Be awards 2017 booklr

SEVENTEENTH ANNUAL

Celebrating the Best of the Best in Vancouver Island Business!

January 26, 2017 at the Delta Hotels Victoria Ocean Pointe Resort

Proudly presented by

usinessGold Sponsors: ng Capital?

g Corp.* provides non-traditional financing options, nd quick access to operating cash with Accounts Lending, Purchase Order Financing and more.

ment fee.**

Platinum Media Sponsor:

Category Sponsors:

Stephen Ison or Rebekah Hutchison at www.lcwestcoastfinancing.com.

2016-11-30 9:58 AM

Congratulations, Coulson Group Congratulations on your nomination as Vancouver Island’s Business of the Year. Deloitte has been proud to support and collaborate with the Coulson Team for 40 years and we look forward to 40 more! k 'HORLWWH //3 DQG DÉ?OLDWHG HQWLWLHV

Welcome to the 17th Annual Vancouver Island Business Excellence Awards January 26, 2017 at the Delta Hotels Victoria Ocean Pointe Resort We’re celebrating the best of last year, as we head into an exciting New Year full of promise!

What better way to kick off the new year is there than to have the Best of Business on Vancouver Island in a number of categories get together for an evening of celebration, networking and camaraderie? That’s what the Vancouver Island Business Excellence Awards have always been about. There are always good stories to tell in every environment and economy, and these Awards were created for exactly that purpose: To celebrate the successes of companies in our economy in a wide variety of sectors.

Table of Contents Category

Page

Judges’ Biographies

2

Aquaculture

4

Automotive

6

Construction/Development

8

Entrepreneur of the Year

18

Food Establishment of the Year

20

Green Business of the Year

22

Health Care

24

Hospitality

28

Manufacturing

32

Of course, this also wouldn’t be possible without all the businesses that have been nominated for the 17 categories in this year’s awards. Business Examiner Victoria and Business Examiner Vancouver Island tell stories, and the Vancouver Island Business Excellence Awards gives them a great opportunity to highlight some of the biggest and brightest stars of the year.

Professional

34

Retail

36

Technology

40

Tourism

41

They are honored to be able to combine their efforts to put together this night to remember. Don’t forget to look for photos and the winners to be announced at: www.businessexaminer.ca

Trades

43

Wood Products/Forestry

48

Small Business (Under 50 Employees)

50

Business of the Year

52

The pages of this Official Souvenir Book are filled with profiles, photos and contact Information for some of the most successful businesses on Vancouver Island over the 2016 calendar year. There are some amazing stories to be told, and we are grateful to have the opportunity to highlight these as sterling examples of what can be, and is being done, in our region.

This event is brought to you by our generous Sponsors: Platinum Media Sponsors Black Press, Gold Sponsors Grant Thornton LLP, RBC Royal Bank, as well as Category Sponsors Grieg Seafood, CIBC, Invest Comox Valley, Helijet, Coastal Community Credit Union and Liquid Capital. Without them, the Business Excellence Awards would not be possible.

And this year, we’re delighted to have Bruce Williams of CTV Vancouver Island serve as our Master of Ceremonies!

Mark MacDonald President

17th Annual Business Excellence Awards 1

Judges for the 17th Annual Vancouver Island Business Excellence Awards Jolynn Green

Jolynn Green

Jolynn’s hands-on experience assisting hundreds of small business from startup to expansion and her rich and diverse work experience combined with lifelong learning has created a business acumen steeped in business, human resources, project management, organizational development and nonprofit sector management. She is an entrepreneur at heart and has been self-employed.

Her career began in the community economic development arena as a Chamber of Commerce Manager/EDO actively pursuing economic development opportunities. Motivated by the grassroots development approach and the business development aspect of Western Diversification Canada’s Community Futures Program mandate, Jolynn joined the team of Community Futures Central Island in July 2010 as an Executive Director. Community Futures, a not for profit itself, understands the need for diversified income streams and self-reliance. Community Futures provides capital to businesses in the way of repayable loans whether operated by an individual, corporation or not for profit. Jolynn’s work experience gave her the desire to continue to expand her knowledge base and as a result she is a graduate from Royal Roads University of Victoria, BC.

Marilyn Hutchinson

Marilyn has been involved with the Vancouver Island Business Excellence Awards since they started 16 years ago, and is one of our original adjudicators.

Marilyn is with Grieg Seafood BC Ltd., BC’s third-largest salmon farming company with over 100 employees from more than a dozen coastal communities. Grieg operates a hatchery in Gold River and has farms near the east and west coasts of Vancouver Island and Sunshine Coast. She has been Director of Human Resources, Sustainability & Growth for nearly five years and is responsible for developing government and First Nations relationships, community outreach and identifying new business partnerships.

Marilyn Hutchinson

Derrold Norgaard

For most of his career, Derrold was a Tax Partner with KPMG LLP, one of Canada’s largest accountancy and consultancy firms, working out of both the Vancouver and Victoria offices. Derrold held the dual role of Tax Partner in Victoria and Office Managing Partner for the office until his departure from KPMG LLP in 2008.

Derrold is the Principal behind Island Tax. Derrold focuses on a family office role acting as a private tax advisor for high wealth individuals, families and businesses. His team of assistants and associates allow for his work and practice to take place across Canada.

Derrold’s primary areas of practice include personal tax planning, international tax and corporate taxation. He has authored several articles on Canadian tax planning and has been an instructor in Canadian Institute tax programs for many years. He is a frequently requested speaker to business groups throughout Canada and Asia. He has also been recognized as one of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of BC, and the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants, Top Instructors for his teaching in various tax programs over the years, including the Advanced Tax Program sponsored jointly by the Canadian Tax Foundation.

Over the years, Derrold has worked on a variety of assignments throughout Canada, and has also been an active speaker and seminar leader for the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants, the Certified General Accountants Institutes of British Columbia and Hong Kong, as well as various business associations throughout Canada, Germany, and several Pacific Rim nations.

Derrold Norgaard

Bruce Williams, Master of Ceremonies We’re very pleased to have Bruce Williams, Community & Client Relations Manager for CTV Vancouver Island, serve as Master of Ceremonies for the 17th Annual Vancouver Island Business Excellence Awards. Bruce is fond of saying “I may have lived the better part of my life in Ontario, but I have lived the best part of my life on Vancouver Island.” Since 2001, Bruce has been loving life on Vancouver Island, and he shares the reasons for it every week on CTV News.

His culinary curiosity is the perfect match for his weekly segment, “Foodie Fridays,” a chance for Bruce to get into the kitchens and cabinets of some of Vancouver Island’s tastiest places.

Bruce is the Community Campaign Chair of the Greater Victoria United Way, and volunteers his time with a number of organizations including the Vancouver Island University Foundation Board (past Chair), the BCSPCA, the South Island Prosperity Project (SIPP) , Leadership Victoria, many island Chambers of Commerce, Tourism Vancouver Island, the Vancouver Island

2

Economic Alliance, the Rod Brind’amour Golf Classic in Campbell River, and the Nanaimo Child Development Centre.

He is a better-than-average cook, and will attempt any home repair or renovation project himself before hiring someone to do it right. Bruce participates in countless fundraising golf tournaments each year, therefore should be a much better golfer.

AWARDS • 2013 Outstanding Volunteer Award from Vancouver Island University; • 2013 Tourism Vancouver Island “MVP”; • 2012 Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Medal; • 2012 Leadership Victoria Rotary Community Award; • 2010 BC Toastmasters Leadership and Communication Award • 2010 Greater Nanaimo Chamber of Commerce Sterling Awards’ Citizen of the Year; • Named one of the Top 20 Influencers on Vancouver Island by Douglas Magazine; • Named one of the region’s 20 Most Powerful People by The Nanaimo Daily News EDUCATION • English Literature - Brock University (St. Catharines, ON)

17th Annual Business Excellence Awards

Bruce Williams

&RQJUDWXODWLRQV WR WKH ÀQDOLVWV LQ WKH 9DQFRXYHU ,VODQG %XVLQHVV ([FHOOHQFH $ZDUGV 17th Annual Business Excellence Awards 3

Aquaculture

Sponsored By

Keltic Seafoods Established in January 2000, Keltic Seafoods is strategic to the fishing grounds. Keltic has two facilities, a cold storage and a shore plant. They are a seasonal and year-round employer, hiring up to 220 workers annually. At high season they may have 165 workers on site.

Keltic provides a labour workforce to handle fish coming from the fishing fleet and going to fish buying brokers. They provide a “chain of custody certification” from ocean to plate, expert logistical coordination services, and a Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) certified Plant. The company off loads 300 tons of fish per day, containerizes and coordinates fish transport, manufactures ice, processes, boxes and palletizes fish, and provides commercial storage. One day’s off-load of fish can feed over two million people.

Keltic Seafoods Ltd 8625 Glenview Road Port Hardy www.kelticseafoods.com

Salish Sea Foods Located in Comox BC, and wholly owned by the K’omoks First Nation since 2013, Salish Sea Foods LP is a seafood processing facility with products for international wholesale distribution, and a retail store featuring premium local fresh seafood. Salish Sea Foods selects and purchases premium shellfish from growers throughout the coastal waters of the Salish Sea. These products are distributed to seafood wholesalers across North America. Pacific Oysters and Manilla clams, including the highly acclaimed ‘Komo Gway’ oyster, are a feature in some of the best restaurants in New York, Boston, Los Angeles and Toronto.

In addition to shellfish, Salish Sea Foods processes hundreds of thousands of pounds salmon harvested from BC waters every year.

Salish Sea Foods LP is poised for expansion of sales to Asia, bringing the unique tastes from the pristine waters of the Salish Sea, to the world.

Salish Sea Foods 820 Shamrock Place Comox www.salishseafoods.ca

4

17th Annual Business Excellence Awards

NER N I DW R A W BE A

CONVENIENCE. CUSTOMER SERVICE. CASH BACK. $27 LIFETIME MEMBERSHIP. We’re in your neighbourhood.

Saanich Peninsula Locations: • • • • •

2132 Keating X Rd, Saanichton 6739 W Saanich Rd, Brentwood Bay 2526 Bevan Ave, Sidney 10350 McDonald Park Rd, Sidney 10930 W Saanich Rd, Deep Cove

Greater Victoria Locations: • • • •

4472 W Saanich Rd, Victoria 6429 Pat Bay Hwy, Victoria 4140 Wilkinson Rd, Victoria 628 Gorge Rd E, Victoria

Western Communities Locations: • 894 Goldstream Ave, Langford • 2320 Millstream Rd, Langford • 321 Wale Rd, Colwood

Mill Bay to Duncan Locations: • • • •

805 Deloume Rd, Mill Bay 1007 Canada Ave, North Duncan 281 Trans Canada Hwy, Duncan 4804 Bench Rd, South Duncan

Comox Valley: • 699 Aspen Rd, Comox

www.peninsulaco-op.com 17th Annual Business Excellence Awards 5

Automotive

Sponsored By

Tri City Collision Tri City Auto is a 100% family owned and run business that has been in operation since 1989. They provide automotive mechanical repair, auto body, and paint repair services. They are located in Sooke and seek to look after customer’s vehicles from Sooke to Sidney. The company is a proud supporter of the Sooke Food Bank.

Tri City currently has seven family members working at their location and plans to hire more family members in the future. They have added a new hoist and new diagnostics equipment to their shop, as well as new tool storage. They plan to add to the building in the future. Tri City has received a Better Business Bureau Torch Award for two consecutive years. Their business has increased by ten per cent from 2015 to 2016.

Tri City Collision & Repairs Ltd. 6210 Marilyn Place Sooke Facebook: Tri City Auto

A part of coastal communities griegseafoodcanada.com

6

17th Annual Business Excellence Awards

Automotive

Sponsored By

Bailey Western Star Trucks Bailey Western Star Trucks Inc is a full service Western Star, Sterling & Freightliner Truck dealer dedicated to professionals in the transportation industry. Specializing in full On/Off Highway Truck & Trailer – Parts, Sales & Service. We offer our customers top quality truck and trailer sales, complete after care, service, warranty repairs with one of the largest truck parts & service departments on Vancouver Island.

Owned and managed locally by Craig Willett, Bailey Western Star has operated in Campbell River for the past 39 ½ years serving the trucking and equipment industry on Vancouver Island.

Our staff consists of seven trained service technicians, five trained parts personnel and one road parts person that covers Nanaimo to Port Hardy.

We also have several mobile service trucks that operate 24 hours a day/7 days a week.

