoint Benefits – Equilibrium Therapy of Victoria. Runners-up: Eden Gardens of Nanaimo, Pacific Health Services of Victoria and Wild Coast Wellness of Nanaimo.
Hospitality/Tourism Business of the Year: Sponsored by Waypoint Insurance – Campbell River Whale Watching. Runners-up: Dolphins Resort of Campbell River, Crown Isle Resort and Golf Community of Courenay, Farm Table Inn of Lake Cowichan, Ocean Ecoventures of Cowichan Bay, Wild Play of Nanaimo and West Coast River Lodge of Port Alberni.
Manufactured Wood Products Business of the Year: Sponsored by Henley & Straub Personal and Business Law – Timber Tiles of Port Alberni. Runners-up: Current Millwork of Parksville and Wenstob Timber of Sooke.
Manufacturing Business of the Year: Sponsored by Canadian Western Bank – VMAC Global Technology Inc. of Nanaimo. Runner-up: Van Isle Windows Ltd. of Victoria.
Professional Business of the Year: Sponsored by Freedom Capital – Excel Career College of Courtenay. Runners-up: Daryoush Firouzli Architecture Inc. of Nanaimo, Islander Engineering Ltd. of Victoria, OnPoint Benefits of Mill Bay and Studio 531 Architects Inc. of Victoria.
Real Estate Business of the Year: Sponsored by CBRE Investment Properties Group – Dave Koszegi Group of RE/MAX of Nanaimo. Runner-up: Vancouver Island Home Group of Nanaimo.
Retail Business of the Year: Sponsored by Mid Island Co-op – 49th Parallel Grocery of Ladysmith. Runners-up: Curvy Fashions of Duncan, French Creek Collective of Campbell River, Mood Cannabis of Nanaimo, Minute Men Moving & Storage of Nanaimo, Jim’s Clothes Closet of Port Alberni and Courtenay, Wine Kitz of Duncan and M&N Mattress of Parksville.
Technology Business of the Year: Sponsored by M&N Mattress – Barnacle Systems of Victoria. Runners-up: Bravenet Marketing of Parksville and Moduurn of Victoria.
Trades Business of the Year: Sponsored by RBC Royal Bank – Osprey Electric of Parksville. Runners-up: Alberni Electric of Port Alberni, Alberni Power & Marine of Port Alberni, 360 Super Techs Inc. of Duncan, Orca Masonry of Victoria, West Coast Waterproofing of Victoria and Mazzei Electric of Nanaimo.
The official program book for the event can be viewed here.
For more information on the event contact MacDonald via email at: mark@businessexaminer.ca
