Now in its eighth year, the GROWTH Alberta Business Excellence Awards are coming to Westlock on Jan. 26.
Held at the Westlock and District Community Hall, this year’s gala will recognize 13 businesses from the GROWTH region.
Over the past years, the awards have grown both in size and value, said GROWTH manager Troy Grainger.
“Not only is the attendance up, but the recognition of the benefits of the awards has also been promoted and is being well received,” he said.
He said there are businesses in the area that have been acknowledged at galas in the past, and have used that recognition to expand into the wider business world, be it across the province, across Canada, or even internationally.
“There’s some great concepts and great business ideas and operations that are in the region, so to take that to the next level is part of their business plan,” Grainger said. “So what these business awards do is hopefully assist with that process.”
Businesses that will be given awards at the Jan. 26 event come from all over the GROWTH region.
Westlock and Thorhild area winners include Glamery Greenhouses, the Rocky Top ATV Park, Stan Schmode Holdings, Total Plumbing and Heating and the Thorhild Pharmacy.
From the Barrhead area, winners include Blum’s Construction, Du-Al Contracting and Developments and Footworks Dance Academy. T&L Aggregates is the sole winner from Woodlands County.
There are also several businesses in the Swan Hills area chosen for awards. These include Bohn Petroleum, W. Parker’s Transport and Wilderness Playground Tours.
In addition to the regular awards each of these businesses will receive, Grainger said there are six special awards that will be handed out that night.
Those include the economic development contribution, community service, inspired ingenuity, business of the year and audience favourite awards.
The sixth award, the Brian Whipp tourism leadership award, is new this year, he said.
On the whole, Grainger said GROWTH in general, and the awards in particular, act as a springboard for the businesses as they get established and grow.
Having successful businesses in the area, and acknowledging them as such, can only serve to benefit the area going forward.
“We not only promote the businesses that we currently have, which we’re very proud of, but we also strive to welcome new business ideas … from other parts of the world into the GROWTH Alberta region,” he said.
A short video shot by professional videographers will be shown at the gala and later uploaded to the GROWTH Alberta website.
Doors open for the gala at 5 p.m. Tickets are $35 each or $340 for a table of ten, and can be purchased via the website at: www.growthalberta.com.
