Latest News
This year's Richmond Business Excellence Awards will take place online in November, a departure from the usual in-person ceremony.
Photo courtesy Richmond Chamber of Commerce
Business Excellence Awards to celebrate community’s resilience in 2020
—
The Richmond Chamber of Commerce has hosted a Business Excellence Awards for the last 42 years, but none of those years have been quite like 2020.
To recognize the extraordinary circumstances of the year, the awards are pivoting away from recognizing financial success, towards celebrating resilience. Nominations opened online today (June 15.)
“Typically, financial success is a key aspect of business success, and the Business Excellence Awards have always acknowledged that,” says chamber chair Fan Chun. “However, COVID-19 has sent shockwaves through every aspect of our economy. Excellence in 2020 might mean running PPE drives, pivoting your business model online, or finding creative ways to keep your staff employed. That excellence isn’t always reflected on a balance sheet. We’d be doing a disservice to Richmond’s employers if our awards didn’t acknowledge the reality of our times.”
Susan Ness, chair of the 2020 Business Excellence Awards Task Force, says “in 2020, it’s more important than ever to find and celebrate the businesses in our community who deserve our recognition. As much as this has been a year of hardship and challenges, when we look back, I'm convinced we will find it has also been a year full of hidden and emerging opportunities.”
Awards will still be handed out in 10 categories: new business, young entrepreneur, outstanding workplace, business leadership, green business, innovative enterprise, association (non-profit), and small, mid-size, and large businesses of the year. The changes returning nominees will see include questions centred on ways they have adapted for COVID-19, and a shorter nomination package, in recognition of the many pressures on everyone’s time.
In compliance with restrictions on gatherings, the awards gala itself will be adapting in 2020, pivoting to a virtual format.
Chun acknowledges, “for an organization that’s used to throwing 400 person galas, this is going to be a big change. We’re doing a lot of work behind the scenes right now to make sure that the 2020 awards are the exceptional experience Richmond expects from us.”
Nominations will remain open until Sept. 8. Details of each category and the nomination form are available at RichmondChamber.ca. The virtual Business Excellence Awards ceremony is set for November.
2 Hours of free financial consulting
Jai Xin Planning Ltd.
C$120.00 C$0.00
Use any of our home staging service and get a second month rental for free!
MiiX Interiors
C$500.00 C$0.00
Get 10% off any order
Phantom Screens Lower Mainland
C$200.00 C$180.00
