Nominate Your Favourite Business for the 2023 Chamber Awards

by Stephen Dafoe

Nominations are open for this year’s Morinville & District Chamber of Commerce Business Awards. Residents have until Sept. 7 to nominate their favourite business for the 2023 Business Awards.

Winners will be revealed when the Chamber holds its annual awards night gala on Saturday, Oct. 28. This year’s theme is Around the World in 80 Days.

Nominations are open to Morinville businesses as well as those in the Sturgeon County area, whether they are Chamber members or not. This year’s awards categories are as follows:

◉ Small Business (1-4 full-time employees)

◉ Medium Business (5-13 employees)

◉ Large Business (over 14 employees)

◉ New Business (3 years or less)

◉ Community Spirit – business or non-profit

◉ Agriculture/Farm Business

◉ Home-Based Business (3 employees or less)

◉ Youth Customer Service (under 25 years)

◉ Legacy Award (Long-time business – 8 years and over)

The Chamber also offers its award – The Integrity Award.

Chamber Manager Roberta Pawluk is encouraging Morinville and area residents to nominate businesses in Morinville and throughout Sturgeon County.

“It’s actually the one event that spotlights business entirely, all classes – everybody in business,” Pawluk said. “You do not have to be a Chamber member to be nominated. You do not have to be a Chamber member to win. It truly highlights all of our businesses in the community and stresses the importance of all our businesses in Morinville and Sturgeon County.”

Pawluk said while nomination forms are available online, it is important that some details be provided with the nomination on what makes that business worthy of winning.

“When our judges judge the businesses, if people don’t tell why they are nominating them, and why they are outstanding in their field, they don’t know,” Pawluk said. “They have less chance of winning if they don’t give us the reasons. And we want to know what our businesses are doing that is great.”

Pawluk said that of all award categories, Agriculture/Farm Business is the most under-nominated, something she hopes will change. It can be a farm; it can be a company like FAVA Canada, which won it last year, one of the U-Picks. All of those types of businesses qualify,” Pawluk explained. “No one ever thinks to nominate the agriculture businesses.” For more information and to nominate, visit MorinvilleChamber.com. The nomination form is under News and Events.