After a COVID hiatus, local businesses are preparing to once again recognize their accomplishments
After a few years away because of the pandemic, the Selkirk Biz Awards are set to return to honour our local businesses by recognizing those in our community who are going above and beyond.
“The Bix Awards are awards handed out to local businesses for being outstanding,” said Executive Director of the Selkirk Biz Alice Skalesky.
The Biz Awards recognize businesses for their success in ten different categories. These include the Customer Service Award, Community Spirit Award, Business of the Year Award, New Business of the Year Award, Business Philanthropist Award, Farm Family of the Year Award, Marketing / Branding Award, Woman Entrepreneur Award, Inclusive Business Award, and Visual Improvement Award.
The event is hosted by the Selkirk Biz which is our local chamber of commerce. They created the local Biz Bucks program, are responsible for the Catfish Den event as well as Eat Along the Red and host the Selkirk Biz Summer Parade.
This event is their chance to support local businesses with a once a year formal event dedicated to just that.
This business recognition is important in our community for many reasons. It lets businesses know that residents like what they are doing in our community, shows support for buying local and also can give our businesses incentive to keep innovating and working together to make our community better year after year.
“It’s nice to be recognized as a business for offering good customer service, and Selkirk is really unique for that reason because it’s such a tight knit community. So, I think it’s really impactful to have your business recognized for being great,” said Skalesky.
Residents and businesses are encouraged to support their favourite local businesses with a nomination. Nominations can be done on the Selkirk Biz’s website and the nomination period is open until Oct 10.
Events like these in the community are also important because they bring people together to create more community connection and sometimes just being together gets people to look at their problems in a more collaborative way.
“We come together as a community and are connected and everybody helps out each other and it’s nice to become a community together,” said Skalesky.
Skalesky says that you don’t have to be part of the Selkirk Biz to be nominated as a business for the Biz awards, however, you do have to be a business in the Selkirk Biz’s coverage area which in addition to Selkirk includes St. Andrews, St. Clements, and the West St. Paul Region.
The event itself will take place on Oct. 19 at the Selkirk Golf & Country Club. Tickets will be available locally and residents are asked to email info@selkirkbiz.ca and follow their social media for details.
Skalesky encourages residents to nominate their favourite businesses and come out to the event itself.
“Especially after COVID, a lot of people came together and helped out and, it’s nice to be recognized,” she said.
Nominations are being accepted at https://selkirkbiz.ca
