Business award nominations encouraged

Olds & District Chamber of Commerce president Ben Stone is urging residents and business people to nominate businesses for the various categories within the annual business awards.

Categories are:

* Business of the Year (for firms with 16 or more employees).

* Business of the Year (for companies with 15 or fewer employees).

* Community Spirit Award (for businesses or for-profit organizations).

* Community Spirit Award (for non-profit organizations).

* Youth Employee of the Year.

* Exceptional Customer Services Award.

* People's Choice Award.

The deadline for nominations is Thursday, Aug. 31.

Nominees will be announced during the annual Business, Beer and Blue Jeans event, which this year, will be held at the Olds Golf Club.

The awards will be presented during the annual Business Awards Banquet which will be held Oct. 12 at the Pomeroy Inn & Suites.

"We are currently looking for nominations for our business awards banquet to recognize businesses in the community that have gone above and beyond the typical level of service provided," Stone says.

"Right now we are looking for more nominations from the community, so we ask that if a person has received extraordinary service or product, that they take the time to acknowledge this and show their appreciation for a job well done.

"This event is excellent for both business and community for a couple of reasons: firstly being that it helps reinforce the idea that good service does not go unnoticed in the community. This ensures that local business continues to provide exceptional customer service to people within our community.

"The second reason why this is such an important event is that it helps to recognize business that has made a commitment to serving people within the community.

"When we recognize businesses that are performing at a high level, we as citizens encourage them to continue with the good work, and we encourage other businesses to strive towards the same level of award-winning service," he says.