The Great Little Box Company has reached the hall of fame.

With a strong foundation in Richmond since 1984 (only a couple years after modest beginnings), the award-winning manufacturer and distributor of custom and stock packaging solutions, and home to one of the largest folding carton plants in Western Canada, was inducted Nov. 21 into the Richmond Chamber of Commerce’s annual Business Excellence Awards prestigious ring of honour.

Held since 1977, the annual awards also paid homage to outstanding achievements in 10 categories. 

Association of the Year: Chimo Community Services

Operating since 1973, Chimo Community Services serves more than 10,000 individuals and families each year. Those helped are from different cultural backgrounds, age groups, family lifestyles and economic situations. Chimo provides diverse services from community building to prevention, individual crisis support to advocacy, and peer support to education. It also engages in collaborative community planning and develops innovative resources to address emerging needs.

The award honours Chimo as a society that demonstrates organizational leadership and measurable success as defined by its achieving its mandate.

Business Leadership: Arts Connection

A Steveston staple, Arts Connection started as a home-based business and has since grown significantly while remaining true to its roots. Still a family business at heart, it is dedicated to positively impacting the community as a leading centre for arts and educational programming.

Green Business: Layfield Group

Originally established in the mid-1950s as a fabricated plastics business, the Layfield Group is the only integrated organization that provides tailored polymer-based solutions proven to protect families, communities and environment. 

Innovative Enterprise: Clevest Solutions

Experts at mobile workforce management for energy and water utilities, Clevest Solutions has a long and successful track record for creating, deploying and supporting solutions around the world—from the largest utilities to rural electric co-ops.

New Business of the Year: NuMode Delivery Solutions

A premier provider for local courier and freight shipments, NuMode Delivery Solutions offers a fleet of cars, cargo vans and trucks for everyday, expedient shipping requirements across Metro Vancouver.

Young Entrepreneur of the Year: BlackBoxMyCar 

A former student studying nutritional sciences at the University of British Columbia, BlackboxMyCar CEO Alex Jang is the winner of the 2019 Young Entrepreneur of the Year. During his second year of studies, in 2012, Jang founded BlackboxMyCar to introduce dashboard cameras to the North American market and educate the public about their safety, benefits and advantages.

Outstanding Workplace: Platinum Pro-Claim Restorations

With 35 years of experience, Platinum Pro-Claim brings a unique set of skills and level of expertise to providing restoration services relating to water damage, mold and asbestos remediation and flooring, as well as 24-hour emergency services.

Small Business of the Year: Advantage Speech-Language Pathology

Dedicated to providing diagnostic and therapeutic services for children, adolescents and adults, the team at Advantage Speech-Language Pathology is able to see clients of all ages with all types of communication and swallowing concerns.

Mid-size Business of the Year: Dupuis Langen Group

For over 30 years, the Dupuis Langen Group has worked with thousands of individuals, families and corporations to meet their insurance and employee benefit needs, along with a vision to revolutionize the landscape of health and wellness in the workplace.

Large Business of the Year: Pacific Coastal Airlines

Honouring its motto of People Friendly, People First, Pacific Coastal Airlines operates scheduled, charter and cargo air services to destinations throughout the province.

It encourages a positive, caring workplace and places a high value on collaboration, accountability and loyalty.