2014 Small Business BC Award Winners

Christina Platt, Bamboletta Dolls | BCBusiness
Christina Platt (back row, second from right) and some of the “mamas” from Bamboletta Dolls. Bamboletta won Best Community Impact in this year’s awards.

The annual awards gala crowns eight new winners

Tonight Small Business BC held its annual awards gala—previously known as the Successful You Awards—and crowned eight B.C. companies with titles ranging from Best Community Impact to Best Online Marketer. The selection committee received 417 nominations this year, which Small Business BC says is a 122 per cent increase over last year’s competition.

Eligible small businesses must have fewer than 50 employees, and judges look for those that are making significant contributions to their local communities and to the global economy.

After nominations opened on October 1, 2013, businesses had two months to solicit votes from the public to earn a spot in the competition’s next round. On December 13, after tallying 37,650 votes, Small Business BC announced the top 10 businesses in each category, which would remain in the competition and move onto the formal judging process.

On January 30, after reviewing secondary applications from the top 10 in each category, a panel of judges whittled down the list to five finalists in each category. Each category has its own panel of six judges, representing a broad spectrum of the province’s businesses.  

BCBusiness caught up with a couple of this year’s winners to look at what makes a small business a big player in our province. Read more about Best Community Impact winner, children’s doll company Bamboletta Dolls and its founder Christina Platt; plus, check out what Best Concept Winner Medeo Corp.’s CEO Ryan Wilson has to say about his company, which connects physicians and patients through a teleconferencing platform.

Best Company

•    AZ World Translation & Interpretation, North Vancouver
•    burger55, Penticton
•    Fitness on the Go, Vancouver
•    Everybody Loves Rewards Inc. (Save Everyday), Vancouver
•    ToursByLocals, Vancouver


Best Community Impact

•    Bamboletta Dolls Ltd., Cowichan Bay
•    The Green Kiss, Victoria
•    On the Farm Country Market, Squamish
•    Save Everyday, Vancouver
•    Skipper Otto’s Community Supported Fishery, Vancouver

Best Concept

•    Float House, Vancouver
•    Medeo Corp., Vancouver
•    Roam Mobility, Vancouver
•    Thank You Products, Campbell River
•    Vancouver Tumblebus, Port Coquitlam

Best Green Business

•    Aspenware Inc., Vernon
•    Eclipse Awards International Inc., Vancouver
•    Green Chair Recycling, Vancouver
•    Natural Pod, Vancouver
•    Watertiger, Vancouver

Best Employer

•    BikeHike Adventures, Vancouver
•    Coastal Trademark Services Ltd., Vancouver
•    Fully Managed Inc., Vancouver
•    Neutron Factory Works, Delta
•    Williams and White, Burnaby

Best International Trade Business

•    Fruiticana Produce Ltd., Surrey
•    Herbaland Naturals Inc., Richmond
•    Kahuna Paddle Boards, Whistler
•    Williams and White Equipment, Burnaby
•    Xanatos Marine Ltd., North Vancouver

Best Online Marketer

•    The Bench, Kamloops
•    Main Street Communications, Maple Ridge
•    Make It Productions Inc., Vancouver
•    Mason Industries, Surrey
•    West Coast Thrift, Nanaimo

Best Workplace

•    CCN Bikes, North Vancouver
•    Cucumber Marketing, Vancouver
•    i-worx Enterprises Inc., North Vancouver
•    The Oracle, Whistler
•    Homeroom Small Business Solutions, Vancouver