Award nominee deadline coming up

With the deadline coming up this Friday (Oct. 6), it’s still not too late to pick up forms and nominate individuals and businesses for the Fort Frances Chamber of Commerce’s 11th-annual business awards.
Chamber manager Dawn Booth said yesterday about 25 nomination forms have come in so far.
She added there’s been at least two nominees for each category, except for the safety and accessibility awards. A minimum of three for each category is preferred.
While the nomination deadline has been pushed back in the past, organizers do not want to have to do that this year due to all the planning involved in the awards gala.
For example, Shaw Cable needs to know who the nominees are in order to go around and tape segments in the few weeks prior to the banquet.
Nomination forms are available at the Chamber office (474 Scott St.), as well as at various locations around the district.
They also can be downloaded from the Chamber’s website at www.fortfranceschamber.com
The winners will be announced at the Chamber’s business awards banquet, which will take place Oct. 28 at La Place Rendez-Vous.
This year’s award categories include Business Woman of the Year, the Town of Fort Frances Accessibility Advisory Committee Accessibility Award, and the Lifetime Achievement Award (the latter of which is restricted to individuals—not businesses—this time around).
The list continues with Business of the Year (1-15 employees), Business of the Year (16+ employees), Employee of the Year, and Entrepreneur of the Year.
Rounding out the categories are the Abitibi-Consolidated Safety Award (business and individual), Customer Service (business and individual), and the Tony Beyak Memorial Volunteer of the Year Award.
Booth again said although this is the Fort Frances Chamber of Commerce’s awards gala, all district businesses are eligible for nomination and, in fact, many businesses from Emo, Rainy River, and other communities have won awards in past years.
She noted those who fill out nomination forms must include a brief description of why they’re nominating that individual or business, but added the nomination process doesn’t actually take very much time.
A record 96 individuals and businesses were nominated in 13 categories last year which, when combined with the various past award winners invited to attend, made for a crowd of more than 200 people at the Rendez-Vous.