Nomination forms for business awards now available

Although the Fort Frances Chamber of Commerce’s annual business awards won’t be held until March 29, the public is now welcome to nominate who they think are the most deserving businesses.
And Chamber co-ordinator Dawn Booth said yesterday organizers are trying to get as many people as possible to vote this year.
“The ads for the business awards are actually nomination forms people can fill out and enter. Hopefully, it will encourage people to nominate,” she remarked.
“Nominations forms are available at the Chamber office right now.
“I haven’t had a chance to get them out to other places in the community yet,” Booth added. “They should also be available out in the district within the next few days.”
She noted people also can vote on the Chamber’s Web site at www.fortfranceschamber.com
Booth said while the Chamber only recently found a final sponsor for the last award that needed one, there’s still time to promote the banquet and nominations, the deadline for which is March 8.
“We were waiting to find a sponsor for Employee of the Year and it looks like it’s going to be the West End Weekly,” Booth said.
Canada Post is going to sponsor that award for the private sector, so the West End Weekly will be sponsoring Employee of the Year for the non-for-profit category.
Other award categories, the winners of which will be honoured at the banquet slated March 29 at the Fort Frances Curling Club, include:
•Business of the Year (1-15 employees)—B-93 FM;
•Business of the Year (16+ employees)—Bell Canada;
•Training and Adjustment—Northwest Training and Adjustment Board;
•Abitibi-Consolidated Safety Award (business and individual)—Abitibi-Consolidated;
•Customer Service Award (business)—BDO Dunwoody;
•Customer Service Award (individual)—Good Impressions Printing;
•Entrepreneur of the Year—Rainy River Future Development Corp.; and
•Tony Beyak Memorial Volunteer of the Year—Chamber of Commerce.
The latter is new to the nomination process this year. It was awarded to Doug Cain at last year’s banquet, but being a “last-minute award” decided by the Chamber, it was not listed on the nomination forms.
Beyak was a former president of the Fort Frances Chamber of Commerce who passed away suddenly last year.
For more information on nominations or the awards banquet, call Booth at 274-5773 or drop by the Chamber office at 474 Scott St. (across from Canada Safeway).