Nominations now open for Chamber's outstanding business achievement awards

Small businesses make up 98 per cent of the province’s businesses and employ more than 3 million Ontarians

NEWS RELEASE

SAULT STE. MARIE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

*************************
The Sault Ste. Marie Chamber of Commerce (SSMCOC) is pleased to announce that it is now accepting nominations for its Outstanding Business Achievement Awards to be given out at its annual Awards Gala in January.

The deadline to submit a nomination is Friday, Nov. 3, 2017. Anyone wishing to submit a local Chamber-member business for nomination can visit www.ssmcoc.com for full details. The nomination can be completed online here.

Jason Naccarato, president of the Sault Chamber says that “the annual business awards are about recognizing local businesses that strive to be innovative and find new ways to engage their customers, who have adapted unique business practices that set them apart from their competition and who have become ‘outstanding’ in their individual business sectors.”

This year, the Chamber of Commerce has made several changes to its traditional award categories. Over the past several months, the Chamber and its Outstanding Business Achievement Awards Judging Committee explored new award categories with respect to the different sizes, sectors, budgets and areas of expertise comprising the 700 plus businesses that make up the Chamber membership.

The Chamber’s Outstanding Business Achievement Awards recognize businesses that have made significant strides in overall growth and success, safety, diversification and accessibility, employee relations, customer service, innovation and exporting. Additionally, the Chamber will recognize the successes and community contributions made by several individual business leaders.

This year’s award categories include:

Indigenous Business of the Year Award
Customer First Award – Individual
Customer First Award - Business, Non-Profit or Agency
Employer of the Year Award
Downtown Business of the Year Award
Business of the Year Award (three categories: up to 9nine employees, 10 to 25 employees, 26+ employees)
Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award
Safe Work, Sound Business Award
Community First Award (three categories: up to nine employees, 10 to 25 employees, 26+ employees)
Diversity Award
Community Non-Profit Business of the Year Award
Leader in Accessibility Award
Innovation Award
Rising Star New Business Award
Beyond Borders Award (two categories: up to 49 employees, 50+ employees)
Skipper Manzzutti Award for Business Achievement
Paul Dalseg Community Achievement Award

Recipients will be presented with their awards on Saturday, Jan. 20, 2018 at the Chamber’s Outstanding Business Achievement Awards Gala.

Rory Ring, SSMCOC CEO notes that the nominations for the Outstanding Business Achievement Awards are being launched in conjunction with Small Business Week, which runs Oct. 16 to 20.

“Small businesses make up 98 per cent of the province’s businesses and employ more than 3 million Ontarians. More than 2/3 of private sector workers work for a small business, says Ring. “The Sault Ste. Marie Chamber of Commerce recognizes that small businesses are the backbone of our local economy and would like to encourage members of the community and other businesses to take a few minutes to nominate a business that they feel is genuinely deserving of an award for their efforts and contributions.”

The Chamber’s Small Business Week campaign asserts that “Small business is too big to ignore.”

*************************