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Okanagan businesses make top 5

The top five finalists for the 12th annual Small Business B.C. Awards have been announced, and several Okanagan businesses have made the list.

This year was the biggest yet for the competition, with more than 460 nominations received from 70 communities.

Eight local businesses made the top five in six categories, including Kelowna's CoreHealth Technologies.

“It is great news," said CoreHealth CEO Anne Marie Kirby.

The Kelowna company has 14 employees and has been around more than 10 years.

"We are a software development company, a local tech company, that develops software for employee wellness,” said Kirby. 

CoreHealth Technologies is one of the only companies to be recognized in two categories, making top five in both the Best Company and Best Workplace groups.

Kirby says their pitch will be ready to go for the final presentation on Feb. 11. “It would certainly be nice to say we are an award-winning company.”

Kelowna's Float Space also made the top five in the Emerging Entrepreneur category.

“It is a nice appreciation of our efforts,” says co-owner Dustin Erickson. “You know, I built this company while going to school full time and have done it day in and day out with no returns because I wanted to spread the good news of floating.”

Erickson says he knows exactly what he is going to say at his presentation in Vancouver. He wants to continue spreading education about the benefits of floating.  

To make it to the top five, nominated businesses first had to rally the support of their community and gather the most votes to make it through to the top 10, announced in December.

The businesses were then narrowed down by the judges to the top five in 10 categories.

The finalists will head to Vancouver Feb. 11 to present a Dragons' Den-style pitch to the judges in hopes of convincing them they should be named a B.C. best business.

Winners will be announced on Feb. 26 at the Small Business B.C. Awards Ceremony in Vancouver.

Okanagan businesses that made the top five include:

PREMIER'S PEOPLE'S CHOICE  

  • Firehall Brewery – Oliver
  • So Country Radio – Penticton

BEST COMPANY  

  • CoreHealth Technologies – Kelowna

BEST CONCEPT  

  • Nourish - Kelowna
  • Soil Mate – Kelowna

BEST EMERGING ENTREPRENEUR  

  • Float Space – Kelowna

BEST ONLINE MARKETER  

  • The Greenery Garden Centre – Kelowna

BEST WORKPLACE 

  • CoreHealth Technologies – Kelowna
  • Mel's Mainstreet Pizza & Pasta - Enderby

More information on the Small Business B.C. Awards can be found at www.sbbcawards.ca.



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