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Surrey Board of Trade Announces 2016 Surrey Business Excellence Award Winners

Surrey, B.C. – On Thursday, November 3, 2016, the Surrey Board of Trade recognized six of Surrey’s best businesses at the 18th Annual Surrey Business Excellence Awards, with Presenting Sponsors BDC – Business Development Bank of Canada Kwantlen Polytechnic University and TD Bank, and media sponsors GlobalTV, the Leader Newspaper and News 1130, with 400 people in attendance. Master of Ceremonies Jay Janower guided guests through the evening. Congratulations to the winners of the 2016 Surrey Board of Trade Surrey Business Excellence Awards!

“The Surrey Board of Trade focused on the strength and innovation within every entrepreneur to take an idea and use it as the foundation for building a business. They are inspirational – from the very small business to the large business to the not for profit service organization to the very innovative student entrepreneurs,” said Anita Huberman, CEO, Surrey Board of Trade.

The judging team’s evaluation assessed the following competencies: Organizational profile, Leadership, Strategy Development and Planning, Customer focus and market knowledge, Employee Learning and People Focus, Process Management, Supplier/Partner Focus, Community Involvement, Overall business performance. 

2016 Surrey Police Officer of the Year Award Winners:

1-10 Employees Award: Peninsula Strata Management Ltd.

Sponsored by the Port of Vancouver

Since 2012, Peninsula Strata Management has been a South Surrey based strata and property management company, priding itself on providing a customized style of strata & property management. They provide services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year to strata corporations and properties within the Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley. Their team of local licensed senior strata agents collectively possess decades of experience providing management services to residential, commercial, retail and industrial strata corporations in BC. They deliver exceptional customer service, superior value, proven leadership and integrity.

11-40 Employees Award: Innovative Fitness

Sponsored by Mansonville Plastics Group of Companies

Innovative Fitness opened in Surrey in 2006 and has since established itself as one of the leading personal fitness training organizations in North America. Innovative Fitness is a professional fitness training company that facilitates lifestyle management by challenging customers in the physical sphere and supporting them through the adversity in their training. In doing so, Innovative Fitness helps clients experience parallel victories in other aspects of their lives such as stress management, sleep deprivation, confidence, and self-esteem. Their primary service offering is in personal fitness training. From customer only facility access to pre-booked one-on-one training sessions with their training coaches, they take the boredom out of going to the gym and ensure long-term physical and mental results.

41+ Employees Award: Bottom Line Ventures Ltd.

Sponsored by MNP

Founded in 1992 with 1 store in Surrey, Bottom Line Ventures is now a multi-unit Subway franchisee owner-operator, which currently owns 14 restaurants in the Lower Mainland. Along the way, Bottom Line Ventures Ltd. has owned and operated 30 restaurants. Their innovation is in implementing training programs leading them to fill 100% of management positions with existing employees. They have groomed many front line workers to eventually take over the operations of the location. Over 24 years, Bottom Line Ventures has served on several boards of Subway, including the Subway Advertising Board of BC, Subway Franchisee Advisory Board of North America, and the North America Strategic Planning Board. Bottom Line Ventures has been recognized with hundreds of awards for its service to the Subway brand, including the 2000 and 2004 Franchisee of the Year Awards, and the 2005 Subway President’s Award.

New Business of the Year Award: Famoso Neapolitan Pizzeria – Guildford

Sponsored by: Century Group

Famoso Neapolitan Pizzeria defines what a pizzeria should be, serving authentic Neapolitan pizza in a warm and lively atmosphere. Famoso also serves artisan pastas, salads, and great appetizers. The Guilford location, which opened in 2015, operates a full service bar and serves up menu items that are not available at other locations. This autonomy has been granted to this location based on the proven track record of the co-owners. Their Neapolitan pizzas are made with the finest authentic ingredients – ’00’ flour and Campania tomatoes from Italy – and have a perfectly soft, moist centre with a thin, crisp, slightly charred crust. Cooked in a bell oven from Italy, their pizzas are prepared in the same way as pizza is made in Naples, Italy.

Not-for-Profit of the Year Award: Options Community Services

Sponsored by: Copytek Print Centre

Options Community Services has been committed to empowering individuals, supporting families and promoting community health for 47 years. They operate over 80 different services which include: Early Years Program, employment services, family and children’s intervention services, homeless services, housing and mental health supports, crisis line, services for immigrants, Stopping the Violence Programs, youth and school based services, and specialized counseling services. The name “Options” comes from their belief that for communities to be healthy, people need to have choices and opportunities to live their lives to its fullest potential. Options is accredited by the Council on Accreditation – a demonstration of their commitment to quality, client-centered services and their accountability to the community.

Business Person of the Year Award: Curtis Christopherson

Sponsored by Hamilton Duncan

In 2003, Curtis joined Innovative Fitness as a professional training coach. In no time, he owned the first Innovative Fitness franchise in South Surrey. Since the opening in 2006, Curtis quickly demonstrated his ability to lead a team of trainers. In 2010, Curtis was nominated as Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year as he took over the position of General Manager of Innovative Fitness. He worked alongside Matt Young and Jeff Sharpe, co-founders of Innovative Fitness, to oversee the entire business operations that included 3 corporate facilities and 4 franchises at the time. In 2012, Curtis Christopherson left his partnership at Innovative Fitness Corporate to advance his opportunities in the health & fitness industry. Although he still owns the most successful Innovative Fitness location (in South Surrey), he also founded and owns a Denver, Colorado company called RAD and has become a partner in a 24 year old business called Reflex Supplements in Surrey. Since his involvement with Reflex Supplements, the company has almost doubled in size and is now the most successful supplement retail chain in Western Canada.

The event also saw the 3rd Annual Corporate Social Responsibility Recognition Award, sponsored by CN, presented to Bottom Line Ventures Ltd. This award was created to recognize a business working to improve the lives of their employees and to enhance the civic environment in which they operate, through participation in community programs, partnerships with community organizations, volunteering, educational and/or environmental initiatives, and/or for creating a positive environment for employees.

The event took the form of an “Academy Awards” style dinner, and was held at the Sheraton Vancouver Guildford Hotel from 6:00 – 9:30 p.m.

For further information, please contact Anita Huberman, CEO of the Surrey Board of Trade, at 604.581.7130 or anita@businessinsurrey.com.