Since opening the dealership in 1977, the Bailey family has been a recognized name in the Campbell River business community and the Vancouver Island transportation industry. We have continued to grow and diversify while maintaining the same traditional family and rural

values that have provided us with so many satisfied and loyal customers. After many decades of supporting the transportation industry we continue to be family owned and operated.

Valley.

Bailey Western Star Trucks Inc. 1440 Redwood Street Campbell River 250-286-1151 www.baileywesternstar.com

BE AWARD WINNER

1440 Redwood Street, Campbell River, BC - V9W 5L2 O: 250-286-1151

" F: 250-286-0753 "

TF: 866-282-1151

www.baileywesternstar.com 17th Annual Business Excellence Awards 7

Construction/Development

Sponsored By

Island West Coast Developments IWCD is a medium sized commercial construction company based in both Nanaimo and Victoria, providing construction management/general contracting services to a wide range of business types both on and off the island. A large portion of their projects are design-build projects, which allows them to work closely with clients in developing a unique finished product that meets with their individual wants and needs.

IWCD started in 1986 at Island West Coast Homes and expanded into the commercial market inn 1992. IWCD has continued to grow through their continued commitment to their employees, clients and the environment.

Island West Coast Developments Ltd. (IWCD) 2214 McCullough Road Nanaimo 250-756-9665 www.iwcd.ca

DB Services DB Services of Victoria Ltd (DB Services) is a Design-Build company with a long history based in Victoria, BC and Calgary, AB. DB Services specializes in designing and building multi-unit development projects within the greater Victoria region. The company has been developing properties in the Victoria region since 2011, and prior to that in the Calgary, Alberta from 1991 to 2011. DB Services has been enhancing the urban landscape through the development and construction of innovatively designed multi-family homes. From apartments to townhomes, they are committed to the creation of exceptional living spaces designed to maximize today’s lifestyle.

DB Services of Victoria Inc. 101 - 784 Hockley Avenue Langford 250-474-7020 www.dbsvictoria.com

Ecklundson Construction Ecklundson Construction is a general contractor, construction management, and civil works company and has been in business for over 15 years. Ecklundson constantly works to achieve excellence in all areas including training, education and use of product.

They employ local trades, suppliers and people to make the island and every place they work a better place. They began 2016 with a business plan that set their growth and revenue to double within two years and achieved their goal in under a year.

t • Cedar siding

Congratulations to Ecklundson Construction on your nomination Phone: 250-758-3761 Cell: 250-741-4795 gln-rvnwd@shaw.ca 8

17th Annual Business Excellence Awards

Ecklundson uses their own equipment, keeping development costs within their control and employs local people. They now employ fourteen employees, having increased their business by 80 per cent in 2016 over 2015.

Ecklundson Construction Ltd. 5 - 2150 Bowen Road Nanaimo 250-758-9436 www.theECgroup.ca

Construction/Development

Sponsored By

Bernhardt Contracting Bernhardt Contracting Ltd. is a high-­performance residential and commercial builder. Founded in 2007, Bernhardt Contracting aims to create buildings that are sustainable and efficient by design. In the past three years, the company has built the first three Certified Passive Houses on Vancouver Island, the most recent completed in Fall 2016. Currently, another Passive House duplex is under construction in Victoria West, due for completion in Spring 2017.

Not only do we build sustainable houses, but we also collaborate and educate others by inviting professionals to tour his buildings, and speaking at numerous seminars and college classes. We also provide energy consulting for other builders, designers, and owners in South Vancouver Island.

In order to make an impact on the environment, we hope for everyone to eventually build to this Passive House standard. We have worked hard to educate others, and have already inspired or built seven Passive Houses in the Victoria area, at a time when Passive House was hardly even introduced.

Bernhardt Contracting Ltd., 1535 Oakcrest Drive, Victoria 250-857-2432 www.bernhardtcontracting.com

Congratulations on Your Continued Success!

200 – 3561 Shelbourne Street, Victoria, BC 250-370-9178 www.burkett.ca

C

To everyone at Bernhardt Contracting, congratulations on your continued success!

3277 Whittier Ave, Victoria BC

(250) 475-2100 www.megapower.ca

250.383.8465 • 1.800.337.8604 www.euroline-windows.com

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K

These projects feature EuroLine’s ThermoPlus window and door system, which is ideal for Passive House, Net Zero and LEED building projects.

Visit our website to learn more about our new Passive House certified ThermoPlus PHC windows.

Congratulations on your success, Bernhardt Contracting!

17th Annual Business Excellence Awards 9

Construction/Development NER N I DW R A W BE A

GNB Builders is a residential builder specializing in custom homes and renovations, located in Ladysmith.

GNB Builders works with clients from Chemainus to Parksville throughout all stages of the project, from design concept to completion.

The company was established in Victoria in 1999 (incorporating 2004), later relocating to Ladysmith in 2005. As a family owned business, GNB works with a limited number of clients to ensure nothing but the best in construction management.

Greg Bianchini, President of the company works closely with clients as a hands-on builder; treating each project as if he were building his own home. Heidi Bianchini, Business Manager & Designer assists and guides the clients with product selection and finishes to ensure their custom dream home is realized. With a skilled set of dedicated employees, reliable sub trades and suppliers, GNB Builders’ team creates innovative Built Green and Energy Star certified homes.

GNB Builders is a proud member of the Canadian Home Builders Association since 2005 and Renomark since 2009 and completes each project respecting the CHBA Code of Ethics.

GNB Builders mentors its employ-

Sponsored By

GNB Builders

ees and encourages growth within its company. For example, one employee was promoted to Foreman Carpenter this year, who has worked with GNB since starting in construction. Another employee has grown from Assistant to Project Coordinator. Employee retention is fostered through respect and flexibility, in addition to financial support for opportunities for con-

tinuing education. A minimum of two full-time apprentices have been indentured at one time since 2008, with four current apprentices.

Proud to work with the team at GNB Builders!

GNB Builders Inc. 13100 Magdalena Drive Ladysmith 250-245-5717 www.gnbbuilders.ca • INDUSTRIAL • COMMERCIAL • RESIDENTIAL • MARINE

www.ammeterelectric.com service@ammeterelectric.ca

24 HOUR EMERGENCY SERVICE

250-246-4899

Congratulations to GNB Builders! t: 250.758.0138 w: mclarenlighting.com 2520 Bowen Road, Nanaimo, BC

Congratulations Greg and Heidi on your nomination!

• NEW CONSTRUCTION & RENOVATION SPECIALISTS • CUSTOM PRE HANG DOOR SHOP • QUALIFIED INSTALL TEAM WINDOWS AVAILABLE IN VINYL, FIBERGLASS, OR SOLID INTERIOR.

ISLAND OWNED WITH LOCATIONS IN DUNCAN & VICTORIA Tel - 1-877-746-9570

www.sbwindowsanddoors.com

10 17th Annual Business Excellence Awards

We are proud to work with GNB Builders.

Congratulations Greg and Heidi.

(250) 248-5477 (Parksville) - (250) 752-3687 (Qualicum Beach) www.popeandsons.com

Construction/Development

Sponsored By

Lacasse Construction Lacasse Construction is a family owned and operated construction company located in the Comox Valley.

At our core we are a General Contractor working in all aspects of residential, commercial and industrial construction. In our 10 years of operation, we continue to be regarded as one of the premier general contractors serving the Comox Valley Area.

Our commitment to quality, our honesty and our ability to deliver on projects has allowed us to establish and maintain our reputation in the industry.

Our goal is not to be the largest; our goal is to lead interesting, challenging projects to their successful completion. We strive to maintain a portfolio that allows us to be fully involved in our work, personally guiding our projects from start to finish.

Lacasse Construction 882 Anderton Road Comox 250-339-2818 www.lacasseconstruction.ca

&RQJUDWXODWLRQV WR WKH /DFDVVH &RQVWUXFWLRQ WHDP RQ \RXU 9DQFRXYHU ,VODQG %XVLQHVV ([FHOOHQFH $ZDUG QRPLQDWLRQ <RXU WLUHOHVV ZRUN HWKLF DWWHQWLRQ WR GHWDLO DQG LQVLVWHQFH RQ TXDOLW\ SXWV \RX OHDJXHV DERYH WKH UHVW

YYY LYCVGTUGNGEVTKE EQO

We would like to congratulate Lacasse Construction on their being named a Finalist for the Vancouver Island Business Excellence Awards ELECTRICAL CONTRACTORS â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Cheers to Your Success!

Locally Owned by Matthias & Kyla Gottmann Toll Free: 1-877-248-0400 | www.progressivesystemsltd.com

Proud to support Lacasse Construction

Congratulations to Lacasse Construction on all their hard work and excellent service!

Offering services to clients in Nanaimo, Parksville, Comox Valley and the North Island. www.robbinsandco.ca

www.cumberlandreadymix.ca â&#x20AC;˘ 250.336.8515

Serving Vancouver Island from branches in Victoria and the Comox Valley since 1999.

We are proud to have been working with Lacasse Construction for 13 years.

VICTORIA 250 893-1285 | COMOX VALLEY 250 334-7817 17th Annual Business Excellence Awards 11

Construction/Development

Sponsored By

Seabrook Developments Seabrook Developments Ltd. is a relationship focused builder where forming trust and respect is the forefront of our conduct and commitment to quality. We have a genuine consideration for our clientâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s needs and our openness and accountability is our ongoing mission. We have over 19 years of combined construction experience in both commercial and residential contracting and believe that teamwork is the essence of any successful project.

While our primary focus has been developing high end commercial spaces for some of Victoriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leading dentists, our services offered doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t end there. We also specialize in residential renovations, custom residential builds, and design.

Proud to stand with Seabrook Developments! citadelelectricalsystems@gmail.com

250-886-7775

2532 Fifth Street Victoria www.citadelelectrical.ca

We have been involved in several spectacular residential and commercial renovation projects, each finished with the attention to detail that we are noted for. Custom residential and commercial construction is one of our main areas of interest and we thrive on developing high end spaces.

Seabrook Developments Ltd. 723A Vanalman Avenue Victoria 778-747-3373 www.seabrookdevelopments.ca

We are proud to support Seabrook Developments. Congratulations Pepe!

3578 Quadra Street, Victoria, BC 250-475-1310 www.prolineroofing.com

THE

FINISHING STORE FINISH LIKE AN EXPERT

finishingstore.com

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE TEAM AT SEABROOK DEVELOPMENTS

VICTORIA 780 Topaz Ave | NANAIMO 4128 Mostar Rd 12 17th Annual Business Excellence Awards

" " " " !

!

Sponsored By

Construction/Development

Three Guys Construction Three Guys Construction Inc. has been incorporated now for only three years.

We are a young company that prides itself on our workmanship and quality.

We offer a wide range of services to our clients as we build from the ground up.

We have an in house custom granite shop as well as a live edge division for custom furniture and beams. We service all of the Cowichan Valley to North Nanaimo.

Because we offer so many services in house we are able to transfer those savings to our clients and are able to give them above and beyond what they want for a great price.

Bringing the honour home ho Bringing the honour

Bringing theWehonour are pleased tohome Bringing honour home Bringing honour home We are pleased to announce th

announce that Dwyer Tax Dwyer Tax Law has been name Law has been named one ofthethe top10 We areof pleased totonational announce that We pleased announce that We pleased to announce national top 10 taxthattax bouti Dwyer boutiques Tax has been named oneone Dwyer Tax Law has been named byLaw Canadian Lawyer magazine Dwyer Tax Law has been named one by Canadian ofthe the national top10 tax boutiques of national top10 tax boutiques of national top10 tax boutiques Lawyer magazine.

Thank you to our clients and

by Canadian Canadian Lawyer magazine. by Canadian Lawyer magazine. by Lawyer magazine.

Thank you to our clients for this honour and recognit Thank and you our clients and peers Thank you to our clients and peers Thank youto to our clients peers peers for this and for this honour and recognition. for thishonour honour and recognition. for honour and recognition. and recognition.

We have teamed up with the Milner Group who has an amazing waste disposal system. We have also employed more green building and energy saving techniques and applications throughout all our jobs. We always re-use and salvage material when we can to keep it out of land fills.

Three Guys Construction Inc. Box 1687 Ladysmith 250-327-2334 www.threeguysconstructioninc.com Congratulations to Three Guys Construction Inc. for top-quality service.

RADAR HILL WEBSITE

DESIGN

Grow your business with a trusted Google Partner.

