Sooke Celebrates 2023
Welcome to the 2023 Business Excellence Awards: Celebrating Sooke Excellence!
Click the button above to nominate your favourite Sooke businesses for the 2023 Business Excellence Awards!
Voting begins Sept 20, 2023.
Information on the 2023 awards show below.
About the 2023 awards show
Welcome to “Sooke Celebrates”! Join us on November 18, 2023, from 7 pm to 10 pm at the EMCS Community Theatre for the Sooke Region Chamber of Commerce 2023 Business Excellence Awards.
Enjoy a classy jazz performance by West Coast Cabaret and hilarious comedy from former Sooke resident Kevin Banner. The event will include beer and wine sales, along with free small hors d’oeuvres. Let’s celebrate the outstanding businesses and individuals that contribute to the Sooke region’s success.
Ticket Sales begin in October. Members get the first opportunity to buy.
Please recognize the following sponsors who are generously supporting the 2023 event of the year!
Salish Sea Sponsor: Business of the Year
Sooke Hills Sponsor: NEW Business of the Year
Rainforest Sponsor:
People’s Choice Trophy
Orca Sponsor:
Professional Services Category
Sea Lion Sponsor:
Business to Business Category
Otter Sponsor:
Not-for-Profit and Volunteer Services Category
Otter Sponsor:
Trades and Skilled Labour Category
Otter Sponsor:
Retail Services Category
Otter Sponsor: Artisinal Catagory
Otter Sponsor:
Manufacturing Category
Otter Sponsor:
Dining Category
Otter Sponsor:
Hospitality Category
Congratulations to the 2022 Business Excellence Award recipients!
Photo by Marleen Kiral, Almostronaut Creative
The following local businesses were recognized as the top three leading in their category, with first-place winners receiving a trophy.
Business of the Year, sponsored by CHEK Media
- 1st Bad Dog Brewery
- 2nd SFRS Thrift store
- 3rd The Artisan’s Garden
New Business of the Year, sponsored by EnerTech Solutions Ltd.
- 1st India Delight Bistro & Bar
- 2nd Gadget Tree Tech Services
- 2nd Sasquatch Pizza
People’s Choice, sponsored by Home Hardware
- 1st SFRS Community Thrift Store
- 2nd Bad Dog Brewing Company
- 3rd Stick in the Mud
Trades and Skilled Labour, sponsored by Stick in the Mud Coffee House
- 1st West Coast Tire & Wheel Ltd
- 2nd Dumont Tires Ltd / Sooke Tirecraft
- 3rd Squeeky Clean Window and Gutters
- 3rd WestCom Plumbing & Gas
Business Services, sponsored by Aragon Development Corp.
- 1st Sooke Fax & Copy Centre
- 2nd Meanwhile in Sooke
- 3rd CHEK Media
Professional Services, sponsored by Dr. Chris Bryant & Staff
- 1st Saseenos Veterinary Ltd
- 2nd Sooke Veterinary Hospital
- 2nd Wood Travel & Cruise
Non-profit and Volunteer, sponsored by the District of Sooke
- 1st SFRS Community Thrift Store
- 2nd Sooke Family Resource Society
- 3rd Royal Canadian Legion #54
Dining and Hospitality, sponsored by Sooke Eyecare
- 1st The Lazy Gecko
- 2nd Wild Mountain
- 3rd Stick in the Mud Cafe
Retail, sponsored by Avison Young
- 1st SFRS Thrift Store
- 2nd Bosley’s Sooke
- 3rd The Artisan’s Garden
Personal Services, sponsored by Parkway Physiotherapy
- 1st SEAPARC Leisure Complex
- 1st Collar & Comb
- 2nd Wiskers & Waggs
Manufacturing and Industry sponsored by Rustic Roots Hair Studio
- 1st Sooke Oceanside Brewery
- 2nd Sheringham Distillery
- 3rd Stick in the Mud (Roastoreum)
The winner of the $200 Gift Card drawn by random by the awards manager through Blackpress, from among all those who voted for local businesses was Elizabeth Jameson.
Congratulations to all!
In addition to the award sponsors mentioned above, special appreciations need to be given to these event sponsors
- Sooke Oceanside Brewery (SOB), who sponsored the cash bar
- Village Food Markets, who sponsored, in part, the hors d'hoeurves
- Almostronaut Designs, who sponsored, in part, the promotional material
Lastly, thanks to the generous donations of the Big Basket, which was valued at over $2,000 and won by a member in the audience. These donors included SEAPARC Leisure Complex, Jess Wageman, Prestige Oceanfront Resort, Sooke Health & Fitness, Reynolds Antiques and Collectibles, Roxanne Low Photography, Mountain Heights Healing, Sage Piano Studio, Sheringham Distillery, West Coast Grill, Coastal Tides Day Spa, Sooke 2 for 1 Pizza, Carolyn's Boutique, B and K Jewelry and Gifts, The Lazy Gecko, Bad Dog Brewing Company, Pharmasave Sooke, A Sea of Bloom, Seaflora Skincare Inc & Retail Store, and Sherry Robb Designs.
Congratulations to the 2021 Business Excellence Award recipients!
