Valley First, a division of First West Credit Union, has announced the winners of the 2017 Fan Choice Awards. Of the hundreds of nominations received between Sept. 11 and Oct. 8, with top spots awarded to the local and independent small businesses that received the most votes from loyal community members and supporters.
“We were overwhelmed by the number of votes we saw in this year’s Fan Choice Awards,” says Marek Buryska, regional manager, business banking with Valley First. “It was gratifying to see so many community members advocate passionately on behalf of their favourite local businesses.
“Small business is important to British Columbians—in fact, it makes up nearly 54 per cent of private-sector employment in our province, which is above the national average of 49 per cent. Our business banking advisors work tirelessly to support the ambitions of these small business owners, and we’re proud to recognize their achievements through the Fan Choice Awards.”
Hosted on the Valley First and Enderby & District Financial Facebook pages, the Fan Choice Awards celebrate small- to medium-sized businesses located in the Okanagan, Similkameen and Thompson valleys that provide a product or service that is second to none. This year, more than 850 votes were cast in five categories: food and drink, health and wellness, retail, transportation and beauty.
Among the winning businesses is the Vernon-based Peacock and Lime Hair & Esthetics Studio, regarded as an industry leader in Vernon and known for their creativity and attention to detail. Says owner Maureen Sydney,
“We’d like to thank Vernon for their continued support,” says owner Maureen Sydney. “We are truly blessed and grateful to receive this award.”
This year’s winning businesses include:
Food and drink:
L’Oven Farm Fresh Food (West Kelowna)
Little City Merchant (Enderby)
Front Street Brasserie (Penticton)
Health and wellness:
The Hot Box Yoga (Kelowna)
Vernon Active Health (Vernon)
Penticton Yoga Therapy (Penticton)
Retail:
Lakehouse Home Store (Kelowna)
Courtyard Gallery (Enderby)
Doug’s Homestead (Hedley)
Transportation:
Scrub Captain (Kelowna)
Enderby Auto Body Ltd (Enderby)
The Bike Barn (Penticton)
Beauty:
Loyal Hair Therapy (Kelowna)
Peacock and Lime Hair & Esthetics Studio (Vernon)
Beauty Box Studio Inc (Summerland)
Valley First is a premier provider of banking, investment and insurance services for residents and businesses in the Okanagan, Similkameen and Thompson valleys. As a division of First West Credit Union, B.C.’s third-largest credit union has 54 branches and 39 insurance offices throughout the province.