WINNERS ANNOUNCED FOR THE 22ND BLACK TIE AWARDS

The 22^nd Black Tie Awards streamed live on YouTube from the Chemainus Theatre on the evening of Tuesday, May 4^th.  This was the first time the popular awards celebration, which was originally postponed in April 2020 due to the emerging pandemic, was presented in a virtual format. 27 Finalists and 10 Award Recipients (listed in the attached by award category) were honoured throughout the course of the ceremony, which in many ways, held particular poignancy given the ongoing economic challenges resulting from the pandemic. 
    

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CHAMBER PARTNERS WITH CHEMAINUS THEATRE ON VIRTUAL BLACK TIE AWARDS ON MAY 4TH, 2021

In March of 2020, the Chamber made the difficult but necessary decision to postpone the 2020 Black Tie Awards in the face of the global coronavirus pandemic.  The biennial event, celebrating excellence in business and volunteerism, was scheduled to take place at the Cowichan Performing Arts Centre on Friday, April 17^th, 2020.  However, with anticipated attendees numbering over 400 and provincial health orders placing a ban on large public gatherings, postponement was the only option.  With the recent marking of the one-year anniversary since the pandemic was declared, and the (near) future of public gatherings still under debate, the Chamber has decided to proceed with a virtual award celebration.
 

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CHAMBER POSTPONES BLACK TIE AWARDS AMIDST COVID-19 CONCERNS

The Duncan Cowichan Chamber of Commerce has made the decision to postpone all events through to the middle of April.  This includes the Black Tie Awards, which was schedule to take place at the Cowichan Performing Arts Centre on April 17^th with anticipated attendance of over 400 people.  This decision comes following an appeal from BC’s Health Minister earlier this week,  urging the cancellation of all events in which more than 250 people are gathered.

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VERIDIS AND PD STOVER TEAM UP ON AWARD SPONSORSHIP FOR BLACK TIE

The Chamber is delighted to announce that Veridis Plumbing & Heating and PD Stover Professional Corporation, will be joining forces to sponsor the Business Achievement 6-19 Employees category for the Black Tie Awards 2020.  This is the first time in the event’s 23 year history that an award category has been co-sponsored.
 

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CVRD SPONSORS GREEN BUSINESS CATEGORY FOR BLACK TIE AWARDS 2020

The Cowichan Valley Regional District is once again partnering with the Chamber in support of the Green Business category for the Black Tie Awards 2020. 

“The Cowichan Valley Regional District is honoured to continue its sponsorship of the Green Business Award” says CVRD Chair, Aaron Stone. “Our region is profoundly aware of the challenges ahead in dealing with climate change and is committed to finding ways to move forward collectively and proactively. Cowichan businesses are highly innovative in this regard and this award is one way for us to recognize those businesses that are leading the way in forging a sustainable, resilient and economically prosperous future for us all.”
 

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CHAMBER'S BLACK TIE NOMINEES ANNOUNCED AFTER RECORD-BREAKING 217 NOMINATIONS FROM THE COMMUNITY

Nominations for the Chamber’s 23rd Black Tie Awards came to a close at midnight on Friday, January 31^st.  A flourish of submissions in the final two days brought the total number of nominations to a staggering 217, far surpassing the Chamber’s previous record of 155 nominations in the 2018 award year.

The Black Tie Awards were founded in 1996 on the Customer Service Award and, as per previous years, this category remains the most popular representing 29% of the total nominations for 2020.  Next up is the new Non-Profit Organization category which came in at 18%, followed by Young Entrepreneur at 13%.

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COWICHAN WOODWORK SPONSORS ART IN BUSINESS CATEGORY FOR THE BLACK TIE AWARDS 2020

The Chamber is delighted to welcome Cowichan Woodwork Ltd. as this year’s sponsor for the Art In Business category for the Black Tie Awards.  This well-known local business was the award recipient for the same category in 2014.

“We were so honoured to receive the Art In Business Award in 2014.  The opportunity to sponsor the category for this year’s award celebrations, sort of brings the experience full circle for us” says Owner, Gordon Smith.  “There are so many creative and artistic members of the Cowichan business community.  We’re looking forward to celebrating the unique contributions this year’s nominees bring to the table”.

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PENINSULA CO-OP SPONSORS VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR AWARD AT BLACK TIE 2020

Peninsula Co-op is once again joining the Chamber in supporting the Black Tie Awards by sponsoring the Volunteer of the Year category.  The cooperative has seen great success in their 60 years of growth on the Island, returning nearly $10 million to its member-owners, in both cash back and equity in last year’s rebate.  No stranger to giving back, Peninsula has also contributed $600,000 to charities, community groups, student scholarships, capital projects and initiatives in the past year.

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COWICHAN GREEN COMMUNITY DECLINES NOMINATION TO SPONSOR NON-PROFIT AWARD

The Duncan Cowichan Chamber is introducing a new award category for Non-Profit Organizations at this year’s Black Tie celebrations.  The new award recognizes a non-profit society or charitable organization for outstanding contributions to the community, demonstrating innovation, engagement and impact through their projects, programs and services.  With one of the highest number of non-profit organizations per capita in B.C., Cowichan is home to countless candidates worthy of the honour, and the Chamber has been receiving a steady stream of public nominations to prove it. 

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PUDGE BAWA TO BE HONOURED WITH LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

The Duncan Cowichan Chamber is pleased to announce that Pudge Bawa will be honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award at The Black Tie Awards in April. Born and raised in Cowichan, Mr. Bawa’s many contributions to the community – both as a business man and volunteer – are prolific.  His company Marpole Transport Ltd., now managed by his son Rajin, is the largest Vancouver Island based trucking and transport operation. With a fleet of 135 trucks and more than 200 employees, the company has expanded over the years to include terminals in Delta and Abbotsford, serving the Western United States and Western Canada, all the way north to the Yukon. 

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LONDON DRUGS SPONSORS CUSTOMER SERVICE AWARD

The Duncan Cowichan Chamber is once again delighted to welcome London Drugs as the exclusive sponsor for the Customer Service category for The Black Tie Awards 2020.  The Customer Service Award recognizes an individual who demonstrates excellence in customer service, by being ready and willing to help, going above and beyond the call of duty, and always doing so with a smile.  Black Tie was founded in 1996 on the Customer Service Award, which remains the most popular of the nine award categories, and will receive an anticipated 30% of the total nominations for the 2020 award year.

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ISLAND SAVINGS PRESENTS BLACK TIE AWARDS 2020, NOMINATIONS OPEN

The Duncan Cowichan Chamber will be hosting The Black Tie Awards on April 17, 2020 and is now accepting nominations for deserving businesses and individuals across the Cowichan Valley.  The Black Tie Awards, now in its 22^nd awards year, began as an annual event and is now held biennially.  It is the region’s most prestigious awards ceremony, recognizing business excellence and volunteerism.  Island Savings is, once again, reprising its role as Presenting Partner for the event, and will also be sponsoring the Business Achievement, 1-5 Employees award category. 

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