For 16 years, our team at Radar Hill has been creating awesome & effective websites for tradespeople and property developers. Check out our services.

Dwyer Dwyer Tax Dwyer Dwyer Vancouver Island’s Premier TaxIsland’s and Estate Planning Tax Law 900 - 1175 Douglas Stree Vancouver Island’ s Premier Vancouver Premier Vancouver Island’s Premier Boutique Tax and Estate Planning and Estate Planning TaxTax and Estate Planning Boutique Boutique Boutique

Law Law

T 250 360.2110 F 250 36 900 Douglas Street, Victoria 900 Douglas Street, Victoria 900--1175 -1175 1175 Douglas Street, Victoria TTT250 360.2110 F 250 www.dwyertaxlaw.com 250 360.2110 F 250 360.0440 250 360.2110 F360.0440 250 360.0440 www.dwyertaxlaw.com www.dwyertaxlaw.com www.dwyertaxlaw.com

250.477.6395 | info@radarhill.com | www.radarhill.com

17th Annual Business Excellence Awards 13

Construction/Development

Sponsored By

Verity Construction

We are proud to support Verity Construction.

Congratulations on your nomination.

2920 Ed Nixon Terrace | Langford, BC | 250.475.1441 | starlinewindows.com

alliance-works.com 250 544-2020

Visit our new location today!

Alliance Engineering is proud to work with Verity Construction supplying structural steel and miscellaneous metals.

We are proud to have worked with Verity Construction for over 10 years.

Best of luck at the 2017 Business Excellence Awards, from the team at Comino.

250.727.6181 3950 Quadra Street | Victoria, BC | comino.ca 14 17th Annual Business Excellence Awards

Construction/Development

Sponsored By

Verity Construction We are locally owned and operated beginning in 2004. Our company has grown significantly over these last 12 years, we are now one of if not the leading large residential subdivision home builder on Vancouver Island.

With nearing 1000 units completed we are a very experienced and seasoned construction company.

We are a leader in Built Green, having completed the most Built Green units on Vancouver Island and being awarded the Built Green Builder Vancouver Island Builder of the year on multiple occasions; we have also been a runner up on the provincial level multiple times. We have been recognized for our quality and customer service by the Victoria Home Builders being awarded the Best Customer Service on multiple occasions.

Our Commercial Division is rapidly being recognized throughout the region for its quality and service. We have recently completed the Westhills YMCA, a 72,000 square foot pool and recreation centre which also includes a public library, daycare and offices. Other projects of distinction are; the BCAS regional dispatch (911) centre and Ambulance station, the East Sooke

Firehall, the Langford White Spot, Barrier Free Housing units for DND for injured soldiers and many other office, warehouse and retail units.

We have been awarded Commercial Building Awards on numerous occasions. We are currently building Lakepoint One a 6 story condo, with office and retail combined at Westhills, and the National Rugby Canada Training Centre in Langford.

We offer Construction Management, General Contracting and Project Management for both subdivisions, commercial and industrial projects.

Verity Construction 106-1039 Langford Parkway Victoria 250-474-0139 www.verityconstruction.ca

17th Annual Business Excellence Awards 15

www.coastalhvac.ca 250.656.6868 Victoria, BC

Client: HELIJET / Size: 8.00” x 5.25” / CMYK / BE Awards Ad

www.emcobc.ca www.facebook.com/EmcoCorp Fro

nt S

tree

t

Alb

Proud to sponsor the Forestry/Wood Products Company of the Year Award

helijet.com | @helijet | helijet | 1.800.665.4354 16 17th Annual Business Excellence Awards

Port

Way

Victoria Roa

d

NANAIMO Haliburton Street

Bruce Ave

CELEBRATING EXCELLENCE

ert

Str

ee

t

et

tre

eS

ac

Fitzw

ll Wa

m illia

et Stre

Milton Street

Fifth Street

100 PORT DRIVE Cruise Ship Welcome Centre

CONGRATULATIONS to all the nominees Here’s to your continued success, from all of us at RBC® Vancouver Island Commercial Banking.

Tom Siemens Vice-President Commercial Banking South Vancouver Island 707 Fort St. 2nd Floor Victoria, BC 250-356-4544

Kevin Gillanders

Vice-President Commercial Banking North Vancouver Island 205 Commercial St. Nanaimo, BC 250-741-3516

TM

® / ™ Trademark(s) of Royal Bank of Canada. VPS94217

shelf ad 17th Congratulations shelf ad - English 94217 AD_30075_Warwick.indd

30075 (05/2015) APPROVALS 100% of Final Size Annual Business Excellence Awards 17

7.5” x 9.75” None None

Entrepreneur

Sponsored By

Balance Equestrian Centre Balance Equestrian Centre is a partnership of two horse women with a passion for coaching in a traditional, safe and fun manner. The business is in its sixth year of operation with seventeen horses on the property. They provide regular and therapeutic riding lesson to child and adults of all ages and abilities. They also offer camps, Ladies Learn-to-Ride evenings, Family Days with pony rides, birthday parties, petting farm, egg sales, horse boarding and training and facility rentals. All this is done within the small city of Campbell River.

Balance Equestrian now offers their facility for weddings. They held their first Fall Fair, which brought in many different vendors and customers to the facility. They also began offering a “Badge Program” to students, to make their learning process trackable and motivating to them.

Balance Equestrian Centre 2105 B Shetland Road Campbell River www.BalanceEquestrian.ca

CrossFit Qualicum Beach CrossFit Qualicum Beach opened its doors in the spring of 2014. They are a health and wellness facility, offering CrossFit-based training in the Oceanside area for kids as young as 5 to seniors. While they train a number of athletes from competitive swimmers to rep hockey players, their membership is largely composed of everyday people possessing one thing in common: a strong desire to be the best version of themselves.

Through private training and group classes, they coach athletes through a multitude of functional movements found in everyday life; things like squatting, pressing, pulling and pushing. In addition to this, CrossFit Qualicum Beach began offering Nutritional Coaching in 2016.

CrossFit Qualicum Beach 101-166 First Avenue West Qualicum Beach www.crossfitqualicumbeach.com

RingPartner RingPartner is the Pay Per Call exchange. RingPartner generates millions of inbound customer phone calls for businesses both big and small. Through RingPartner’s network of global digital publishing partners, consumer calls are delivered to advertising clients at the exact moment that they are ready to buy. RingPartner works on a Pay Per Call basis; this means that businesses only pay for the inbound calls delivered to them.

The company works with clients throughout North America including brands such as Empire Carpets Today, Roto Rooter and Vivint. RingPartner was founded in 2013 by Victoria-based entrepreneurs Todd Dunlop, Mike Williams and Ryan Gerhardt. The company currently has 27 employees and has doubled in revenue year over year.

RingPartner 200-775 Topaz Avenue Victoria 1-800-294-7464 www.RingPartner.com

18 17th Annual Business Excellence Awards

NER N I DW R A W BE A

Entrepreneur

Sponsored By

Studio AE Interior Design We are an interior design business working on both residential and commercial projects on Vancouver Island, the Lower Mainland and the Southern Gulf Islands for the last year and a half.

Our scope of work ranges from two-hour consultations to full custom home design and finishing. We are responsible for finish selection, space planning for efficiency, building code requirements and spatial improvement, specification documentation and finishing spaces with furniture, artwork and accessory selections. Renovations and custom builds can be overwhelming, so we walk our clients through the process to ensure the project stays within budget and their final space reflects a healthy, functioning environment for the end user.

We focus on providing an exceptional, personalized one-on-one service for our clientsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; which in turn gives them a rewarding, positive experience with our business. We ask specific questions to gain a better understanding of how people, the client directly or their clientele, use the building so we are able to provide an end product which reflects the needs of the client in their space.

Our team is constantly increasing our industry knowledge through courses, seminars and tradeshows to ensure we are able to give our clients the best and most appropriate resources for their project.

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s our belief the only way to have a prosperous business is by having the best working relationship with fellow trades and making our clients a priority to guarantee successful projects, which in turn generates more business opportunities.

Studio AE Interior Design 301 Franklyn Street Nanaimo 250-618-7040 www.studioaeinteriors.com

Congratulations to Studio AE Interior Design!

Nanaimo Showroom 250.585.2118

t: 250.758.0138

w: mclarenlighting.com

2520 Bowen Road, Nanaimo, BC

Proud to be associated with Studio AE Interiors and Wish them all the best! ! abbafloorcoverings.ca 4376

Parksville Showroom 250.954.1789 midislandcabinets.com

Expect the best and receive Excellence!

Boban Drive, Nanaimo

17th Annual Business Excellence Awards 19

Food Establishment

Sponsored By

Boomerangs Cafe Boomerangs is a full service, licensed, family owned and operated restaurant. They are entering their fifth year in business. They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner 7 days a week and provide free delivery in the Port Alberni area. They also strive to create something unique in a saturated market. As well as serving great food and providing wonderful customer service, Boomerangs offers a viewing of Australian Aboriginal art and culture.

Boomerangs offers unique menu items such as kangaroo, camel and alligator.

Boomerangs Cafe 4833 Johnston Road Port Alberni www.boomerangscafe.com

Little Vienna Bakery Little Vienna Bakery is an authentic european experience providing artisan, hand-formed breads, decadent cakes and pastries, a made-to-order breakfast & lunch menu, and specialty espresso coffee & teas. They have a strong consciousness towards locally-sourced market items, whole foods, organic, non-gmo ingredients, and food sensitivities. They are a top-rated business in the Sooke region, receiving Business of Year for 2013 and a Dining and Hospitality Award in 2015. They have increased sales by 90% over 6 years of ownership. The business was established in 2003, and purchased by the current owners in 2011.

Little Vienna Bakery, Cafe & Marketplace 6726 W. Coast Road Sooke www.littleviennabakery.com

Shelter Restaurant Shelter Restaurant has been in business for over 13 years. What began as a small “crab shack” has evolved to what they are today - a fully-functioning restaurant with 200 seats in during their peak season. They are located on the west coast of Vancouver Island in a small peninsula community. They are found at the end of the Pacific Rim highway and their population consists of 2000 year-round locals. Shelter Restaurant offers a unique dining experience with the option of a quiet meal by the window in their dining room, by one of their three fires or a night of cocktails in their lounge. They serve a variety of items ranging in prices - there is something for everyone.

Shelter Restaurant 601 Campbell Street Tofino www.shelterrestaurant.com

The Nest Bistro The Nest Bistro, a full service licensed restaurant in downtown Nanaimo, opened in 2011 and expanded to triple the size in 2015. They offer food made from scratch, with no artificial ingredients.

With a focus on utilizing Vancouver Island products they ensure revenues flow back into the community they serve. By supporting local, they help grow their fellow entrepreneurs’ businesses, support Vancouver Island food security and add value to the downtown dining experience.

The Nest Bistro 77 Skinner Street Nanaimo www.thenestbistro.com

20 17th Annual Business Excellence Awards

NER N I DW R A W BE A

Sponsored By

Food Establishment

Lefty’s Fresh Food Lefty’s Fresh Food began in Qualicum Beach on Friday the 13th (a lucky day for left-handers) in 1996 with a commitment to serving quality prepared fresh food with back to the basics standards.

With a special nod to the left- handed we intended to be a warm and friendly place that served a creative variety of tastes, blends and styles with a special appeal for those who care about the quality of what they choose to eat. It has endured for twenty years with a second location added in Parksville in the year 2000. In 2010 we added Pizza Fresh to our Parksville location which saw a surge in its popularity that continues to today.

We have never wavered from our commitment to quality and have found a solid base of appreciative guests to support that.

We reinforced our resolve and commitment to maintaining our culture of hospitality in the years ahead as we celebrate our 20th birthday on December 13th.

Lefty’s Fresh Food Restaurants 710 Memorial Avenue Qualicum Beach 250-752-7530 www.leftys.tv

Hospitality means community to Lefty’s and it has been our intention to focus on the connection we make with our guests and we believe that, more than anything else, this is the reason we have endured. Our principals that recognize that the path to success and profitability are a direct result of a commitment to serving our employee’s, our guests and our community.

In 2016 we diverged from having identical menus in each location and decided to allow each to express their creativity by keeping a few core items on both menus and finding offerings that suited their individual communities. We completely renovated our Parksville patio location with new awnings, furniture and increased capacity and added a new awning to our Qualicum location as well. We invested in upgrading furniture in both locations and a complete kitchen line upgrade in Qualicum.

Congratulations to Lefty's Restaurant, you deserve it!

