OLDS — The deadline to nominate businesses and employees for awards has been extended to Sept. 6.
Small Business Awards Committee chair Murray Elliott confirmed the extension. Initially, it had been Aug. 15.
The awards will be presented during the Olds & District Chamber of Commerce’s annual Small Business Awards gala this fall.
Elliott says the nominations are easy to fill out. That can be done online on the chamber website or on paper, with forms available at the Albertan office, where the chamber office is located.
Award categories are Business of the Year; Best New Business of the Year; President’s award; Innovation award; Youth Employee of the Year award; Community Spirit award; For Profit and Not For Profit, all in one; the Exceptional Customer Service award; and the People’s Choice award.
Celebrations of the community’s business achievements and service will begin Sept. 24 with the annual Business Beer & Blue Jeans evening from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Werklund Agriculture & Technology Centre on the Olds College of Agriculture and Technology campus.
During that occasion, the business awards finalists will be revealed.
This year, national Small Business Week occurs Oct. 20-26.
For the second year in a row, the Olds & District Chamber of Commerce will kick off observance of that week with breakfast at Cacio e Pepe Italian Bistro. That event runs from 7:30 a.m. until 9 a.m.
Speakers during that breakfast are expected to include mayor Judy Dahl, the town's chief administrative officer Brent Williams and Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills MLA Nathan Cooper.
The annual Small Business Awards Night, the highlight of the week, will be held on Oct. 24.
The banquet and awards ceremony will be held at the Royal Canadian Legion Branch #105 in Olds.
“It was a great event,” Elliott said.
He noted that tickets for that banquet are the same price as last year; $50.
