The 25th Anniversary of the Black Tie Awards rolled out the red carpet at the Chemainus Theatre Festival on April 11 to honour local business owners and other recipients. Guests out-did their Sunday best in fine fashion for the Friday night festivities, while the feeling of pride and the sound of light jazz filled the air.
Chamber of Commerce president David van Deventer reminded all how fortunate we are to be Canadian in these times as he led everyone in a patriotic and powerful national anthem. He and Sonja Nagel who were the Masters of Ceremonies for the evening.
Awarded number one in the 'Exceptional Customer Experience' category was Brunch on 3rd. Other nominees in this category were Central Cowichan Animal Hospital and Outlooks Menswear.
The 'Volunteer of the Year' award went to Carol-Ann Rolls who has given her time to organizations like Cowichan Green Community and many more. The other two nominees were Michael Lee, and Shelly Vaags.
The winner of the 'Arts and Culture' award went to the Chemainus Theatre Festival. The other two nominees were the Cowichan Public Art Gallery and the Cowichan Valley Arts Council.
This year's winner of the 'Environmental Excellence Award' went to Holocene Distilling Project. The other nominees were Inherit Designs Landscaping and The Tube Shack.
This year's 'Young Entrepreneur' winners were Patrick and Jessica Whelan owners of Rewild Homes. Other nominees were owners Kara Lucas of Federal Fire Protection Inc., and Cici Shen of Owl's Nest.
Taking care of Business Excellence: the winner of the '1 to 5 Employees Category' was Jane Spencer of Fabrications. Other nominees were Cowichan Wastewater Plus Inc., and Style Sense Furniture. Taking the win for the '6 to 19 Employees' category was plentiFILL Refillery & Sustainable Living Inc. In the running were Hank's Bakery and Jollity Farm Shop. For the '20 + Employees' category taking the honour was the Old Farm Market. Fellow nominees included Best Western Plus Chemainus, and Creative Woodcraft.
There were two new categories for this year's Black Tie Awards including the 'New Business Award', which went to Flourish Kitchen. The two others nominated were Vancouver Island Professional Restoration LTD., and Taoh Wellness. The event's inaugural 'Community Builder Award' was 89.7 Sun FM who prove they are always dialed into the needs of the community. Their annual 'Stuff the Truck' event provides tons of food for those in need.
Speaking of nourishing the food needs of the community, Nourish Cowichan co-founder Fatima Da Silva, who has made an immeasurable impact in the community, was the recipient of the '2024 Lifetime Achievement Award.'
"I was raised to believe that we all have a place in community," said Da Silva as she accepted her award. "We need to rise and do the best we can for youth and the people around us. I'm so grateful for this community that has taken me in, and the opportunity to do the best I could to represent it."