(250) 248-5477 (Parksville) (250) 752-3687 (Qualicum Beach) www.popeandsons.com

17th Annual Business Excellence Awards 21

Receivable Factoring, Asset Based Lending, Purchase Order Financing and more.

Mention this Ad and we will cover the document fee.**

Green

Sponsored To learn more, contact Stephen Ison or Rebekah Hutchison at By 778.265.7990 or visit www.lcwestcoastfinancing.com.

NER N I RD W A W BE A Empire Hydrogen Energy Systems

* Island operated and owned. ** Some conditions apply.

F5_170 WCF AD Dec 2017_V3.indd 1

2016-11-30 9:58 AM

Empire Hydrogen has developed a system to inject a minute amount (200ppm) of hydrogen and oxygen (H2,O2) gasses into a diesel engine’s air intake. This causes the diesel fuel to burn faster and much more completely, resulting in a 16%-25% reduction in fuel use and greenhouse gasses, an 85% reduction in diesel particulates and a 3% increase in horsepower.

After six years of engineering development, the product has been launched on diesel trucks and generators on Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland, with rapid expansion to the rest of BC and the U.S. West Coast planned for 2017, North American distribution planned for 2018 and European distribution shortly thereafter. A nationwide retail distribution network is currently in discussion.

Empire Hydrogen Energy Systems Inc. Unit 7 - 10189 McDonald Park Road Sidney www.EmpireHydrogen.com

Emterra Environmental Emterra Group is a Canadian leader in waste resources management. A family owned and operated company; it comprises four divisions offering municipal and industrial, commercial and institutional (ICI) customers with a fully integrated approach to collecting, processing and marketing waste, recyclable packaging and printed paper, organic waste, used tires and waste liquids.

Emterra has operations in British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, and Michigan, USA and annually ships approximately 500,000 tonnes of recyclables to end-markets to be re-manufactured into new products.

Over the past four decades they have been a pioneer in the field of waste diversion, finding uncommon solutions to big challenges, and pioneering many of the recycling practices in use today.

Emterra Environmental 1122 Pioneer Road Burlington, ON www.emterra.ca

Ocean Outfitters Ocean Outfitters is an adventure tour company with a mission behind what they do. Aside from being carbon neutral and conscious business who donates to education and sustainability projects. The largest and most significant thing they do is connect their passengers, many of whom spend most of their time in cities, with the natural world. They carry thousands of people annually on programs allowing the opportunity to view wild animals in a wild ecosystem.

The heart of all this is the hope that through connection to wild places they encourage stewardship and inspire people to make positive change. Ocean Outfitters’ educational programs advocate for the preservation of the planet’s treasures.

Ocean Outfitters Ltd. 368 Main Street Tofino www.oceanoutfitters.bc.ca

22 17th Annual Business Excellence Awards

der Financing and more.

Green

Sponsored or Rebekah Hutchison at By stfinancing.com.

2016-11-30 9:58 AM

Pizzeria Prima Strada Pizzeria Prima Strada (PPS) is a full-service, VPN (Verace Pizza Napoletana) certified pizzeria specializing in wood-fired pizza.

PPS has been in operation since 2008 and currently has three Victoria locations, employing over 80 people. Prima Strada has won multiple awards such as Douglas Magazineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 10 to Watch (2011), The Chamberâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Business of the year (2675 employees- 2011 & 2016, Black Pressâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Best of the City (2010-2016) and, most recently the Eco Star award for Environmental Leadership.

PPS was the first to market in BC and is the most highly referenced Neapolitan Pizzeria in Canada.

Prima Strada recognizes the importance of the triple bottom line. They are Carbon Neutral; offer extended health and dental benefits to all employees, participate in the BC Transit ProPass program, invest heavily in manager education and donate generously to the community. PPS achieves these goals while maintaining profitability in a volatile economy and a challenging industry. Prima Strada recognizes that business success cannot be solely driving profits. Successful business must exist in a harmonious relationship with the community and the environment.

Prima Strada feels that achieving this balance is crucial to our long-term success growth.

PPS demonstrates business excellence in three ways: maximizing revenue while reducing costs, achieving our strategic vision and re-investing profits back into the company.

Since the opening in 2008, the first PPS (in Cook Street Village) has shown a sales increase year over year. The Bridge Street location, open since 2010, has seen at least a sales increase year over year. In October of 2015, PPS opened a new location at 1990 Fort Street, further increasing revenue. In addition to growing sales, PPS continuously finds ways to cut costs without impacting quality. Cost efficiencies such as merchant

services, centralizing dough and meat production and taking advantage of vendor loyalty programs are examples of cost savings.

PPSâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Strategic Vision of having 5 Prima Strada locations by 2018 keeps focus on the future and helps to avoid business distractions. The company is currently searching for a fourth location in the Greater Victoria Area. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Relentlessly striving for improvementâ&#x20AC;? means investing profits back in to the company. Recent investments include bar

renovations (PPS Cook 2013), Gelato equipment purchase (2015), safety floor installation in PPS Bridge kitchen (2015), opening PPS Fort (2015) and ongoing manager training.

Pizzeria Prima Strada 2960 Bridge Street Victoria 250-588-1351 www.pizzeriaprimastrada.com

Congratulations on being a finalist for the Business Examiner excellence award!

From all of us at Canadian Linen & Uniform Services.

947 North Park Rd., Victoria, 250.384.8166 Ext.41

QIJM IPVMU!DBOBEJBOMJOFO DPN t XXX DBOBEJBOVOJGPSN DPN

 Excellence Awards 23 17th Annual Business

Health Care

Sponsored By

Alberni Community and Women’s Services Society ACAWS is committed to building a health community and improving the status of women. They provide been providing innovative services in the Alberni Valley and surrounding areas for individuals and families for over 37 years.

Their programs and services include: Victim Support Services (emotional support, referrals and assistance to the judicial system for clients who are victims of intimate crime); Stopping the Violence counselling for women in abusive relationships; a 24 hour emergency Transition House shelter for abused women and their children; Sexual Abuse Intervention counselling for children who have been sexually abused or where abuse is suspected; counselling for children who have exposed to domestic violence; Outreach Support Services to offer advocacy, support and accompaniment to appointments as well as emotional and crisis supports; a Community Resource Drop-in Centre which is a safe place and offers info on issues that affect individual and families and where there is access to a computer, phone and fax services; and Youth Worker services providing support and advocacy to youth who are experiencing difficulties.

Alberni Community and Women’s Services Society (ACAWS) 3082 3rd Avenue Port Alberni www.acaws.ca

Equilibrium Massage Therapy Equilibrium Massage Therapy Inc. is an award-winning Massage Therapy Clinic and Victoria’s largest provider of Massage Therapy services. Established in 2006, Equilibrium has grown from 2 owners/Registered Massage Therapists (RMT), to 21 RMT’s, one Acupuncturist and 5 support staff. By providing a superior client experience and top notch therapeutic treatments, Equilibrium has had solid growth in each year of serving the community.

Due to the demand for great Massage Therapy services in Victoria, Equilibrium expanded and moved into a newly renovated clinic in October 2013. The clinic space more than doubled, going from three treatment rooms to seven. Always searching for ways to be innovative and current, in 2007 Equilibrium was the first Massage Therapy clinic in Victoria to offer the convenience of online-booking. Equilibrium is environmentally conscious by introducing paperless online charting and record keeping and uses environmentally friendly products.

Equilibrium Massage Therapy Inc. 101-1121 Yates Street Victoria www.equilibriummassagetherapy.ca

24 17th Annual Business Excellence Awards

Audit • Tax • Advisory

Excellence always deserves recognition.

Hearty congratulations to all of the finalists of this year’s Business Excellence Awards. Your hard work and perseverance are exemplary, and you’re an inspiration to everyone in the Vancouver Island business community.

At Grant Thornton LLP, we’re proud to sponsor this prestigious event. We firmly believe that when private businesses succeed, we succeed.

That’s why our dedicated team of professionals is committed to finding solutions that help private business unlock their potential for growth.

Victoria | Duncan | Nanaimo T +1 888 746 4406 GrantThornton.ca © Grant Thornton LLP. A Canadian Member of Grant Thornton International Ltd

17th Annual Business Excellence Awards 25

Health Care

Sponsored By

Bayshore Home Health Bayshore Home Health delivers private home care service to the residents of south Vancouver Island. A proudly Canadian company since 1966, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re dedicated to enhancing the quality of life, dignity and independence to all Canadians.

We go above and beyond to deliver a positive experience to the lives of individuals in our communities. Bayshore opened their Victoria branch in 2008, since that time Bayshore has become a respected provider of home care services, expanding to Nanaimo and Sidney. The Nanaimo branch was opened in 2013 and the Sidney branch in 2015. Bayshore provides personal care, home support, foot care, palliative care and IV services to families from Sidney to Nanaimo and has even provided care in Gold River and Tofino!

In addition to providing private care to seniors, Bayshore is a preferred provider for Work Safe BC, Community Living BC and ICBC. Bayshoreâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s reputation for excellent care has happened in large part due to the care model that ensures every client has a RN or LPN overseeing their care. This ensures that caregivers are supported and trained for the tasks they do and families can rest a little easier knowing they have a clinical person to speak with, should they have questions about their loved oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s health.

Access to a clinical manager is increasing becoming an important aspect of our service delivery model as more individuals are without family physicians or lack the mobility to go to walk in clinics. This is why Bayshore has become known as a trusted provider of care to both private citizens and to referral sources.

26 17th Annual Business Excellence Awards

Bayshore Home Health 1512 Fort Street Victoria 250-370-2253 www.bayshore.ca

NNER I W RD A W BE A

Health Care

Sponsored By

VitaCare Natural Health Clinic Dr. John Yim, Clinic Director, has been providing preventative natural primary health care in Nanaimo for 22 years. In that time the clinic has been dedicated to educating the public as well as serving their primary health care needs providing free lectures on a variety of health subjects at large and small group and association events.

He has spoken to retired BC Hydro workers, Parent Participation groups, Executive Associations, the Chamber of Commerce to name a few. Any proceeds raised from organized talks are collected for Loaves and Fishes. The clinic’s focus has always been on patient centered care using the science of natural medicine to encourage healing and vital living. As a pillar of the community Dr. Yim and VitaCare deserve this award for their ongoing community efforts in education and promotion of natural health and healing.

Valliere Construction Inc. 250-729-5729

ValliereConstruction.ca Valliere@shaw.ca

In 2016 VitaCare not only rebranded it also purchased a new building and relocated to a highly visible central location on Bowen Road. We have added new therapies, a more extensive line of therapeutic product and welcomed a new naturopathic doctor to our clinic.

It has also implemented several new therapies and programs including Health and the Entrepreneur, Arthrofit Pain Management, and our IV Suite for nutrition therapy.

VitaCare Natural Health Clinic 2147 Bowen Road Nanaimo 250-585-2150 www.vita-care.ca

Professional Window Cleaning • Commercial • Residential • Pressure Washing • Gutters

“Put a little sun in your life!”

the-window-guy.ca | 250.591.6877 For Professional Window 17th Annual Business Excellence Awards 27 Cleaning t $PNNFSDJBM t 3FTJEFOUJBM

Hospitality

Sponsored By

Brentwood Bay Resort & Spa Established in 2004, Brentwood Bay Resort & Spa (BBR) is an award winning, 5-star oceanfront boutique resort with 35 beautifully designed suites, an awe-inspiring Dining Room, a casual Pub, a wellness Spa and a Marina all tailored for the luxury traveller and located on the Saanich Peninsula. BBR seeks to enrich the lives of their guests and themselves through collaborative learning.

BBR offers space for growth and fulfilment for all who join them. They are mindful which means that they already know that thoughts, feelings and behaviours either take up space or contribute something to the world.

Brentwood Bay Resort & Spa 849 Verdier Avenue Victoria www.brentwoodbayresort.com

Coast Bastion Hotel The Coast Bastion Hotel has been in business for 31 years. It has provided guest rooms and Food and Beverage Services for the city of Nanaimo for the past 31 years and has always been the Market Leader in Occupancy, Average Rate, and Revpar. The Coast Bastion has been involved with the community for the past 31 years if itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s by membership, board committees, Tourism Committee, Chamber of Commerce committees, Rotary Club they have always been a leader that supports its local committees.

