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As a part of our commitment to serve the needs of small businesses, the Tri-Cities Chamber has put together an exciting program of workshops for Small Business Week. Attend all events for $55 or pick and choose what interests you.

View the program.

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Thank you to our sponsors:

Every year, the Tri-Cities Chamber of Commerce, residents, workers and business owners join together to honour and celebrate business excellence. These awards publicly recognize outstanding businesses, organizations and individuals that demonstrate excellence in business and a passion for the community. Take a minute and show your appreciation to a deserving Tri-Cities business or individual today!

Categories:

Business of the Year
(2010 Winner – Tri-Cities Thrifty Foods)

• A Tri-Cities business with 35 or more employees with outstanding performance, innovation and community service
• Displays a positive social conscience

Small Business of the Year
(2010 Winner – Me-N-Ed’s Pizza)

• A Tri-Cities business with 34 or less employees with outstanding performance, innovation and community service
• Displays a positive social conscience

Business Leader of the Year
(2010 Winner – Layne Magnuson & Doug Morneau)

• Individual, with fiscal responsibility for the company and whose talent, vision, expertise, dedication and performance have defined them as an outstanding Tri-Cities Business Leader

Not for Profit of the Year
(2010 Winner – Place des Arts)

• An organization with an established reputation for delivering a high level of programs and services in the Tri-Cities

Eligibility

• Nominees must have conducted business operations within the Tri-Cities area for the past twelve consecutive months prior to the date of their nomination.
• Candidates can only be nominated in one category per year, but not if they have won in any category over the past three years.
• Chamber Board Members and/or their companies are not eligible for nomination in any award category.
• All nominations are accepted at the discretion of the Board of Directors and judged by an independent panel.
• Self-nominations will not be accepted.
• Previous award winners are eligible for re-nomination after three years.
• Previous finalists are eligible for nomination.
• Chamber membership is not a requirement, but is always recommended!

Nominations Deadline

Call for Nomination form(s) must be submitted to with the Chamber office by 4:30 pm on Friday, Setpember 9, 2011.

IMPORTANT DATES
NOMINEES’ LUNCHEON
October 27, 2011
Westwood Plateau Golf & Country Club

AWARDS GALA
January 28, 2012
Red Robinson Show Theatre

Our recent “Business After 5″ was full of incredible energy. Guests were welcomed on-site to our “2010 Small Business of the Year” Port Coquitlam location of Me-N-Ed’s Pizza and treated to a buffet of awesome pizza and refreshments. It was a packed house with Coquitlam Mayor Richard Stewart and city counsellors in attendance among the list of guests. Thanks to Me-N-Ed’s Pizza Parlour for having us, and best of luck with your newest location in Langley. A great evening was had by all…enjoy some photos from the event courtesy of Sanjay Sharma, the NOW.

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Photos courtesy of Jeffrey D. Fairbank Photography

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The Gala & Business Excellence Awards were held on Saturday, January 29th at the beautiful Red Robinson Show Theatre. Guests were treated to a full agenda,commencing with a  Champagne reception, followed by dinner, awards, dancing and fun “gambling” . Attendees were encouraged to enter in draws for a bevy of beautiful prizes including from jewellery to a flat screen television.

Categories and Winners are as below:

Not for Profit of the Year – Sponsored by BCLC
Winner: Place des Arts

The Maillardville arts centre offers education in music, visual arts, dance and drama — all with a flair for keeping students young and old engaged and entertained. The centre’s bursaries, scholarships and endowment fund support students, and ArtReach, established three years ago, allows learners facing economic barriers to attend a week-long summer arts camp. Place des Arts has been a leader in the arts community since 1972, and has a reputation for delivering high-quality programs in an outstanding facility.

Small Business of the Year – Sponsored by Coquitlam Centre
Winner: Me-N-Eds Pizza

Me-n-Ed’s Pizza, who’s Coquitlam and Port Coquitlam locations are owned and operated by long-time Tri-Cities residents Chris and Richard Florian provides local youths with valuable work experience in a positive environment, develops management staff through an established training program and is quick to reward excellence. The company sponsors several local sports organizations and organizes and hosts a charity golf tournament that raises funds for Parkinson Society BC.

Business Leader(s) of the Year
Winners: Layne Magnuson (Metro Motors) & Doug Morneau (Rhino Marketing)

Layne Magnuson and his family have owned Metro Motors — a brand that has become synonymous with the Tri-Cities — since 1998. Metro Ford is the top Ford dealer in B.C. and has the highest customer retention rate of any Ford dealership in Western Canada. Under Magnuson’s leadership, Metro Ford has also become known for community involvement, sponsoring the Coquitlam Metro Ford Soccer Club, the Port Coquitlam BIA Car Show and more, including Coquitlam Little League and SHARE.

