Surrey Board of Trade announced winners of the 2021 Surrey Business Excellence Awards during a virtual gala on Thursday evening (Nov. 4).
The “Resiliency Edition” event celebrated eight award winners including Dr. Ryan D’Arcy, named Business Person of the Year.
Awardees in other categories were Surrey Digital Printing, Jacob Bros Construction, PED Education Inc., Phoenix Drug & Alcohol Recovery and Education Society, The Teal-Jones Group, LIVE WELL Exercise Clinic and Platinum Pro-Claim Restoration.
On Dec. 1, a “Winners’ Reception and Year End Celebration” will be held at Sheraton Vancouver Guildford Hotel, for both 2020 and 2021 Surrey Business Excellence awardees.
Thursday’s digital broadcast, emceed by Jay Durant, included “virtual networking” and entertainment sponsored by Trans Mountain Corporation. Featured in video presentations, finalists in the eight categories were revealed in September.
CLICK HERE to read the gala program.
D’Arcy is co-founder, president and Chief Scientific Officer of HealthTech Connex, a neuro-technology company focused on brain vitality and “cutting-edge innovations and services for immediate impact on health improvements and neurological performance,” according to a biography.
“D’Arcy is “a passionate neuroscientist, academic professor, entrepreneur, and innovative thought leader who has been instrumental in driving B.C.’s neuroscience and neuro-technology industry. His extensive experience in translational neuro-imaging has resulted in more than 274 published works, $100M in funding investment for health technology innovation and several breakthrough biotechnology products to market.”
Platinum Pro-Claim Restoration won the Surrey Environment and Business Award, for being “a full-service fire and water damage restoration company committed to providing excellent service, while applying sustainable business practices to their organization.”
Winner of the Surrey Innovation Award was LIVE WELL Exercise Clinic, an “ultra-private gym” established in 2011. “Their clinically supervised, small-group sessions are customized to their member’s needs and are fun, social and inspiring,” a bio says.
The Surrey International Trade Award went to Teal-Jones Group, a multi-generational family-owned company that began in 1946 and is now the largest privately-owned timber harvesting and primary lumber product manufacturing company in B.C., employing more than 1,000 people. Following the fire that decimated Lytton earlier this year, The Teal-Jones Group donated enough lumber to rebuild 50 homes and buildings – about a half-million board feet,” a bio notes.
Phoenix Drug & Alcohol Recovery and Education Society won the Not-for-Profit Resilience award for being a multi-service agency “dedicated to providing accessible services and opportunities to people who face barriers related to addiction, mental health, housing, education, criminal justice involvement and/or employment.”
Jacob Bros Construction won the Business Resilience award for companies with 41-plus employees. When the pandemic hit, Jacob Bros “decided that there was a duty to employees to provide financial security.” The company redeployed staff to project sites “where acceleration of work was possible, incented clients to continue with work by discounting pricing, and elected to self-perform more work.”
Surrey Digital Printing won in the Business Resilience category for 11-40 employees. “Surrey Digital Printing originally opened as a three-person blueprint shop,” says a bio. “When the pandemic struck, they had two key goals: to keep all staff employed and to be as convenient as possible for their clients. They achieved these goals by creating an online store and keeping their retail location open.”
The Business Resilience award for companies with 10 or fewer employees was given to PED Education Inc., which offers nursing foot-care services for seniors, focusing on mitigating diabetes, vascular disease and the early detection of other foot complications that impair mobility. Also, PEDEd educates clients on foot health “so that their clients can maintain a higher level of independence while also connecting them with other health-related services.”
Presenting sponsors of the 23rd annual Surrey Business Excellence Awards were Grant Thornton LLP and TD Bank, along with media sponsors Surrey Now-Leader, CKNW and Global BC.
Award sponsors were EXP Services Inc., FortisBC, Hamilton Duncan, the Health and Technology District, Kwantlen Polytechnic University, LIVE WELL Exercise Clinic, MNP and the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority.
“The Surrey Board of Trade realized that these past two years have been incredibly difficult for Surrey’s business community, but they have also brought the community together in a way we haven’t seen before,” said Anita Huberman, CEO of Surrey Board of Trade.
For the awards event, “a focus was again made on business resiliency and a sense of community. They are inspirational – from the very small business to the large business to the not for profit service organization.”
tom.zillich@surreynowleader.com
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