Photo: Contributed

The Penticton and Wine Country Chamber of Commerce has announced finalists for its 36th annual Business Excellence Awards.

The awards aim to celebrate "outstanding achievements and recognizes the invaluable contributions of businesses and individuals to our vibrant community," according to the organization.

After the nomination and selection process, these are the finalists in alphabetical order across ten award categories:

Marketing & Communications sponsored by Downtown Penticton Business Improvement Association

• DogLeg Marketing & Business Solutions
• Graphically Hip
• Total Restoration Service

Hospitality Excellence sponsored by Travel Penticton

• Barley Mill Brew Pub
• Eskala Mountain Sports
• Penticton Speedway

Not-For-Profit Excellence sponsored by Omland Heal Chartered Accountants

• Animal Lifeline Emergency Response Team (ALERT)
• Community Foundation of the South Okanagan
• Downtown Penticton Business Improvement Association

Community Support Excellence sponsored by Penticton Western News

• IGA Penticton
• Parker’s Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram
• Valley First, a division of First West Credit Union

Service Excellence sponsored by Kettle Valley Memorial

• Ascend Salon
• Okanoggin Barbers Ltd.
• The Concorde Assisted Living Residence

Workplace Culture Excellence sponsored by South Okanagan Immigrant & Community Services

• OneSky Community Resources
• Penticton Art Gallery
• South Okanagan Similkameen Brain Injury Society

New Business of the Year sponsored by Valley First, a division of First West Credit Union

• Abandoned Rail Brewing Co.
• The HUB on Martin
• Wordplay Therapy Services

Young Professional of the Year sponsored by JCI Penticton & Seven Elk Shipping Inc.

• Shayna Laird, Penticton Chiropractic & Co.
• Paige Schulz, Travel Penticton
• Derek Adduono, Red Bag

Business Leader of the Year sponsored by TD Canada Trust

• Jane Long-Haggerty, Long-Haggerty Chartered Professional Accountant Inc.
• Alexis Esseltine, Tin Whistle Brewing Co.
• Vanessa Jahnke, PURE Gym

Business of the Year sponsored by Community Futures Okanagan Similkameen

• Blaze King
• Long-Haggerty Chartered Professional Accountant Inc.
• Secure-Rite Mobile Storage

Over 120 nominations were submitted in less than a month. An awards gala where the winners will be announced will be held on Oct. 14 at the Penticton Lakeside Resort, with an old-Hollywood theme of "Lights, Camera, Excellence."

Early-bird pricing is available until Sept. 25. More information and registration can be found online here.

The awards are presented by Total Restoration.