Coast Bastion Hotel 11 Bastion Street Nanaimo www.coasthotels.com

Inn at Laurel Point Located along Victoriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s stunning Inner Harbour, the Inn at Laurel Point is an elegant, Pacific Riminspired waterfront hotel that has been operating since 1982. With 200 ocean view rooms, the award-winning AURA Restaurant + Patio, and relentless attention to the details, the Inn demonstrates how a hotel can be successful as an environmentally, corporately, and socially responsible member of the community.

The Laurel Point was the first carbon-neutral hotel in BC and is one of a handful in Canada.

Inn at Laurel Point 680 Montreal Street Victoria www.laurelpoint.com

NNER I W RD A W BE A

Dolphins Resort Dolphins Resort (established in 1985) surrounded by nature, minutes from Campbell River, BC, is truly a place for visitors to relax, unplug and recharge. Open year round, the cozy cedar cabins nestled amongst the trees exude tranquility, romance and relaxation. These quaint cabins are uniquely furnished with antiques and the private hot tubs, fully equipped kitchens and wood burning fireplaces present an ambiance of warmth and old fashioned charm. Breathe in fresh ocean air while enjoying mesmerizing views of Discovery Passage and the Coastal Mountain Range.

Dolphins Resort & Anglers Dining 4125 Discovery Drive Campbell River www.dolphinsresort.com

28 17th Annual Business Excellence Awards

Hospitality

Sponsored By

Crystal Cove Beach Resort Nestled among ancient cedars at the edge of the Pacific Ocean in Tofino, enjoy genuine modern log cabins with spectacular views and all the amenities.

Our well appointed, self contained cabins compliment the incredible surroundings, making Crystal Cove Beach Resort your home away from home.

From beach front cabins with private hot tubs, to secluded cabins set in the rainforest, you will be immersed in the beauty that is Clayoquot Sound.

Our family oriented, pet friendly resort is located on Mackenzie Beach, 5 minutes from the town of Tofino and 15 minutes from the Pacific Rim National Park and the famous Long Beach.

For those who prefer to rough it in style, we also offer sixty well treed, private RV sites only a short walk from the beach.

Don’t have your own RV? No problem – take advantage of our Tofino Glamping Experience, offering the feel of camping but with all the comforts Congratulations Crystal Cove Beach Resort!

Thank you for choosing Isle Golf Cars for all your housekeeping and maintenance cart needs.

921F Fairdowne Road Parksville BC www.islegolfcars.com info@islegolfcars.com

Toll-Free 1.800.248.8871

of a cabin. Located in Tofino B.C., Crystal Cove beach Resort was started in 1982 and continues to grow and improve every year.

Crystal Cove Beach Resort 1165 Cedarwood Place Tofino 250-725-4213 www.crystalcove.ca

...to our client, Crystal Cove Resort on EHLQJ QDPHG D ɟQDOLVW LQ WKH 9DQFRXYHU ,VODQG %XVLQHVV ([FHOOHQFH $ZDUGV :H WKLQN WKDW LV SUHWW\ DZHVRPH

Proud to be Partners with Crystal Cove Beach Resort farwestdistributors.ca

planetclean.com 17th Annual Business Excellence Awards 29

Hospitality

Sponsored By

Ramada Duncan Hotel & Conference Centre The Ramada Duncan Hotel & Conference Centre is located in Duncan and is home to The Old Fork Restaurant, River Rock Bar + Grill, and Cowichan Valley Conference Centre. Previously the Travelodge, and prior to that the Silver Bridge Inn, this property has been accommodating guests in the Cowichan Valley since 1953.

The last couple years have marked upgrades to the conference facilities, a new local favorite diner, and a place to jam with local musicians. Now with the Ramada rebrand, the property has had extensive renovations (over $800,000) in the hotel rooms this past year, and brought a much needed service the valley has needed.

Guests from around the world now have a recognized brand with a reputation for a higher caliber, quality guest experience. We are now recognized even more so as a major competitor for large (and small) events, tradeshows, meetings and accommodations.

Ramada Duncan Hotel and Conference Centre 140 Trans Canada Highway Duncan 250-748-4311 www.ramadaduncan.com

!

S U N I O J AT THE

O P X E D O O BC SEAF LLEY, BC

2O17 -13, 2O17 l COMOX VA

OW N N JUNE 12 O L ECIA VE $75 P S D R I EARLY BTER TODAY & SA REGIS

Registration details online at BCSeafoodExpo.com | #BCSeafoodExpo 30 17th Annual Business Excellence Awards

Hospitality

Sponsored By

Telegraph Cove Resort Telegraph Cove Resort was created in 1979 by Gordie and Marilyn Graham who had the idea of turning the old, rustic sawmill and fish cannery into a tourist resort to facilitate the needs of the Northern Island.

Their vision and entrepreneurial spirit created a tourist destination which soon led from a sport fishing resort to what became known to the world as a center for eco tourism activities such as whale watching, wildlife viewing and diving. Over the years, more activities like grizzly bear viewing excursions and sea kayak tours were offered, and the little village was voted “The Nicest Town In BC” by the Travel Writers of Canada. Telegraph Cove was the subject of many national and international print publications & television documentaries and helped to put a mark on Northern Vancouver Island.

The Grahams realized that they had to expand their facilities in order to

NER N I DW R A W BE A

serve the rising demands and added a restaurant and a pub and also created more accommodation choices.

Today, Telegraph Cove can accommodate over 500 guests per day between the handcrafted cabins, historic houses, modern apartment suites and the campground. All this without compromising the authentic and historic character of the small resort, which is the most important mandate of Gordie and Marilyn Graham.

Telegraph Cove Resort Ltd. 1610 Telegraph Cove Road Telegraph Cove 1-800-200-4664 www.telegraphcoveresort.com

arr’s Parr’s

CONSTRUCTION LTD. Port Hardy, BC 949-8959 Congratulations Telegraph Cove, from your friends at Parr’s Construction 17th Annual Business Excellence Awards 31

Manufacturing

Sponsored By

DeeBee’s SpecialTea Foods Ltd. DeeBee’ s Organics is a leading North American Organic Food producer celebrated for creating TeaPops, a frozen novelty made with natural fruit ingredients and tea, that are as delicious as they are nutritious and sustainable. Founded in 2012 by Dr. Dionne Laslo-Baker, a Phd Medical Scientist, DeeBee’ s is a natural food innovator, with research and product innovation at its core.

DeeBee’ s actively pursues the highest standards of quality for our products. Everything we make is Certified Organic, Certified Fair Trade and Non-GMO Verified. We are also a Certified ‘ B’ Corporation – an internationally recognized benchmark for using business as a force for good.

DeeBee’s SpecialTea Foods Ltd. 6-798 Fairview Road Victoria www.deebeesorganics.com

Westholme Tea Company Westholme Tea Farm is an eleven-acre organic farm, teashop, tearoom and gallery in the Cowichan Valley on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Founded in 2008 by husband and wife team, Victor Vesely and Margit Nellemann, Westholme Tea Company imports and sells premium organic and biodynamic loose teas from around the world, creates artful tea blends, and features ceramic tea ware, as well as growing tea.

Westholme Tea Company Inc. 8350 Richards Trail Duncan www.westholmetea.com

NER N I DW R A W BE A

Sharkzcoins Sharkzcoins provides design and production services for collectible coins for military, police and fire departments – called challenge coins. They also produce ID badges and cap badges for police forces as well as lapel pins for a variety of organizations. They are a Canadian leader in their field and are passionate about producing high quality design and providing customer service. Coowned by a retired serviceman, they employ a professional graphics team, and customer service experts. They understand what it means to serve your country and your community, and love to professionally design coins that represent pride of service.

Sharkzcoins 101-1245 Esquimalt Road Victoria www.sharkzcoins.ca

Tofino Brewing Company Tofino Brewing Company opened in April of 2011. They are a microbrewery on the West Coast of Vancouver Island that strives to be a positive addition to their community. They brew small batches of craft beer that they distribute in 650ml bottles and kegs around Vancouver Island, Lower Mainland, Interior BC as well as Alberta. They operate a small tasting room that is attached to the brewery where customers can sit and enjoy a pint or flight at the bar. They have achieved success through local charitable donations, creating a positive atmosphere for employees as well as customers, and manufacturing a great product.

Tofino Brewing Company Unit C & D-681 Industrial Way Tofino www.tofinobrewingco.com

32 17th Annual Business Excellence Awards

Manufacturing

Sponsored By

Rewild Homes We are Rewild Homes, Vancouver Island’s first and premier mobile tiny home company. We build custom, high-quality portable cabins, focusing on sustainability, customer engagement, and supporting local businesses as much as possible.

We started the company about 3 years ago following our dream of making a difference in the community and offering an alternative to the high housing prices that so many people face across BC, and although we started with Vancouver Island in mind, people are now reaching out to us from around the world in hopes that we can help them achieve their goals of home-ownership and financial freedom.

Most of our homes stay on the coast, either on the island or in the lower mainland, but we’ve shipped homes everywhere from Montana to Edmonton.

Our homes are different from other tiny homes offered because of our customization and flexibility – our number one goal is to help make home-ownership affordable for everyone.

As young business owners we face a lot of difficulties on a daily basis, but we have worked tirelessly over the last few years to establish ourselves and pour our hearts and souls into this business. We are dedicated to offering affordable housing solutions for everyone from university students to single moms to retirees.

Always a pleasure to work with the team at Rewild Homes!

Congratulations on being a finalist!

Rewild Homes Box 39074 Nanaimo 250-713-4818 www.rewildhomes.com

tooleelectric.ca Serving Nanaimo for over 30 years!

Smythe is a full-service CPA firm that has been proudly serving the Nanaimo community for over 25 years in the areas of assurance, tax and business advisory services for private and public companies, family-owned businesses and not-for-profit clients.

201 – 1825 Bowen Rd

|

Nanaimo, BC V9S 1H1

|

ACCOUNTING

|

TAX

|

T: 250 755 2111

ADVISORY

|

F: 250 984 0886

|

INSOLVENCY

17th Annual Business Excellence Awards 33

Professional

Sponsored By

Mayfair Optometric Clinic Mayfair Optometric Clinic (MOC) is a business built on a foundation of ethical integrity with a mission to offer every client the best eye care possible. Opened in 1998, Dr. Stephen Taylor leads by example, empowering his professional team to deliver exceptional customer service with the patients’ best interest in mind. Offering comprehensive eye exams, contact lenses and a full optical dispensary, MOC carefully considers the budget, lifestyle and eyewear needs of every client.

With a proven belief in the importance of relationships with customers, partners and employees, several key staff have been with MOC for ten years or longer. A strong desire to be an industry leader in Victoria is what sets Mayfair Optometric Clinic apart, today and for the past 18 years.

Mayfair Optometric Clinic, 3196 Douglas Street, Victoria 250-361-4444 www.mayfairoptometric.com

The Fenton Team The Fenton Team is a real estate sales and marketing team serving the Alberni Valley and the West Coast. The business began as a partnership in 2003. At the beginning of 2015 we reinvented the business, by focusing on one question “What do our clients need from a real estate team?” We have since developed a team of specialists. What makes us unique in the industry is a commitment to old fashioned concierge level service, combined with innovative marketing strategies. Simply put, we run our real estate team like a business.

The Fenton Team, 1-4505 Victoria Quay, Port Alberni 250-723-8766 www.thefentonteam.ca

Coastal Cummunity congratulates the 2017 Business Excellence Awards nominees and recipients on a job well done!

34 17th Annual Business Excellence Awards

Professional

Sponsored By

Waypoint Insurance Waypoint Insurance has been an evolving, community based insurance brokerage for over 100 years. Many of our offices began as small owner/operator brokers and grew alongside their community. In the last two decades, these like-minded brokers joined together to build an Island wide insurance firm that maintained local ownership, decision making, and service. Operating under the name Vancouver Island InsuranceCentres we kept the connection to our individual communities yet were able to arrange insurance terms and products equal to, or better than, our national brokerage competitors. We recently opened our first office off Vancouver Island which led to our rebranding to Waypoint Insurance.

Waypoint Insurance Services Inc., 301-841 Cliffe Avenue, Courtenay 250-338-3355 www.waypointinsurance.ca

Victoria Eye Victoria Eye was established in January 2015 as the first eye care medical center on Vancouver Island to house the latest Femtosecond Laser Technology and implant the state-of-the-art intraocular lenses. It is a leading multi-physician practice that is equipped with the latest diagnostic and surgical technology to offer patients the highest level of ocular care.

Drs. Olivia Dam and Darren Behn are implanting the latest intraocular lenses allowing their patients to see distance and near without glasses.

