Small business is booming in BC. We are leading the country with over 382,000 small businesses and 55% of workers in the province employed by small businesses. It’s no wonder why we saw such a wide range of companies at the Small Business BC Awards Ceremony at the Pan Pacific.
Sponsored by some of our larger community friendly businesses like Telus and Vancity, the event started out with some networking and refreshments followed by the announcements of a multitude of awards, ranging from Best Concept to Best Employer.
Some of the notable award recipients include Best Concept winner, Soilmate and Best Emerging Entrepreneur, Float Space, both from Kelowna. Soilmate’s motto, “Know your farmer, know your food” focuses on promoting local farmers, raisers and producers to the communities in which they serve while Float Space offers a floatation experience that provides sensory deprivation to promote physical and mental well-being. Both concepts were innovative and inspiring because it’s clear there are still a lot of problems in our country left to be solved by aspiring entrepreneurs.
The final company of the night to walk home with a win was Infinity Enterprises Group, the parent company of La Cantina Tacos, known for their delicious taco joint in Whistler. Owner Pepe Barajas was extremely proud to win Best Immigrant Entrepreneur, claiming that Canada feels like home to him, other than the temperature. All in all the event was a great showcase of some of the growing talent we have in our province, and an inspiration to the Beedie Ambassadors that attended.
Brandon is in his final year studying Management & Technology and is pursuing a career that marries his passions in project management and technology. Currently, Brandon is participating in the tech entrepreneurship@SFU program developing an aerial imaging software business while doing consulting for small businesses part time. He loves his school, his community, and is excited for the future.