Doug Morneau, the founder and CEO of Rhino Marketing, recently orchestrated an exclusive partnership between Rhino and the Vancouver Canucks. His company has also become a leader in the emergent practice of e-marketing. He currently serves as a director on the Crossroads Hospice Society board, Coquitlam Alliance Church and BC Assessment Authority, and is a past director of the Rotary Club and Tri-Cities Chamber of Commerce. Wherever he volunteers, his enthusiasm and clear vision are much appreciated.

Business of the Year – Sponsored by Boulevard Casino
Winner: Thrifty Foods – Austin Station

Thrifty Foods Austin Station which opened in 2006, was the first Thrifty’s location to become carbon neutral. The Staff supports many Tri-Cities charities, including SHARE and Cops for Cancer. The store is also an industry leader in presentation, cleanliness and food safety — and was recently named the top food-safe store in the chain in an annual company-wide audit.

Newsmaker of the Year – Sponsored by Tri-City News
Winner: The Olympic Torch Relay

Top honours went to the 2010 Olympic Torch Relay and Celebration. From the thousands of eager residents who lined the streets to watch torchbearers enjoy their moment in the spotlight to the jubilant crowds that filled Coquitlam’s Mackin Park, this story had drama, excitement and, most of all, community spirit. A moving video showing clips of the event at Saturday’s gala brought tears to more than a few audience members’ eyes.

Also honoured during the evening was:

Chamber Member of the Year
Greg Garrison, Mardon & Garrison Insurance Brokers Ltd.

Greg Garrison, president of Mardon and Garrison Insurance Brokers, was honoured with the Chamber Member of the Year Award. A long-standing and active Chamber member, Garrison is a board member of the Rotary Club of Coquitlam Sunrise, where he has served for more than a decade. He also serves on the board of the InnerVisions Recovery Society and, through his company, sponsors and supports local organizations ranging from the Eagle Ridge Hospital Foundation to the Crossroads Hospice Society. Mardon and Garrison Insurance Brokers, founded by Greg’s father Les Garrison, has grown to include seven offices throughout Metro Vancouver, as well as more than 70 employees — an amazing 35 per cent of whom have been with the company for more than 20 years. 

Thank you to all sponsors of the Gala and Business Excellence Awards and also to the providers of all the incredible prizes. 

Enjoy some photos from our premier event!

Photos courtesy of Darla Furlani
Video presentation by Geoff Scott, Tri-Cities Community Television Society

for more news & photos, click here.

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EDITORIAL: Abilities pay off for employers
The Tri-Cities Chamber of Commerce should be congratulated for creating awareness among employers about the valuable contributions to the workplace made by people with disabilities. Read more…

Chamber promotes the hiring of people with disabilities
A two-year Tri-City campaign to promote the hiring of people with disabilities has come to an end but that doesn’t mean the issue has dropped off the agenda of human resource managers and CEOs. Read more…

Hiring people with disabilities good for business
The golf green at the Vancouver Golf Club is damp and tender; the trees are dripping with rain and the only golf talk taking place today is in the room where the clubs are stored. Read more…

The Tri-Cities 10 by 10 Challenge has also produced a booklet and website on the business case for hiring people with disabilities. Please contact the Chamber if you would like a copy.

Santa’s Workshop was busy with guests at the Chamber Christmas Luncheon 2010;  In spite of the dark and wet weather outside, all was aglow on Westwood Plateau where a flurry of activities was busily happening on Thursday, December 9th. Silent Auction, Wall of Wine Auction, door prize draws, games…where to go first? While shoppers busily placed their bids, guests gathered and discussed business and holiday plans, others chatted with Santa as he checked his “Naughty and Nice” list; Butter Photobooth provided fun and charming photo sets, prior to everyone sitting down and enjoying a beautiful traditional Christmas lunch. 

Thanks to Rhino for sponsoring the luncheon and Butter Media Inc. for providing their photobooth services.

And thanks to all who attended the luncheon. We hope you had fun at the event; we look forward to the upcoming season. We wish you all the happiest Christmas and all the best in 2011, from each of us here at the Tri-Cities Chamber of Commerce.

Merry Christmas!

Enjoy some photos from the event!

Also, to see the additional photos available online in a private gallery slideshow on Butter Media’s website, just  go www.buttermedia.ca and click on the “Client Login” link on the bottom right. Once you’re at the login screen, you just need to enter any valid email address and the event code: chamberpb2010. The gallery will be available for one year.

