Top 10 semi-finalists announced for 13th Annual Small Business BC Awards

VANCOUVER, Dec. 11, 2015 /CNW/ - Small Business BC, the province's premier resource centre for entrepreneurs, asked British Columbians to nominate their favourite small businesses for the 13^th Annual Small Business BC Awards between October 1 and November 30, 2015.

The Small Business BC Awards are the most visible awards program in BC for small business owners and entrepreneurs. A key part of the awards' mission is to celebrate the contributions new and existing businesses registered in BC, with fewer than 50 employees, make to their local communities and the global economy.

This year, 535 small businesses were nominated from 71 communities across British Columbia. These businesses were given two months to gain as many votes as possible. Those who activated their communities and received the most votes have been named the Top 10 semi-finalists in the competition:

PREMIER'S PEOPLE'S CHOICE Presented by the Province of British Columbia   Back to Earth Enviro Products Inc. - Coldstream Game Quest - Prince George Kobau Plumbing & Gas Fitting Ltd. - Osoyoos Lighthouse Visionary Strategies - Whistler Nutritive.co - Roberts Creek Pye Design - Nanaimo Shiraz Café and Restaurant - Prince George Sue's Clotheslines - Creston TC Creations - Prince George Vintage & Restoration Love - Dawson Creek	BEST APPRENTICE TRAINING Presented by Industry Training Authority and BCIT   Fire and Ice Hair Company - Abbotsford Griffins Boxing and Fitness - North Vancouver Hey Beautiful Salon - Nanaimo KYBE Electrical Contracting - North Vancouver Mussell Crane - Chilliwack Pender Auto Body Ltd. - Vancouver Schubert Plumbing & Heating Ltd. - Mission Solid Rock Steel Fabricating Co. Ltd. - Surrey Taylor Pro Training Ltd. - Kelowna The Foxy Box – Victoria
BEST COMMMUNITY IMPACT Presented by Vancity   Coco Café - Nanaimo Cowichan Women Against Violence Society - Duncan Doi Chaang Coffee Company - Vancouver Good Times Games and Electronics - Prince Rupert GreenStep - Kelowna Lighthouse Mentor Network - Whistler Revolution Ranch, LP - Lytton Spring Activator - Vancouver The Sparkle Project BC - Abbotsford Tla'amin Convenience Store - Powell River	BEST COMPANY Presented by Dell   Abeego Designs - Victoria All Inclusive Marketing Inc. - Vancouver Fresh Magazine - Vancouver Haida Gwaii Trader - Port Clements Intuitive Rehab Services - Chilliwack Jive Communications - Vancouver LNG Studios - Vancouver Tradeopolis Communications - Kamloops Vital Body Weight Loss Centre - Burnaby What The Fungus – Summerland
BEST CONCEPT Presented by MNP LLP   Big Heart Publishing Inc. - Wells Birch & Lace - Revelstoke Circus Play Café - Vancouver ElleBoxCo - Vancouver Filaprint - Tumbler Ridge Merge - Tofino Oxygen Yoga and Fitness - Squamish Riipen Networks - Vancouver Roar Representation - Nanaimo The Realm of Toys - Williams Lake	BEST EMERGING ENTREPRENEUR Presented by Yellow Pages   720 Sweets - Vancouver Big Bro's Barbershop - Vancouver Canada's Best Apps - Whistler Cryo Care - Kelowna JOMA Environmental Ltd. - Victoria JustGreet - Vancouver Nutritive.co - Roberts Creek Odonit - Vancouver Skynation - Vancouver Valkyrie Martial Arts Inc. – Vancouver
BEST EMPLOYER Presented by WorkSafeBC   Blacksmith Bakery - Fort Langley Blush Bridal - Vancouver Intuitive Rehab Services - Chilliwack Nancy O's Restaurant - Prince George North Construction Ltd. - North Vancouver Pender Auto Body Ltd. - Vancouver The Bar Method - Vancouver VictorEric Design Group - Vancouver Vij's Restaurant - Vancouver Western Shrink Wrap Limited - Maple Ridge	BEST INTERNATIONAL TRADE Presented by Livingston International   Arriba Mexico Food Co. - Esquimalt Ayoub's Dried Fruits and Nuts - North Vancouver Canadian Relocation Specialists - South Surrey DEEBEE'S SpecialTea Foods - Victoria Doi Chaang Coffee Company - Vancouver Lulu Island Winery - Richmond Milo Enterprises Inc. - Vancouver Misty Mountain Industrial Ltd. - Richmond Republica Coffee Roasters Inc. - Fort Langley Strong International Trading Inc. – Richmond
BEST ONLINE MARKETER Presented by Sage   6S Marketing Inc. - Vancouver Butter Studios - Port Moody Glitter & Spice - South Surrey Indexsy - Richmond JY Knows It Business Consulting - Surrey Market Ink Consulting Ltd. - Vancouver Modern Marketing Advantage - Qualicum Beach National Speakers Bureau - Vancouver Sunberry Fitness - Richmond The Counselling Group - White Rock	BEST WORKPLACE Presented by WellnessFits   Advisor Websites - Vancouver Contours for Men and Women - Prince George Goatsocial - Vancouver Hey Beautiful Salon - Nanaimo Intuitive Rehab Services - Chilliwack Left of the Dot Media - Maple Ridge Mandala Homes - Nelson Nucleus Networks Inc. - Vancouver Propel Solutions Ltd. - Vancouver Rainbow's Roost – Kamloops

