A celebration of
Fernie's most excellent!

At the Fernie Chamber of Commerce, we acknowledge that local businesses, entrepreneurs, and community groups dedicate their time to growing their businesses, creating jobs, innovating, building community, and making Fernie an excellent place to work, live and play.

The 2024 Fernie Business Excellence Awards is a time to celebrate these accomplishments and those that have contribute in a meaningful way to our local economy, community, and social wellbeing.

Please join us in recognizing these businesses, organizations, and local legends by taking part in our online nomination survey. In order to be up for nomination, the business must be a Fernie Chamber member in good standing. Following the nomination survey period, nominees will be contacted to complete a nominee form which will be used by a panel of local judges to determine this year’s winners!

Join us on Thursday, October 24^th at Bayleaf Indian Fusion where the winners will be announced. This will be an evening of good times, good food, and good company!

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE
2024 AWARD RECIPIENTS!

Photo credit: Matt Kuhn | @mkuhnphoto

View gallery here

CITIZEN OF THE YEAR | Sponsored by The City of Fernie

Abi Moore

COMMUNITY GROUP OF THE YEAR | Sponsored by TD Bank

Elk Valley Family Society (winner)
Salvation Army
Uplift Association

NEW BUSINESS OF THE YEAR | Sponsored by Fernie Alpine Resort

Fernie Pharmacy
Ridgeline Physio (winner)
Tow-All Rentals

COMMUNITY TOURISM ACHIEVEMENT | Sponsored by Tourism Fernie

Fernie Brewing Co. (winner)
Fernie Trails Alliance
Wapiti Music Festival

EMPLOYER OF THE YEAR | Sponsored by College of the Rockies

Fernie Brewing Co. (winner)
Peacock Hospitality
Ski Base

ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY | Sponsored by Fernie Brewing Co.

Elk River Alliance
Wapiti Music Festival
Wildsight Elk Valley (winner)

BUSINESSPERSON OF THE YEAR | Sponsored by Claris Media

Jeff Johnson – Ski Base (winner)
Jeremiah Pauw – Peacock Hospitality
Penelope Simpson – Western Financial Group

OUTSTANDING CUSTOMER SERVICE | Sponsored by The Free Press

Barkside Pets (winner)
Lubers Express
Rooftop Coffee Roasters

YOUTH EMPLOYER AWARD | Sponsored by Western Financial Group

Elk Valley Dolphins Swim Club
GearHub (winner)
Rocky Mountain Chocolate

CHAMBER BUSINESS LEGACY AWARD | Sponsored by Columbia Basin Trust

Big Bang Bagels

FERNIE BUSINESS OF THE YEAR | Sponsored by TC Energy & Surerus Murphy Joint Venture

Barkside Pets
Local – Wildsight Elk Valley (winner)
Peacock Hospitality

PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD | Sponsored by Rockies Law

Fernie Strength Collective (winner)
Soco Soaps
Tow-All Rentals

How It All Works

Timeline

August 6 – September 5 General nominations open until Thursday, September 5 at 11:59pm

September 9 – 20 Nominees receive and complete their Nominee Form to be considered for award. (deadline is September 20 at 11:59 PM, Nominee Forms will not be accepted after this time)

September 10 – 25 People’s Choice Award opens for public voting

September 23 – October 4 Judging process begins by a panel of local judges* for Awards Categories (exceptions: People’s Choice, Citizen of the Year and Chamber Legacy)

September 24 – October 17 Tickets on sale

October 7 Finalists announced

October 24 Awards gala at Bayleaf Indian Fusion

*see Judging Process for details

Nominations

Anyone can nominate a business or individual for any award they feel meets the criteria outlined on the online Nomination Survey. All nominees from each category will be contacted once the nomination period closes and asked to complete a Nominee Form that will be used by the judges to determine the finalists and winners.

In 2023 the Fernie Chamber brought the judging process back to a panel of local judges comprised of: sponsors, past winners, community partners and Fernie Chamber of Commerce board of directors. We believe this is a balanced process, ensuring nominees receive a fair chance of becoming a finalist or recipient in their category by local authentication.

Exceptions to this process are Citizen of the Year and the Chamber Legacy Award – which will be judged by the Fernie Chamber board of directors.

Businesses and organizations nominated in all categories will be on the ballot for the People’s Choice award that the public will vote on in September.

Nomination poll is now closed

Judging Process

The following guidelines are used to maintain a balanced process, ensuring nominees receive a fair chance of becoming a finalist or recipient in their category:

A judging panel is responsible for judging the awards categories:
- The Fernie Chamber of Commerce Business Excellence Awards judging panel is made up of sponsors, past winners, community partners and Fernie Chamber of Commerce board of directors. This panel is responsible for nine (9) of the annual awards categories;
- The Chamber Business Legacy and The Citizen of the Year awards are determined by a judging panel comprised of the Fernie Chamber of Commerce board of directors;
- The People’s Choice award is determined by public vote.
The determination of finalists in each category (exceptions being: Citizen of the Year, Chamber Legacy and People’s Choice) is made solely by the Nominee Form submitted by the nominee.
In the case that a judging panel member encounters a conflict of interest, they will no longer be able to contribute to discussions related to that area of conflict.
In the case that a board member of the Chamber or a sponsor of the Business Excellence Awards receives a nomination, that company will be assessed fairly, without any favorable bias.

For each award category, the winner cannot have won in the previous year. Individuals who won last year are not eligible to win again in the same category this year.

Questions related to the judging process can be emailed to events@ferniechamber.com.