Top 5 finalists announced for 13th Annual Small Business BC Awards

BRITISH COLUMBIA, Jan. 29, 2016 /CNW/ - Small Business BC, the province's premier resource centre for entrepreneurs, asked British Columbians to nominate and vote for their favourite small businesses between October 1 and November 30 for the 13^th Annual Small Business BC Awards.

This year marked the biggest year yet for the Small Business BC Awards competition with a total of 535 published nominees from 71 communities across British Columbia.

The businesses with the highest number of votes in each award category were announced as the Top 10 Semi-Finalists on December 11, 2015. The Top 5 finalists have now been selected and invited to present a 10-minute pitch to the internal and external judges to prove themselves as BC's best. These companies are:

PREMIER'S PEOPLE'S CHOICE Presented by the Province of British Columbia   Back to Earth Enviro Products Inc. - Coldstream Game Quest - Prince George Lighthouse Visionary Strategies - Whistler Shiraz Café and Restaurant - Prince George Vintage & Restoration Love - Dawson Creek	BEST APPRENTICE TRAINING Presented by Industry Training Authority and BCIT   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
BEST COMMUNITY IMPACT Presented by Vancity   Coco Café - Nanaimo Cowichan Women Against Violence Society - Duncan Doi Chaang Coffee Company - Vancouver The Sparkle Project BC - Abbotsford Tla'amin Convenience Store - Powell River	BEST COMPANY Presented by Dell   All Inclusive Marketing Inc. - Vancouver Jive Communications - Vancouver LNG Studios - Vancouver Vital Body Weight Loss Centre - Burnaby What The Fungus – Summerland
BEST CONCEPT Presented by MNP LLP   Big Heart Publishing Inc. - Wells Circus Play Café - Vancouver ElleBoxCo - Vancouver Filaprint - Tumbler Ridge Riipen Networks - Vancouver	BEST EMERGING ENTREPRENEUR Presented by Yellow Pages   Big Bro's Barbershop - Vancouver JOMA Environmental Ltd. - Victoria Odonit - Vancouver Skynation - Vancouver Valkyrie Martial Arts Inc. – Vancouver
BEST EMPLOYER Presented by WorkSafeBC   Intuitive Rehab Services - Chilliwack North Construction Ltd. - North Vancouver Pender Auto Body Ltd. - Vancouver VictorEric Design Group - Vancouver Vij's Restaurant - Vancouver	BEST INTERNATIONAL TRADE Presented by Livingston International   Arriba Mexico Food Co. - Esquimalt DEEBEE'S SpecialTea Foods - Victoria Lulu Island Winery - Richmond Milo Enterprises Inc. - Vancouver Republica Coffee Roasters Inc. - Fort Langley
BEST ONLINE MARKETER Presented by Sage   6S Marketing Inc. - Vancouver Butter Studios - Port Moody Glitter & Spice - South Surrey Sunberry Fitness - Richmond The Counselling Group - White Rock	BEST WORKPLACE Presented by WellnessFits   Intuitive Rehab Services - Chilliwack Left of the Dot Media - Maple Ridge Mandala Homes - Nelson Nucleus Networks Inc. - Vancouver Rainbow's Roost – Kamloops

"We'd like to congratulate the Top 5 and wish them the best of luck as they pitch the judges," says George Hunter, CEO at Small Business BC. "The participation of greater numbers of nominees from even more communities across the province this year has made for an entertaining and very high-spirited competition."

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.

"I want to congratulate all of this year's Small Business BC Awards finalists and to thank you for showcasing the loyal communities that support your businesses. We're working hard to create a culture of entrepreneurship by ensuring small businesses have the tools they need to innovate and succeed." – Coralee Oakes, Minister of Small Business and Red Tape Reduction and Responsible for the Liquor Distribution Branch

"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]