Victoria Eye, 300-1537 Hillside Avenue, Victoria 250-598-5665 www.victoriaeye.com

NER N I DW R A W BE A

Congratulations to all the Nominees!

Best wishes for continued success in the year ahead.

CIBC Vancouver Island Commercial Banking Team SimonPhilp Philp- Director - Market Vice President Simon 250-356-4271 250-356-4271 simon.philp@cibc.com simon.philp@cibc.com Matt White Gillberg - Manager Scott - Manager 250-356-4291 250-756-3430 ext. 402 matt.gillberg@cibc.com scott.white@cibc.com Tyler Dolan Garry Griffin - Senior Manager 250-356-4412 250-286-4300 ext. 401 tyler.dolan@cibc.com garry.griffin@cibc.com

www.cibc.com 17th Annual Business Excellence Awards 35

Retail

Sponsored By

Chopstix Salon Chopstix Salon has been in business for 20 years. Located in the heart of Ladysmith, BC, Chopstix was Vancouver Island’s very first Paul Mitchell Focus Salon. At Chopstix we believe that it is our dedication to advanced training and education that set us apart. Our entire staff of professional stylists are trained in house by our owner and Artistic Director Darlene Munn who is a Paul Mitchell Senior National Educator herself. We pride ourselves on being at the top of our field and want to take our guests on a journey that at its core, is all about making them feel “lifted” in spirit and look.

Chopstix Salon 321 First Avenue Ladysmith www.chopstixsalon.com

Epic Pharmacy Inc. Epic Pharmacy, is a community retail pharmacy that opened in March 2013. Their mission is to care with passion and warmth, taking a personal interest in their customers’ health. They offer a variety of services and products such as: prescriptions, compliance packing, home health care rentals, medication reviews, health counselling services, travel medicine health, and preventive health. What sets them apart from other community pharmacies is the way they do business.

The guest experience at Epic Pharmacy is like no other. They are a modern, friendly, warm pharmacy that integrates not only traditional medicine but alternative and complimentary medicine.

Epic Pharmacy Inc. (DBA Pharmasave Tofino) 131 First Street Tofino www.epicpharmacy.ca

Rattan Plus Home & Patio Rattan Plus Home & Patio has been family owned & operated in the Comox Valley for 32 years.

Currently owned by husband and wife team Jenny and Todd, whose main focus is on building relationships with their customers rather than selling them products. They believe that revenue is a bi-product of good customer service. Rattan Plus Home & Patio specializes in indoor furniture and outdoor patio furniture. With several catalogues and custom order options including reclaimed wood furniture, rattan, & patio furniture, bedding, rugs, accessories & unique home decor, they are a one stop shop for all your decorating needs. As local business owners, they work hard to carry as many local products as possible.

Rattan Plus Home & Patio 291 5th Street Courtenay www.rattanplus.ca

Trends Hair Design Trends Design Team is located at 4663 Margaret Street, Port Alberni, BC. They have been in business for 6 ½ years. They offer all hair services and nail, massage and facials. Their retail product lines are all environmentally friendly (Colorproof and moroccan oil). They as a team are dedicated to provide the most professional service to their clients. Trends continues to grow with education, social media and being conscious of the environment. Twice a year, Trends reaches out to those in need by providing a `free`haircut service. They take pride in this event as it really shows the meaning of human touch.

Trends Design Team 4663 Margaret Street Port Alberni www.trendsdesignteam.wix.com

36 17th Annual Business Excellence Awards

Retail

Sponsored By

Calais Spas, Pools & Billiards Calais Spas, Pools & Billiards opened in Nanaimo in 1994. Our trade and service area now includes from Duncan north to Port Alice, including the West Coast of Vancouver Island and the Sunshine Coast of the BC mainland.

ucts, services and related information. Calais also carries a full line of billiard & snooker tables, dart boards & cabinets, Ping-Pong and many other games room related products and services.

Our main focus has been the sale, installation, renovation maintenance and servicing of Spas and Hot Tubs, Pools, SwimSpas and exercise trainers.

Calais Spas is now opening our second location in Courtenay, early in 2017, to better serve our customers and communities to the north. Since our inception, Calais has been very actively involved in supporting our local charities and the community at large. We remain committed to giving back to those in need, and to all who have participated or aided in our success.

Calais Spas is the only member of the Pool & Hot Tub Council of Canada, and the Association of Pool & Spa Professionals in the central Island trade area.Our mission is to support and promote the safe use and enjoyment of products in the aquatics industry. We have built a very knowledgeable team of professionals through a continued education and certification process within the industry.

Our customers benefit through the provision of the highest quality prod-

Calais Spas, Pools & Billiards 4000 Corunna Avenue Nanaimo 250-758-3003 www.calaisspas-billiards.com

"# " ! ! ! !

"%$ "%$

17th Annual Business Excellence Awards 37

Retail

Sponsored By

Mid Island Ink Depot Ltd. Mid Island Ink Depot is a home-based business established in Duncan by Leigh and Chris Davies in 2008. Since then Mid Island Ink Depot has grown to become the Cowichan Valley’s leading supplier of printers, copiers, printer inks, and laser toner cartridges to home users and business customers.

We carry all the big brand ink and toner cartridges from Brother to Xerox; we also carry a comprehensive range of compatible and recycled product.

We have customers throughout Vancouver Island, from Victoria and south to the Comox Valley. We also supply customers from Vancouver to Prince George and on to Alberta. Customers are supplied same day or next day on any sized order, shipping and delivery to home or business customers is free, whatever the size of the order.

the door, to home and business customers. Each order is accompanied by some chocolates and a friendly smile. We even load inks or toners into our customers’ printers and run a test before we leave. We also offer free basic printer maintenance to customers. Empty inks or toners are collected for recycling on each customer visit.

Our high standards applied to customer service were recognized this year as Mid Island Ink Depot won the 2016 Duncan Chamber of Commerce Black Tie award in the category of exceptional Customer Service.

Island Ink Depot Ltd. IT support that letsMid you outperform 4404 Cowichan Lake Road

Our reputation is solidly built on great service and great prices. Our customers are always at the forefront of everything we do. Locally, we deliver to

Duncan 250-748-3955 www.inkdepot.ca

3TECIT Your Small Business Technology Partner 1-800-748-9983 info@3-tec.com 489 Trans-Canada Hwy, Duncan, BC V9L 3R7 Victoria - Cowichan Valley - Nanaimo

“Best Wishes to Chris and his Team at Mid Island Ink Depot” 38 17th Annual Business Excellence Awards

• • • • • • • • •

Full IT Services: Server, Networking & Desktop On-site and Remote Support Installations and Repair Web Hosting and Cloud Solutions Full Managed IT Services Infrastructure IT Services New Construction Site Planning Canadian Secure Cloud Backup Healthcare IT Specialist

Retail

Sponsored By

NYLA Fresh Thread NYLA Fresh Thread is an independent family owned and operated menswear store. We opened our doors in July 2014 on Bathtub weekend, as a dress casual menswear store downtown Nanaimo. It was a soft opening through the middle of September. Having never been in retail before, we wanted to make sure that the store was properly set up before we launched the brand into our market.

We dress men of all ages from young men in their teens and twenties to all men that are looking to update their wardrobe and feel younger. Our general demographic is 30-65 years, we find that our main customers base is between 35-55 years. Having said that, the majority of our customers are women. We find that 61% of our customers are women shopping for the different men in their lives.

Beyond this 33% of our customers are couples, shopping together and the remaining 6% is a guy by himself looking to fill a need to shop, rather than a want to shop. These guys look to our staff for inspiration and guidance.

We will be launching our website and ecommerce in the next few months.

This is the next evolution of the brand and the way that the future of retail commerce seems to be heading. We are seeing a very large demand from our current customer base to provide alternative ways to shop local and buy online. This is very exciting for us as we strive to better serve our customers.

As Nanaimo is the hub of Vancouver Island, NYLA Fresh Thread is a destination that continues to see customers from all over the world that find our store and ask how they can continue to support us after they get home.

“One of the biggest compliments to me is when a customer comes in looking for something very specific, fills that need and returns, bringing along their friends and family. We get so many nice referrals and testimonials from our valued clientele” – Leon Drzewiecki NYLA Fresh Thread 206 Commercial Street Nanaimo 250-716-3331 www.nylafreshthread.com

NER N I DW R A W BE A

Congratulations NYLA Fresh Threads on your well-deserved nomination.

1-2451 Collins Crescent, Nanoose Bay | wilsonassociates@shaw.ca | 250-468-1444

17th Annual Business Excellence Awards 39

Technology

Sponsored By

ASAP Geomatix ASAP Geomatix is a sister company to ASAP Avionics. Geomatix was launched in 2012 and aimed to develop better solutions for capturing and reporting aerial data. We say data and not imagery as there are currently 2 key data types we offer. 1) 2D georeferenced imagery that is capable of seeing a fishing line or bottle cap on the beach from 1000ft in the air; 2) Our 3D data that provides clients with high resolution contour maps of terrain or plant height models for vineyards.

ASAP Geomatix 16-2000 Jubilee Parkway Campbell River www.asapgeomatix.com

First Light Technologies First Light Technologies is a privately held company established in 2009 and based in Victoria, British Columbia. First Light designs and manufactures architectural-quality, parking lot and pedestrian-scale solar powered & high efficiency LED lighting products. With over 80 years of combined experience in product management, design engineering with solar and LED technologies, and a desire to make a difference. The leadership team at First Light Technologies (FLT) saw an opportunity to create solar powered LED lighting products that were cost effective, easy to install, pleasant to look at, and above all, reliable First Light Technologies 455 Banga Place, #104 Victoria www.FirstLightTechnologies.com

SEAMOR Marine SEAMOR Marine Ltd. designs and produces observation-class underwater remotely operated vehicles (ROVs). Their two main ROVs, the Steelhead and the Chinook, can dive 300 to 600 metres below the surface, and are equipped with lights, cameras, and other accessories to observe, record, and interact with the environment in both fresh and salt water. They design all of their technology in house, and fabricate the vast majority of the components and parts in their Nanaimo facility. Over the past 10 years that SEAMOR Marine has been in business, they have grown their market-share and now have clients in over 20 countries. Their ROVs are on every major body of water in the world.

SEAMOR Marine Ltd. 1914 Northfield Road Nanaimo www.seamor.com

NER N I RD W A W BE A

Skye Avionics Skye Avionics was formed in 2006 to serve the avionics needs of customers throughout Vancouver Island. They have expanded to include service and sales to customers across Canada and Internationally. Their customers include Canadian and U.S. Government Agencies, Commercial Operators and Private Owners. Through acquisition of modern test equipment, they have grown to be a leader in offering state of the art capabilities for avionics servicing and testing and have established themselves as the best equipped avionics shop on Vancouver Island.

Skye Avionics Ltd. 2399 Airport Drive Campbell River www.skyeavionics.com

40 17th Annual Business Excellence Awards

Tourism

Sponsored By

West Coast Edge ATV Adventure West Coast Edge is Vancouver Islandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s only guided quad and Side by Side touring company! We take our guests into the beautiful backcountry surrounding the Alberni Valley to hidden gems like the Nahmint Valley, Henderson Valley, the Beaufort Mountain Range and Mount Arrowsmith as well as majestic waterfalls near Tofino and Ucluelet.

Our mission is to provide the thrill of a lifetime combined with World Class service and safety as well as customize and cater to the difference in peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s comfort zones. After 5 years in business we are proud of being rated as a five-star experience on Trip Advisor and ranked as the #2 Outdoor Activity in the Alberni Valley. We have been nominated for Business Excellence in our community for 3 years in a row and we were thrilled to win the award in 2016!

food, photo opportunities and memorable moments can be expected with no doubt.

West Coast Edge ATV Adventure 2945 Alberni Highway Port Alberni 778-421-3343 www.westcoastedge.com

West Coast Edge offers a truly amazing experience. We stand behind our belief that an adventure with us will be one that sticks with you. The great outdoors offers the ultimate escape from the day to day challenges of the world, in a stress-free environment, leaving you feeling revitalized and rejuvenated. Upon reaching our destination, amazing views, fresh local

Congratulations from all of us at Comox Rentals & Recreation comoxrentals.ca 250 339-4518 17th Annual Business Excellence Awards 41

Tourism

Sponsored By

Discovery Passage SeaLife Society The charitable Discovery Passage SeaLife Society (DPSS) was formed in 2012 with a group of enthusiastic and committed biologists, educators, and business people with the vision of offering the public the best possible local educational opportunities that showcase our fantastic, but mostly invisible local marine life, and to educate the public about the coastal ecosystems that support us.