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Not for Profit of the Year

• Coquitlam Public Library (Coquitlam) 
• Place des Arts (Coquitlam)
• Port Moody Ecological Society (Port Moody)

Small Business of the Year

• Innovative Fitness (Port Moody)
• Me-N-Ed’s Pizza (Coquitlam & Port Coquitlam)
• Trophy Centre (Port Coquitlam)

Business Leader of the Year

• Erin Davidson: Austin Heights BIA (Coquitlam)
• Doug Morneau: Rhino Marketing (Port Coquitlam)
• Layne Magnuson: Metro Motors (Port Coquitlam)

Business of the Year

• Natural Factors (Coquitlam)
• Scotiabank – Coquitlam Centre (Coquitlam)
• Tri-Cities Thrifty Foods (Coquitlam & Port Moody)

Newsmaker of the Year

• To be announced

One winner in each category will be announced and celebrated at the 10^th Annual Business Excellence Awards Gala, taking place on Saturday, January 29^th, 2011 at the Red Robinson Show Theatre.  For tickets, please register on-line at www.tricitieschamber.com or contact the Tri-Cities Chamber of Commerce at (604) 464-2716 / or email info@tricitieschamber.com

The first thing we did was to invite Susan Scott-Parker, Chief Executive of the UK’s Employers’ Forum on Disability, to speak to local business leaders as to why they should hire people with disabilities. She talked about how employees with disabilities stay in jobs longer and are more safety conscious than regular employees. She also pointed out that Canadians with disabilities have more than $25 billion in buying power, so it behooves businesses to connect with them as employees, as well as customers.

Since then, we have held workshops, facilitated discussions on disability issues with local human resource practitioners, and produced a booklet and website on the business case for hiring people with disabilities (www.engageability.ca).

Funding from the Vancouver Foundation has enabled us to focus on raising awareness among local employers and to track more than 100 local businesses that have hired people with disabilities.

In recognition of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, we are hosting the Tri-Cities Celebration of Ability at the Evergreen Cultural Centre. Celebrate the contributions that people with disabilities have made in our local community, with a focus on employment achievements and community leadership. Register  online or call (604-464-2716), as seating is limited.

The first stage of the 10th Annual Business Excellence Awards was launched on Thursday October 28th at the Boathouse – Port Moody. Over 180 people were in attendance as members and non-members gathered to celebrate the individuals, companies and non-profit organizations selected to represent the Tri-Cities best in four different categories. The nominees will be shortlisted as three finalists are announced on Friday November 12th. The winner in each category will be announced at the Chamber’s Event of the Year, the Gala, to be held on Saturday January 29th at the Red Robinson Show Theatre. Get your tickets early!

Congratulations and good luck to each of the deserving Nominees! 

Not for Proft of the Year:

 Nominated: (alphabetically)

Coastal Sound Music Academy, Coquitlam Foundation, Coquitlam Public Library, Crossroads Hospice Society, Place des Arts, Port Moody Ecological Society, Share Society, Societe Francophone de Maillardville

(Photo above, left to right: Share Society, Societe Francophone de Maillardville, Coquitlam Foundation, Place des Arts, Coastal Sound Music Academy, Coquitlam Public Library, Crossroads Hospice Society, Port Moody Ecological Society.)

Small Business of the Year:

Nominated: (alphabetically)

Alliance Printing, Charlie’s Chocolate Factory, Club Aviva, Galactic Entertainment, Innovative Fitness, Me-N-Ed’s Pizza, Meridian Westcoast Mortgages, Rocky Point Kayak, Sandpiper Signs, Trophy Centre, Tutor Doctor

(Photo above, left to right: Galactic Entertainment, Club Aviva, Tutor Doctor, Innovative Fitness, Rocky Point Kayak, Sandpiper Signs, Alliance Printing. Absent: Charlie’s Chocolate Factory, Meridian Westcoast Mortgages, Trophy Centre, Me-N-Ed’s Pizza)

Business Leader of the Year:

 Nominated: (alphabetically)

Erin Davidson – Austin Heights BIA, Layne Magnuson – Metro Motors, Doug Morneau – Rhino Marketing

(Photo above, shown left to right: Doug Morneau – Rhino Marketing (accepting is Heather Norneau), Erin Davidson – Austin Heights BIA. Absent: Layne Magnuson – Metro Motors)

Business of the Year:

 Nominated: (alphabetically)

Attica Equipment, Fit Foods Ltd., Natural Factors, Prairie Naturals, Reliable Parts, Scotiabank – Coquitlam Centre, Tri-Cities Thrifty Foods, Vancity – Pinetree Village

(Photo above, left to right: Fit Foods Ltd., Scotiabank-Coquitlam Centre, Vancity – Pinetree Village, Tri-Cities Thrifty Foods, Reliable Parts, Natural Factors Nutritional Products Ltd. Absent: Attica Equipment, Prairie Naturals.

photos courtesy of Daniela Ciuffa Photography

Watch for more photos to be posted!