Businesses in the Top 10 will now move forward to face a panel of judges, who will review their applications, and based on the award criteria, narrow down the competition to the Top 5 finalists in each category.

The winners of each category will be announced at the Small Business BC Awards Ceremony on February 25, 2016 at the Pan Pacific Vancouver Hotel.

Recipients of Small Business BC Awards will be recognized with the Premier's Prize in the amount of $1,500 cash. The winners will also be offered a one-year All-Access pass to Small Business BC education resources and experts, and one-on-one business mentorship opportunities with notable advisors from award sponsors.

More details on the Small Business BC Awards can be found at www.sbbcawards.ca.

Quotes

"Small businesses are the backbone of communities across BC. The Premier's People's Choice Award is an opportunity to recognize and celebrate a small business that goes the extra mile for its neighbours." – Premier Christy Clark.

"This year we saw a tremendous amount of participation in the Small Business BC Awards through a high number of nominees coming in from across the province. It's fantastic to see so many small businesses being recognized, not only for their success, but also for the positive impact they're having on their local communities and the contributions they're making to the economy." – George Hunter, CEO, Small Business BC

"IBC is proud to once again sponsor the Small Business BC Awards, and to have the opportunity to recognize hard-working entrepreneurs for their dedication to communities across the province. We are so pleased to see the significant growth in participation for this year's competition, as a clear indicator of the impact small businesses have here in BC.  On behalf of IBC I congratulate all the finalists and wish them continued success as they move forward into the next round of this year's competition."  – Bill Adams, VP, Western and Pacific, Insurance Bureau of Canada

Quick Facts

• Over 4,000 entrepreneurs have participated in the Small Business Awards since its inception
• There is a new award category for Best Apprentice Training sponsored by Industry Training Authority
• The Province of British Columbia and Premier Clark support the Small Business BC Awards through the Premier's People's Choice Award and the Premier's Prize of $1,500 cash given to each winner

About Small Business BC
Small Business BC provides entrepreneurs with the information and guidance necessary to build a solid foundation for their business. Through a wide range of products, services, education and resources there's a piece that fits with every business. No matter what stage or what skill level, when an entrepreneur finds themselves asking "How do I...?" Small Business BC is the one to call.

About Insurance Bureau of Canada
Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) is pleased to celebrate 50 years as a valuable resource for insurance information. Since 1964, IBC has been working with governments across Canada to make our communities safer, championing issues that directly affect Canadians and the property and casualty (P&C) insurance industry. IBC is the national industry association representing Canada's private home, car and business insurers. Its member companies represent 90% of the P&C insurance market in Canada. The private P&C insurance industry employs over 118,600 Canadians, pays more than $7 billion in taxes and levies to the federal, provincial and municipal governments, and has a total premium base of $48 billion.

SOURCE Insurance Bureau of Canada

Media Contact: Mark Blendheim, Communications Manager, Small Business BC, Direct: 604-775-5607, [email protected]