In 2013, they opened their Discovery Passage Aquarium as the first seasonal catch-and-release aquarium on East Vancouver Island with huge success. They design and deliver educational and interpretive programs for visiting tourists, schools, study, research groups, and residents.

Discovery Passage SeaLife Society 621 B Island Highway Campbell River www.discoverypassageaquarium.ca

Living Forest Oceanside Campground Living Forest Oceanside Campground & RV Park is an award winning, 53 acre, 300 site waterfront year park, open year round. This perfectly located forested family owned campground & RV park has been under continual improvement since itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s opening in 1994, when it began operation with only 45 sites and gravel roads. It now boasts 3km of paved roads, yet retaining a provincial park feel with spacious sites and towering trees and a natural environment shared with eagles, marine life and well over 100 species of birds, making it a destination unto itself, but known for its well constructed services and buildings.

Living Forest Oceanside Campground and RV Park 6 Maki Road Nanaimo www.livingforest.com

NNER I W ARD W A BE

Orca Spirit Adventures Orca Spirit Adventures founder John Douglas was instrumental in building the whale watching industry in the region, launching the first covered vessel operation in Victoria, BC almost 30 years ago, and helping to create the original responsible whale watching guidelines designed to prevent their harassment and injury. Today Orca Spirit Adventures and sister-company Orca Spirit Marine Transport employ over 45 staff to provide water-based transportation services throughout the entire BC Coast to a wide variety of industries â&#x20AC;&#x201C;from travel and tourism to entertainment, energy and beyond.

Orca Spirit Adventures 146 Kingston Street Victoria www.orcaspirit.com

West Coast Expeditions West Coast Expeditions has operated since 1972, has been incorporated since 2007, and managed by the current owners since 2008. They specialize in authentic adventure and cultural tourism experiences on the remote NW coast of Vancouver Island, specifically in the little-known Kyuquot area. Their 4-8 day tours are based from an enchanting Wilderness Retreat on Spring Island, and generally use sea kayaks to access diverse experiences. Their office is based in the Comox Valley, which is also where our tour packages conveniently begin and end. This helps to make it more accessible to visitors from across North America and around the world, while also introducing them to the Comox Valley and Central Vancouver Island enroute to the North Island.

West Coast Expeditions PO Box 3537 Courtenay www.westcoastexpeditions.com

42 17th Annual Business Excellence Awards

Sponsored By

Trades

4 Seasons Fire Prevention Services Ltd. 4 Seasons Fire Prevention Services Ltd. is a fire protection company that has been servicing all of Vancouver Island and surrounding areas since 1998.

We offer installation, inspection and repairs of Fire Alarm Systems, Alarm Devices, Fire Extinguishers, Emergency Light Units, Fire Sprinkler Systems, Fire Protection and Domestic Backflows, Fire Suppression Systems (industrial, clean agent, kitchen and marine).

All of our services are offered along with 24hr Emergency Service, with the help of our after hours on call team. We also specialize in creating fire safety plans for residential and commercial locations.

We are Southern Vancouver Island’s only distributor of Siemens products who themselves have over 100 years in fire protection experience.

We have developed long standing relationships with many of our clients.

We are proud to be a locally owned and operated business that offers high quality services and products to our customers. We not only want the best for our customers, 4 Seasons Fire is also dedicated to making its own family happy. The team’s dedication and hard work is often rewarded with lunches, company swag, or any number of ways to ensure they know they are appreciated.

4 Seasons Fire Prevention Services Ltd. 460 Bay Street Victoria 250-381-6617 www.4seasonsfire.com

We are happy to help celebrate 4 Seasons Fire Prevention’s nomination for a 2017 Business Excellence Award.

Congratulations!

Colliers International

A proud supplier to 4 Seasons Fire Prevention.

Congratulations!

2550 Turner St, Victoria, BC V8T 5J2 www.torbramelectric.com t (250) 480-4818

17th Annual Business Excellence Awards 43

Trades

Sponsored By

Oceanside Roofing Oceanside Roofing specializes in re-roofing and the application of fiberglass laminate shingles. We started our business 11 years ago. We provide service from Qualicum Beach to North Nanaimo. We limit our roofing service to application of fiberglass shingles, working on cedar conversions and old asphalt.

By limiting our service to this area, we are able to provide outstanding quality of work to our customers. This quality of work includes over 25 years roofing experience from Paul Shoesmith, Owner. Since the inception of our company, customer service and quality of work has been our driving force, our company vision. Our customers have proven to us year after year that we are

SABO, JANG & CO. LTD. (A Professional Corporation)

Chartered Professional Accountants â&#x20AC;&#x153;Helping people and businesses prosper in our communityâ&#x20AC;?

Congratulations to the team at Oceanside Roofing!

P.O. Box 580 193 Memorial Ave. Parksville, BC V9P 2G6 877-951-2001 Phone: 250-951-2000 www.sabojang.com

Toll Free:

44 17th Annual Business Excellence Awards

on track with this by nominating us for the BBB Torch Awards for outstanding customer service. We have been finalists in 2014 and in 2013 for Ethical Decision Making in Construction & Renovation. We were winners four years, 2016, 2015, 2012 and 2011. 2012 we won in the category of Outstanding Ethical Business Practices for a Small Size Business. We also had the opportunity to contribute to our community when Habitat for Humanity needed roofers to put the roof on one of their houses in Parksville.

2016 was the year we decided to get two crews working. We have been able to do this successfully as we have become increasingly busy and the crew leader we have on this second crew has been with us for 11 years and takes incredible pride in his work. We have also been successful keeping our customer service at the high level a small company can offer.

We are able to keep our finger on the pulse of how our customers feel through conversation and our feedback forms that every customer gets. We are getting glowing reviews from our new crew.

Oceanside Roofing Ltd. 270 Fourneau Way Parksville 250-951-0601 www.oceansideroofing.com

Trades

Sponsored By

RestACon Services Ltd.

RestACon Services is a renovation company that specializes in Hazmat Remediation and Demolition. As Red Seal carpenters doing renovations on buildings built before 1990, we constantly find ourselves in situations where we come across mold, asbestos, and other hazardous materials. Wanting to keep our clients and staffs safe, we became licensed and certified to remove hazardous materials.

RestAcon can handle a wide range of projects from commercial store remodel to additions or renovations on a residential house. We have plumbers, electricians, painters and many other sub-trades that we closely work with so the project runs smoothly.

Congratulations to all nominees from your Office Outfitterâ&#x201E;˘!

RestACon has had A+ Rating with Better Business Bureau since 2007 RestACon Services Ltd. 2218 South Wellington Road Nanaimo 250-754-6311 restacon@shaw.ca

DEMOS HAZMAT and ASBESTOS REMOVAL

250-754-6311

Think Monk... BUSINESS | RETAIL | INTERIORS | TECHNOLOGY 250.384.0565 | monk.ca | sales@monk.ca

17th Annual Business Excellence Awards 45

Trades

Sponsored By

Coastal Heat Pumps Coastal Heat Pumps has been in business since 2005, with their primary focus to provide year-round indoor comfort to residential customers.

They believe that comfort is not just a setting on a thermostat but that it encompasses the many aspects it takes to design a heat pump system. Comfort to the customer is having confidence in the ability, reliability and stability of the company they are dealing with. They provide this assurance by employing an outside company (Release Dynamics) to survey their customers and their satisfaction. They are licensed, bonded and have red sealed journeymen.

Coastal Heat Pumps Co Inc. #5 2475 Mount Newton Crossing Saanich www.coastalhvac.ca

NER N I DW R A W BE A

Ripple Rock Restorations Ripple Rock Restorations DKI is a fire and water damage restoration company providing 24 hours a day emergency services to Central and Northern Vancouver Island for the past 20 years.

Their company is equipped to handle small and large residential, commercial and industrial insurance claims, whether in Campbell River and the Comox Valley, or remote communities and islands accessible only by ferry, boat or float plane.

Ripple Rock Restorations DKI 1671 Petersen Road Campbell River www.restorationsbc.ca

HomeWise Plumbing & Heating HomeWise Plumbing started in January 2008 under the name PlumbPerfect Plumbing. They specialize in plumbing service work, gas works, and drain maintenance, but also take on renovations on a regular basis.

They service Sooke, Victoria, Sidney, and as far away as Shawnigan Lake and the Gulf Islands. HomeWise Plumbing truly cares about their customers and their employees. Some customers have stayed with them since day one and have referred us to many of their friends. In fact their business enjoys an 86% referral and repeat customer history.

HomeWise Plumbing & Drainage Services Ltd 6471 Sooke Road Sooke www.homewiseplumbing.ca

46 17th Annual Business Excellence Awards

Trades

Sponsored By

Western Canada Fire Protection This year, Western Canada Fire Protection is celebrating its 30th anniversary serving Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland in the field of fire prevention.

We are committed to providing high quality service to our customers to ensure their buildings and occupants are properly protected in the event of an emergency. We specialize in all aspects of the Fire Prevention Industry and offer a full range of services including fire alarm system installation, inspection, maintenance, and monitoring; fire alarm upgrades; sales and service of fire extinguishers and emergency lighting; and service and repair of fire sprinkler systems and standpipe fire hose systems. Our knowledgeable staff also provides expert technical advice and documentation including Fire Safety Plans.

As a longstanding business within our community we have worked hard to build a reputation on friendly, quality service, and 2016 has been our best year yet. By applying a new modernized business strategy, we have improved almost every

aspect of how we operate within this year alone. This has benefited not only us but reflects into the service we provide to our customers, and allows us to continue to grow well into 2017 and beyond.

Western Canada Fire Protection 861 Station Avenue Victoria 250-727-3382 www.westerncanadafireprotection.ca

Congratulations Western Canadian Fire Protection - We are proud to Support You

www.cornerstoneproperties.bc.ca 250-475-2005

Congratulations on your Nomination From all of us at Firetronics

www.firetronics.ca | 1-800-244-0088

Proud to support our friends at Western Canada Fire Protection www.jbsheetmetal.com

250.652.1786

17th Annual Business Excellence Awards 47

Wood Products/Forestry

Sponsored By

Weather-Wise Cedar Products Weather-Wise Cedar Products (a division of Aquila Cedar Products) is located in the city of Parksville. They are employee owned and operated and have been serving Vancouver Island since 1982. Company wide, they employ 42 people who for the most part live in the immediate area. They are the leader in quality cedar products and by working at this every day they have developed many long-term relationships. Their lumber and value added products are produced using coastal Western Red Cedar harvested almost exclusively from Vancouver Island. They remanufacture cedar lumber to get the best yielding materials for resale and our own manufacturing. They also cut logs that have been sustainably harvested into various dimensions of rough lumber and distinct timbers.

Weather-Wise Cedar Products 1282 Alberni Highway Parksville www.weatherwise.ca

Woodland Flooring Woodland Flooring opened its doors in 1998 with a goal to manufacture wood flooring from local, under utilized BC woods. It has evolved to include wood from private family owned woodlots as well as beetle killed, fire killed and windfall salvage trees. Local Douglas Fir, Red Alder, Pacific Maple and Interior Lodgepole Pine make up the basis for Woodland Floors. As a custom producer, they focus on filling a unique niche for wider planks and longer lengths, not available in regular flooring stores. Woodland also embraces the use of environmental natural wood finishes we import from Saicos Germany made from mostly renewable natural oils and waxes. While Woodland Flooring has circled the globe with sales to Japan, India and the USA, most of their floors are sold on BC`s west coast.

Woodland Flooring 1584 Knight Road Comox www.woodlandflooring.com

48 17th Annual Business Excellence Awards

NER N I DW R A W BE A

Sponsored By

Wood Products/Forestry

Cowichan Woodwork Ltd. Cowichan Woodwork is a multi-faceted business since 2003, catering to the more complex, qualitative end of the market in residential and commercial cabinetry and millwork.

As well as our primary focus on Vancouver Island from Sidney and Victoria up to Parksville, we are a strong presence in the Gulf Islands and include commercial work in Vancouver.

Cowichan Woodwork has also become a Premier Dealer for Cambria Quartz this year. Another side of our enterprise is manufacturing for a local educational furniture company who in turn have captured a substantial part of the Canada-wide market.

In the last few years we have exported several steel containers of this product to Hong Kong, Australia, China and all over the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;States.

