JAMES MILLER/Penticton Herald Steve King, voice of the Ironman, was the Master of Ceremonies at the Chamber of Commerce awards gala which this year had an Olympic theme. Here the host is flanked by Penticton royalty, from left, Kirsti Hack, Holly Anthony and Bryanna Phipps.
By JAMES MILLER Penticton Herald
Beth Campbell won the prestigious Business Leader of the Year award at the 22nd annual Penticton and Wine Country Chamber of Commerce Awards of Excellence gala, Saturday night at the Penticton Lakeside Resort. Campbell, the owner of the Best Western Inn for the past 30 years, was elected chair of Best Western International for 2010 by her hotelier peers. She also served as vice-chair of the provincial Capital Commission and was vice-chair of Tourism B.C. She also sat on Penticton‘s tourism advisory committee and the board for FortisBC. "It was a wonderful year and it‘s a new decade and I‘m so excited about the things that I‘m doing in my life right now," said Campbell in an interview with The Herald. She described the feeling of winning as "humbling and a wonderful honour" and praised her fellow nominees in the diverse category. Her recent appointment by Best Western International will be time consuming but she welcomes the challenge. "We are a global brand and it entails quite a lot of travel and ensuring that our global communities are well represented around the world and that our affiliates are working with our North American board to enhance the image of Best Western," she said. "We‘re looking at our grassroots at Best Western and getting back to the basics which is putting heads in beds." Campbell, who served on Penticton city council for 14 years including one term as mayor, laughed when asked if she‘s ever considered a political comeback. "I have to fulfill my term as a director at Best Western right now and my focus is on my business, at last for another three years... but I never say never." Valley First Credit Union won the Business of the Year Award. Starting in 1947 with 51 members and total assets of $938.26, it has since grown to have 16 branches, 45 employees and 47,000 members. Valley First recently completed a merger with Envision Financial and has become a division of the newly formed First West Credit Union. Earlier in the evening, two lifetime memberships were presented posthumously to the families of Harley Biddlecombe from Valley First and Rob Wylie of Salty‘s Beachhouse and Black Pearl Lounge. The two Penticton business leaders both died in 2009 leaving a legacy behind them of business excellence and innovation. In the history of the chamber there have only been 10 others presented with lifetime memberships. Other award winners include: • Colin Powell of Marketplace IGA won the Community Booster Award. His staff raised over $4,000 for United Way community partners over the past year. He also assisted the Rotary Okanagan Children‘s Festival, supplying food for the volunteers and performers as well as contributing financially. He provided the parking lot for the United Way‘s annual pumpkin sale and is a huge booster of the Penticton Vees. • The Penticton Lakeside Resort won the Hospital and Tourism Award. The hotel was honoured for its commitment to customer satisfaction. Owner David Prystay contributes to the community through supporting causes including Soundstage Productions, OSNS, Fest-O-Ale and Dry Grad. • Szabo Photography Co. won the Best Home Based Business Award. Since locating in Penticton in 1994, the member of the Professional Photographers Association of B.C. earned national accreditation for environmental wedding photography. In additional to international clients, his list locally includes the City of Penticton, BC Children‘s Miracle Network, Sumac Ridge, RPB Hotels and Resorts and Magic 97. • Pattison Sign Group won the Industrial Business Award. The company, which has been in Penticton for seven years, was praised for their safety record and environmentally friendly solutions to waste and by-products. The company supports continuing education and encourages its employees to become involved with community events. • Guerard‘s Fine Furniture, a family-owned business since 1945, won the Retail Service Business Award. Guerard‘s accolades include adapting to changing market trends and thinking "outside the box" with ideas such as offering a January blow-out sale before Christmas. They‘ve expanded to an online store for customer convenience and renovated the showroom with murals on each wall depicting the history of Penticton‘s downtown. • Bellevue Cafe, located in downtown Penticton, won the Best New Business Award. Over the past year they doubled the floor space and created a unique patio in their alleyway. The inside decor includes vibrant works by local artists and ownership is a strong supporter of arts in the community. • Rene Carloni, the 29-year-old owner of The Mortgage Centre, won the Young Entrepreneur Award. In a relatively short period of time he has nine employees and recently opened a second office. In addition to extensive charity work, Carloni serves on the Downtown Penticton Association and is active with the Skaha Rotary Club as treasurer. • Retired Miss Penticton Neetu Garcha won the Young Citizen of the Year Award. In addition to extensive volunteer work, during her year as Miss Penticton she travelled to Ikeda, Japan as a friendship ambassador. For her accomplishment she won a $1,500 education grant from FortisBC. She plans on pursuing a career in broadcast journalism.
