2025 Nanaimo Business Awards

 

• Exceptional Businesses
• Your Favourite Business
• Leaders & Achievers
• Self Nominate

1. Retailer
Sponsored by: 
2024 Winner: A Vivid Edge Salon

• This award is given to a business that offers excellence in retail through presentation of a unique concept, an intriguing environment, unique products and/or services and consistent delivery of high-value service.

2. Food & Beverage
Sponsored by: 
2024 Winner: Red's Bakery 

• The Food & Beverage award recognizes hospitality businesses that consistently demonstrate excellence in food service, quality, and presentation. Customers feel special and staff feel safe and supported.

3. Health & Wellness
Sponsored by: 
2024 Winner: Nanaimo Hospice Society 

• The Health & Wellness award goes to a favourite clinic that seems to always go above and beyond. Such as an alternative health care provider, pharmaceutical, natural/homeopath, RMT, physio, or chiropractor with service second to none.

• The Personal & Aesthetic Services award includes anything that makes you look and feel good. This award reflects spas, hair stylists, nail technicians, personal trainers, tailors, estheticians, make-up artists etc.

• The Creative Services award recognizes digital creative services such as graphic designers, photographers, videographers, web designers, social media influencers. And the Arts in the form of dance, theatre, drawing, clay, painting etc.– and anything else in this field that fits!

• This award is for businesses in banking, finance, investment, accounting, insurance, consulting, or other professional services, whom will be recognized for their product and service range, industry knowledge, and expertise.        

 7. Property Developers
Sponsored by: 
2024 Winner: Harbourview Districts

• This award goes to a diverse selection Property developers, designers, and builders. These unsung heroes, enable the Nanaimo community to grow and prosper.

• Honours a business that creates a culture that supports work/life balance. Demonstrates support and care for employee’s parental needs such as job sharing, option to work from home or flexibility when family matters arise. Staff and owners demonstrate an inclusive attitude towards families with young children for both employees and customers. Provides assistance and support to employees with aging seniors. 

• If you are under 40 – this award is for you! Young entrepreneurs have what it takes to make it in business – a good idea, vision, and understanding of their marketplace and the unique qualities of a successful business operator – passion, drive, energy, and creativity.

• This award recognizes businesses with up to 10 employees. This includes startups, entrepreneurs, and businesses who’ve entered into this business movement. 

• Small & Medium Enterprise targets businesses with 11-99 employees. This award gives recognition of businesses with a vision and demonstrated capacity for sustainable growth, engagement in innovative practices, demonstrating outstanding performance in their field.

• This award recognizes a company in any industry for excellence as a business who engages in innovative practices, is outstanding as a pioneer in their field and are focused on positively impacting the community through more than their workforce weight. These business show promise for growth and increased positive stimulus as a community economic driver.

• The Community Builder of the Year Award honours a business, non-profit organization, or public sector agency that demonstrates a commitment to the community beyond their usual business practices; has a long-term desire to build diverse, inclusive and balanced communities; makes a sustainable and tangible impact in the region; and displays a clear commitment to social responsibility.

• These are the people who take your dreams and ideas from paper and turn them into reality: contractors, builders, electricians & plumbers, roofers, carpenters, you get the gist. 

• Recognize Indigenously owned and operated businesses – ground breakers or long-standing operations. We’re looking forward to many nominations demonstrating the diversity of our community

16. People’s Choice
Sponsored by:  
2024 Winner: Junk In Our Trunk

• This award will go to any business who YOU think deserves it! 

17. Not-For-Profit
Sponsored by: 
2024 Winner: Nanaimo Hospice Society 

• This award is presented to a registered not-for-profit organization which, through its activities and initiatives creates tangible benefits to individuals and/or the community at large which demonstrates ongoing achievements for the well-being of those it directly involves. 

18. Innovation Award
Sponsored by: 
2024 Winner: Kitties & Cream

• The award honours a business that has developed a process, product or service that is original and contributes to profitability and/or market share. This is demonstrated through the use of science and/or technology to create a business that is original or unique; shows a high degree of originality, creativity.

19. Women in Business
Sponsored by: 
2024 Winner: Desiree Pahl of Acclaim Celtic Dancers 

• The Women in Business Award honours a female who is the founder, CEO, President, or Senior Executive of a company who exhibits business leadership and vision; displays a significant commitment to the success of both their business and the region as a whole; serves as a positive role model or mentor for other business people; and exemplifies professional behaviour maintaining an upstanding reputation in the business community and region as a whole.

20. New Business of the Year 
Sponsored by: 
2024 Winner: Acclaim Celtic Dancers

• This award is presented to a new business in operation for not more than three (3) years. This business is recognized for its excellence in the areas of management, branding, marketing, product development and quality, staff training and customer service.

• This award celebrates an organization that demonstrates exceptional dedication to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion within their business and the broader community. It recognizes champions who move beyond rhetoric, showcasing unwavering support for underrepresented or marginalized groups through tangible actions and enduring initiatives.

• This award honours a downtown business that has demonstrated exceptional resilience, adaptability, and commitment to excellence while navigating unique challenges of operating on Nanaimo's core. This business has shown unwavering dedication to its customers, employees, and the revitalization of downtown. The award celebrates innovation, perseverance, and the ability to thrive while contributing to the vibrancy and growth of the downtown core.