Cowichan Woodwork is an F.S.C. (Forest Stewardship Council) accredited facility, one of very few of our type in B.C. FSC is recognized worldwide, as the only non-industry created â&#x20AC;&#x153;greenâ&#x20AC;? wood standards body.

Cowichan Woodwork Ltd., 1550 Thain Road, Cobble Hill 250-743-5804 www.cowichanwoodwork.com

Our congratulations on this well-deserved award to Gordon and the team at Cowichan Woodwork Highest Quality Cabinet Doors

t www.raincoastcd.com

3TECIT Your Small Business Technology Partner 1-800-748-9983 info@3-tec.com 489 Trans-Canada Hwy, Duncan, BC V9L 3R7 Victoria - Cowichan Valley - Nanaimo

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Best Wishes to Gordon and his Team at Cowichan Woodworkâ&#x20AC;?

Congratulations Cowichan Woodwork on your nomination!

â&#x20AC;˘ NEW CONSTRUCTION & RENOVATION SPECIALISTS â&#x20AC;˘ CUSTOM PRE HANG DOOR SHOP â&#x20AC;˘ QUALIFIED INSTALL TEAM â&#x20AC;˘ WINDOWS AVAILABLE IN VINYL, FIBERGLASS, OR SOLID WOOD INTERIOR.

ISLAND OWNED WITH LOCATIONS IN DUNCAN & VICTORIA Tel - 1-877-746-9570

www.sbwindowsanddoors.com

Full IT Services: Â&#x2021; 6Hrver, Networking & Desktop Â&#x2021; 2Q VLWH DQG Remote Support Â&#x2021; ,QVWDOOations and Repair Â&#x2021; Web Hosting and Cloud Solutions Â&#x2021; )XOO 0DQaged IT Services Â&#x2021; ,QIrastructure IT Services Â&#x2021; 1ew Construction Site Planning Â&#x2021; &DQDGLDQ 6HFXre Cloud Backup Â&#x2021; +HDOWKFDre IT Specialist 17th Annual Business Excellence Awards 49

Small Business (Under 50 Employees)

Sponsored By

Arriba Mexico Arriba Mexico Food Co. has been in business since January of 2014 and it ́s proudly a BC Business which offers authentic and delicious Mexican foods. They are an international trade company which import and export products between Canada and Mexico, and serving as a bridge to connect British Columbia with Mexico. The main focus of their company is as importer of Mexican food products and distributor of these as wholesaler and retailer in Vancouver Island. Arriba Mexico products can be found in supermarkets across Vancouver Island such as Fairways, The Market Stores, the Root Cellar and others. In addition, their flavours can also be enjoyed through our store, restaurant and catering service.

Arriba Mexico Food Company 522 Admirals Road Esquimalt www.arribamexico.ca

Classic Care Carpet Cleaning Classic Care is a service based company in the cleaning industry. They pride themselves on the five-star quality cleaning that they provide to our residential and commercial clients. From the carpet and upholstery residential and commercial to office cleaning, Classic prides itself on the attention to detail that is applied to each job. Blind cleaning and area rug cleaning is also available either pick up or drop off services are available.

Classic Care Carpet Cleaning 1920 Northfield Road Nanaimo www.classiccareservices.ca

Coast Salish Development Corporation Coast Salish Development Corporation (CSDC) is the economic development agency of the Stz’uminus First Nation (SFN). CSDC’s mandate is to help the Stz’uminus First Nation become a strong and self-sufficient Nation through economic development and to maintain a safe, healthy and clean community. CSDC is responsible for managing and steering SFN’s growth through economic planning, developing major partnerships and joint ventures, building relationships with the business community and other First Nations, negotiating partnership arrangements with the Crown and potential private sector partners, etc.

Coast Salish Development Corporation 12605 Trans Canada Highway Ladysmith www.coastsalishdevcorp.com

50 17th Annual Business Excellence Awards

Sponsored By

Small Business (Under 50 Employees) EM Salon & Spa Em Salon & Spa has operated in the North Port District in Port Alberni for the past 18 years. Owner/operator, Michelle Aston contributes their success to the importance of taking care of details, evolving with the ever-changing industry, & being actively involved in the community.

“Em” stands for “Everyone Matters” and that shows in their daily practices. Not only do they offer all haircare & Esthetic services, they also have a great selection of retail & unique gift ideas.

Em Salon & Spa 4439 Margaret Street Port Alberni www.emsalonspa.ca

Level Ground Trading Level Ground Trading was started in 1997 with a mission to trade fairly and directly with small-scale farmers in developing countries. The company has grown in import the annual harvest of 5,000 farmers from 10 countries in South America, East Africa and South Asia.

Level Ground is a Fair Trade Organization and direct importer and wholesaler of coffee, tea, dried fruit, cane sugar, heirloom rice, cacao nibs, vanilla beans, coconut oil and spices. At home in Victoria BC, Level Ground sends nothing to landfill, pays staff to bicycle to work and reclaims their packaging for upcycling and composting.

Level Ground Trading Unit B - 1970 Keating Cross Road Victoria www.levelground.com

NER N I RD W A W BE A

Vancouver Island Limousines Vancouver Island Limousine offers luxury transportation to Nanaimo, Duncan, Parksville, Courtenay, Campbell River and Port Alberni since 2011. Vancouver Island Limousine operates two new style SUV Limousines 12 passengers each. Their services include weddings, Prom, Birthdays, Wine Tours, Dinning Out, Corporate Events and Celebrity transportation.

Vancouver Island Limousines Port Alberni 250-720-1750 www.VancouverIslandLimousine.com

17th Annual Business Excellence Awards 51

Business of the Year (Over 50 Employees)

Sponsored By

Coulson Group

The Coulson Group of Companies began with the founding of Coulson Forest Products Limited in 1960. Owned and operated by the Coulson family for more than 55 years, what was once a small logging company has evolved into a conglomerate of companies working in a variety of industries, including logging, aviation, manufacturing and environmentally friendly cleaning technology.

The Coulson Group has established itself as one of North Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest commercial operators of the S-61 helicopter. It is the only company that operates both large Air Tanker fixed wing and Type 1 rotary wing aircraft in the firefighting industry, providing services across Canada and the United States, and additionally in Australia and Asia, with future growth expected globally.

Additionally, the company has seen growth in its manufacturing arm, which produces proprietary aviation components both for its own fleet and for third party aircraft. The Coulson Group also operates a lumber manufacturing facility in Port Alberni, providing a world class, sustainable, and environmentally responsible lumber product to customers across North America.

Coulson Group, 4890 Cherry Creek Road, Port Alberni 250-724-7600 www.coulsongroup.com Aon Risk Solutions

Proud to support the commitments that empower results Coulson Group on being a Vancouver Island Business Excellence Award Finalist!

Aon Reed Stenhouse Inc. 6th Floor, 1803 Douglas Street Victoria, BC +1.250.388.7577 Risk. Reinsurance. Human Resources.

Safety, Sustainability, Viability and Environmentally Friendly - key values of The Coulson Group of Companies - no surprise they were nominated for Business of the Year.

Lindsay Kenney LLP Congratulates The Coulson Group and all finalists in the 2017 Business Excellence Awards.

52 17th Annual Business Excellence Awards

www.lklaw.ca

Sponsored By

Business of the Year (Over 50 Employees)

Chemistry Consulting Group Inc. Founded in 2006 by principals/owners Frank Bourree and Christine Willow, Chemistry Consulting Group has grown to become one of the leading business and human resource consulting firms in British Columbia. Together with the subsidiary firm GT Hiring Solutions, we have a talented staff of over 130 working in 9 offices around the province. As a result, Chemistry has people on the ground and first-hand insight into almost every market in BC. When asked what we do, we respond simply â&#x20AC;&#x201C; we support our clients so that they can achieve their goals. We are a catalyst for business and economic development within organizations (both private and public), communities and industry sectors. We have a broad understanding of business in BC and bring diverse backgrounds and a range of unique talents to each project with which we are involved. Although we service a range of industry sectors, and have an increasingly diverse client base, we have a niche focus in the tourism and hospitality sectors and are the go-to people when media or industry leaders want to understand the impact of changing labour market and socio-economic influencers.

We are a dynamic group of business and HR professionals with a deep knowledge of the tourism and hospitality industries and the business environment on Vancouver Island. We support a variety of organizations from start-ups to large corporations and we always do this with our clientsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; individual and unique needs in mind. We ensure that we listen to our clients and support them in their growth and success. We pride ourselves on not only our ability to build long-term relationships with our clients, but also our practical knowledge and understanding of the industries and companies we work with. Frank and Christine give back through their time as Directors on many community based and business boards. We believe that our success is achieved when the community is thriving and successful.

Chemistry Consulting 1207 Douglas Street #400 Victoria 250-382-3303 www.chemistryconsulting.ca

17th Annual Business Excellence Awards 53

Business of the Year (Over 50 Employees)

Sponsored By

Dodd’s Furniture & Mattress In 1977 Gordy Dodd opened a small furniture store near downtown Victoria. Today Dodd’s Furniture & Mattress is the largest independent furniture retailer on Vancouver Island showcasing a three-story 35,000 square foot showroom in Victoria, a 25,000 square foot furniture gallery in Nanaimo and a brand new store in Campbell River!

We have demonstrated unwavering support of Vancouver Island communities. In 1998 we held our first Thanksgiving Dinner and Christmas Dinner for the less fortunate and they have become annual traditions ever since. We also host fundraisers for natural disasters around the world, sponsor local sports groups and regularly donate furniture to charity auctions and school associations.

Our biggest change this year was opening our new location in Campbell River, where we currently employ a team of 12 people. We are so excited to bring our values of quality, selection and value to the mid- and NorthIsland communities of Vancouver Island.

We continue to source from a number of Canadian manufacturers who are committed to making quality furniture at affordable prices, and whose delivery methods are the most efficient, and least harmful to the environment as possible.

Dodd’s Furniture & Mattress 715 Finlayson Street Victoria 250-388-6663 www.doddsfurniture.com

Commercial Banking Congratulations to the Dodd family on 40 successful years intobusiness!

Congratulations all

Nominees and Winners! www.cibc.com www.cibc.com 54 17th Annual Business Excellence Awards

zŽƵƌ ŶŽŵŝŶĂƟŽŶ ŝƐ ǁĞůů ĚĞƐĞƌǀĞĚ͘ ŽŶŐƌĂƚƵůĂƟŽŶƐ͊ 250.381.2400 | 200 - 1137 Yates Street | Hutcheson.ca

Sponsored By

Business of the Year (Over 50 Employees)

Quality Foods The company began as Qualicum Foods in a very small store in downtown Qualicum Beach. Our little group felt that if we go way beyond any expectations of service in the little store and in the community, we will be successful against larger competitors in neighbouring Parksville, and even Nanaimo.

As we go into our 35th year in business, that concept holds true and is part of our culture today with thirteen stores on Vancouver Island and the Sunshine Coast.

In 2016, we introduced a brand new flagship store in View Royal, along with the new Island Smokehouse slow cooked, wood smoked meat. Our Northridge Village store and Comox store both underwent major renovations, and now have the Island Smokehouse program as well. We also added a Medicine Shoppe Pharmacy inside of our Port Alberni store.

The new View Royal store raised the bar on how energy efficiently and cleanly a grocery business can be run, with heat reclamation and cooling, automated temperature controls with advanced systems to reduce energy and food waste and much more.

Quality Foods 1581 Alberni Highway Errington 250-248-4004 www.qualityfoods.com

NER N I DW R A W BE A

Thank you for the support of our 2 new stores Westshore

View Royal

977 Langford Parkway Victoria, BC

# 110 - 27 Helmcken Rd Victoria, BC

17th Annual Business Excellence Awards 55

Does your Business Need Working Capital?

Liquid Capital West Coast Financing Corp. offers alternative financing options which provide businesses on 7BODPVWFS *TMBOE RVJDL access to operating cash with Accounts Receivable Factoring, Asset Based Lending, Purchase Order Financing and more.

To learn more, contact Stephen Ison or Rebekah Hutchison at 778.265.7990 or visit www.lcwestcoastďŹ nancing.com.

56 17th Annual Business Excellence Awards

#FBVUJGVM DVTUPN DBCJOFUT BOE 2VBSU[ DPVOUFS UPQT

COWICHANWOODWORK.COM " 1SFNJFS $BNCSJB %FBMFS TFSWJOH BMM PG 7BODPVWFS *TMBOE