The 20th Annual Business Excellence Awards took place on November 9th at the Pinnacle Hotel at the Pier in North Vancouver. Click here to see photos of the event.

There were six award categories including Community Contribution, Innovation, Service Excellence, Young Entrepreneur, Business Person of the the Year and Business of the Year.

This special event featured short films created by the Capilano University film students profiling each of the nominated businesses. In addition to raising the profile of the recipients in the community, the awards provide much deserved recognition to business entrepreneurs in our community.

Congratulations to our winners!

Community Contribution – Vancouver Adaptive Snow Sports

Since 1974, Vancouver Adaptive Snow Sports has provided snowboarding, sit-ski, stand-up skiing and advanced adaptive ski racing programs for children and adults of all ages with cognitive and/or physical disabilities on Grouse, Seymour and Cypress Mountains.  VASS removes barriers and enhances quality of life for disabled individuals through improved self-esteem, physical fitness, skill development and integration with able-bodied individuals.

Innovation – Novarc Technologies

With Novarc Technologies introduction of the world’s first collaborative welding robot, both employers and welders are benefiting from its integration into their place of work.  Benefits to employers include the ability to modernize pipe fabrication, increase capacity and solve high-skill labour shortages by pairing junior welders with the welding robot.  They are also able to assist senior welders who are now able to pair their expertise with welding automation technology to produce the highest quality welds more safely and efficiently by leaving the heavy lifting to the robot.

Service Excellence – Leah’s Automotive

Leah’s Automotive is a full-service auto and repair facility, specializing in Alfa Romeo, BMW and European car models.  Leah’s personalized service is geared towards the customer’s needs, budget, and vehicle knowledge.  Leah and her team pride themselves on having their customers leave with a better understanding of their vehicle than when they arrived.  Bonus services provided by Leah’s Automotive include door-to-door pick up, the All Girls Garage Program, customer appreciation days and more.

Young Entrepreneur – Eric Savics & Danny Hagge (Van Urban Timber)

Young entrepreneurship for this team started at age 9, when Eric began selling timber from his grandparent’s driveway on the North Shore.  The dream of expanding this business developed over the years, and in 2011 Van Urban Timber was founded by Danny & Eric.  Their intention to supply architecturally focused wood products and aid in their use has developed into providing in-house design, fabrication services, and finished wood products for sale in their showroom, with all pieces fashioned from tree to finished product.

Business Person of the Year – Bryce Eyton (Capilano Builders)

Born and bred on the North Shore, Capilano Builders’ success is fueled by their relationships with clients, partners and suppliers.  By placing their customers at the centre of everything they do, Capilano Builders has defined a better way to deliver home renovation projects – one that reflects the community and uniqueness of the individuals that live, work and play here, and one that allows them to give back to the community thought their continued support of Athletics for Kids and its annual Vegas Night Gala.

Business of the Year – ePact Network

ePACT is a software-as-a-service company focusing on providing a user-friendly system that works for the needs of its end users.  Users include organizations such as parks & recreation departments, sports organizations, associations, camps, schools, and municipalities.  After five years of growth and development, ePACT serves hundreds of organizations across Canada and the US, and has spread to every province and territory in Canada, every State in the US, and is in over 110 countries worldwide with just under one million family users.