The Mermaid Ball and Business Awards are returning to Sylvan Lake once again.
This yearly tradition, hosted by the Sylvan Lake Chamber of Commerce, celebrates outstanding businesses within the community that contribute to the essence of Sylvan Lake.
According to a release by the Chamber, the 39th annual edition of this event on October 21 is “a night of celebration of our community’s risk-takers, business superstars, innovators and the individuals who help shape the future of Sylvan Lake.”
This year is particularly exciting because as the Town of Sylvan Lake has grown, so too have the categories of awards for business that has contributed to this positive growth. The new categories this year include the Young Entrepreneur, the Marketing Excellence Award, the Visitor Friendly Award and New Business of the Year Award.
Overall, there are 11 awards of which over 80 nominations were handed in.
“We received more then 80 nominations from the public; it’s very exciting to see the community enthusiasm for these awards,” Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Denise Williams said. “Selecting 56 finalists and choosing only 11 winners is no small feat for our judges, particularly with so many deserving businesses and individuals nominated.”
The 11 award winners were selected by an anonymous panel of community members.
Joel Johannson, President of the Chamber of Commerce, is excited for this year’s Ball to commence.
“The Business Awards and Mermaid Ball are a tradition and event that we look forward to hosting each year,” he said. “As business owners, we’re so busy running our day-to-day operations that we sometimes forget to take the time to recognize and celebrate the success and efforts of our business community. These business leaders have taken risks and have made substantial investments in their respective businesses and their community.”
The theme of this year’s Mermaid Ball will be to celebrate the new lighthouse in Sylvan Lake and the mission of the Chamber of Commerce “is to encourage and promote a positive, balanced, vital economy and preserve the unique qualities which make Sylvan Lake a great place to live, work and do business.
The nominees for this year’s awards are:
Large Business of the Year – Best Body Fitness, Canadian Tire, Shoppers Drug Mart, Tim Hortons
Small Business of the Year – Adrenaline Motors, Al’s Bobcat + Trucking, Castaway Source for Sports, Clearview Glass Service Ltd., Fonda’s Plumbing, House of Music, Sylvan Lake Hockey Camp, Tao of Health
New Business of the Year – Bukwildz, The Chopped Leaf/Wok Box, Clean Conscience Recycling, Coldwell Banker Ontrack Realty, Magical Moments Inc., Saks Shoes, Sugarbelle Cakery Inc., The Place to Mortgage
Green Business of the Year – Western Mobile + Office Ltd., Woodchuck Roofing Ltd.
Customer Service Excellence Award - Adrenalin Motors, Bayshore Market, Bukwildz, Pet Planet, Print Wizards, Rapid Auto Solutions, RoyAl Glass, Sylvan Lake Autopro Inc.
Marketing Excellence Award - Adrenalin Motors, Bukwildz, Rainy Daze Medi Spa, Sylvan Lake Directory
Visitor Friendly Award - Bayshore Market, Bukwildz, Sylvan Lake Municipal Library
Business Woman of the Year - Colette Barker - Apple Building Systems Inc., Kjeryn Davis - Bukwildz and Viva La Sirena, Megan Epp - House of Music, Jessica Flynn - ATB Financial, Jennifer Goodall - Saks Shoes, Tamara Hughes - Rainy Daze Medi Spa
Young Entrepreneur Award - Tyson Czuy - Adrenalin Motors, Brody Wells - Alberta Flyboard Inc, Kjeryn Davis - Bukwildz and Viva La Sirena
Employee of the Year Award - Jessica Flynn- ATB Financial (Sylvan Lake), Erika Hanna - Adrenalin Motors, Linda Harp - Tim Hortons (Sylvan Lake), Elizabeth Lewis, Canadian Tire (Sylvan Lake), Dylan Marshall - Above and Beyond Roofing and Consulting, Dave Phillips - MGT Management Inc., Sarah Schumacher - Lapp Realty, Randi Squires - Bukwildz / Viva La Sirena
Citizen of the Year Award - Lenny Gallant, Diane Womacks
The winners will be named on October 21 at the Mermaid Ball and Business Awards. Tickets for the the show are completely sold out.
reporter@sylvanlakenews.com