Sheringham Distillery, recipient of Manufacturing and Industry Excellence Award
Sooke Mayor Maja Tait and Chamber Past President Karen Mason hand the Manufacturing and Industry award to Alayne MacIsaac of the Sheringham Distillery
Forbes IDA Pharmacy, recipient of the New Business of the Year Excellence Award
Sooke Mayor Maja Tait and Chamber Past President Karen Mason hand the New Business of the Year award to the staff of Forbes IDA Pharmacy
West Coast Family Medical Clinic, recipient of the Professional Services Excellence Award
Sooke Mayor Maja Tait and Chamber Past President Karen Mason hand the Professional Services award to the staff at the West Coast Family Medical Clinic
Meanwhile in Sooke, recipient of the Home-Based Business Excellence Award
Sooke Mayor Maja Tait and Chamber Past President Karen Mason hand the Home-Based Business award to Benjamin Kendrick of Meanwhile in Sooke
Cathy’s Corner Cafe, recipient of Business of the Year and the Dining and Hospitality Excellence Awards
Sooke Mayor Maja Tait and Chamber Past President Karen Mason hand the Business of the Year award to Cathy and Janice Gouk of Cathy’s Corner Cafe
Sooke Food Bank, recipient of People’s Choice, Not-for-Profit, and the Pandemic Pivot Excellence Awards
Sooke Mayor Maja Tait and Chamber Past President Karen Mason hand the People’s Choice, Not-for-Profit, and Pandemic Pivot awards to Kim Metzger of the Sooke Food Bank
Collar and Comb, recipient of Retail and Services Excellence Award
Sooke Mayor Maja Tait and Chamber Past President Karen Mason hand the Retail and Services award to the staff at Collar and Comb
West Shack Auto, recipient of the Trades and Skilled Labour Excellence Award
Sooke Mayor Maja Tait and Chamber Past President Karen Mason hand the Trades and Skilled Labour award to the staff at West Shack Auto
The full list of the top three nominees. Congratulations to all!
Business of the Year sponsored by CHEK+
- 1st Cathy’s Corner Cafe
- 2nd Sooke Family Resource Society (SFRS)
- 3rd Menard Plumbing and Heating
New Business of the Year sponsored by A Sea of Bloom
- 1st D.A. Forbes Pharmacy Sooke
- 2nd Bits of Bliss Confectionery
- 3rd Collar & Comb
People’s Choice sponsored by Village Food Markets
- 1st Sooke Food Bank
- 2nd Menard Plumbing and Heating
- 3rd Meanwhile in Sooke
Dining and Hospitality sponsored by Rustic Roots Hair Studio
- 1st Cathy’s Corner Cafe
- 2nd The Lazy Gecko
- 3rd Route 14
Home-Based Business sponsored by EnerTech Solutions
- 1st Meanwhile in Sooke
- 2nd Active Reactive Field for Dogs
- 3rd Menard Plumbing and Heating
Manufacturing and Industry sponsored by Sooke 2 for 1 Pizza
- 1st Sheringham Distillery
- 2nd Bad Dog Brewing
- 3rd Stick in the Mud Roastoreum
Not-for-Profit and Volunteer sponsored by District of Sooke
- 1st Sooke Food Bank
- 2nd SFRS Community Thrift Store
- 3rd Amber Academy Youth Fine Arts Society
- 3rd Sooke Shelter Society
Pandemic Pivot Award sponsored by Stick in the Mud
- 1st Sooke Food Bank
- 2nd VIHA SEAPARC Vaccination Clinic
- 3rd Route 14
- 3rd Tidal Performance Strength and Fitness
Professional Services: sponsored by Reliance Signature Services
- 1st West Coast Family Medical Clinic
- 2nd Chris Bryant, DMD
- 3rd Otter Point Dental
Retail and Services sponsored by Chamber of Commerce, Group Insurance Plan
- 1st Collar & Comb Grooming
- 2nd A Sea of Bloom
- 2nd Sooke Family Resource Society Thrift Shop (SFRS)
- 3rd Village Food Markets
Trades and Skilled Labour sponsored by Menard Plumbing & Heating
- 1st West Shack Auto Service
- 2nd Dumont Tirecraft & Auto Centre
- 3rd Westcom Plumbing and Gas Ltd
The 2021 BEA Winners
Retail and Services Trophy – Chamber President Karen Mason, David Evans of the Stick and Mayor Maya Tait
Business of the Year Trophy – Chamber President Karen Mason, Elsie Rittaler, Lisa Taylor, Lori Rittaler and Mayor Maya Tait
Dining and Hospitality Trophy AND People_s Choice – Chamber President Karen Mason, Cathy and Janice Gouk, and Mayor Maya Tait
Manufacturing and Industry Trophy – Mayor Maya Tait, Alayne and Jason MacIsaac of Sheringham Distillery, and Chamber President Karen Mason
New Business of the Year Trophy – Mayor Maya Tait, Goldsmith Lainey Rae and Chamber President Karen Mason
Not for Profit and Volunteer Trophy – Mayor Maya Tait, Linda Morgan, Carol Clarke, Wendy Visser, and Kim Metzger and Chamber President Karen Mason
Pandemic Pivot Trophy – Mayor Maya Tait, with Janelle Bellerive, Rae Irvine, and Robin Stewart, and Chamber President Karen Mason
President_s Choice Trophy – Mayor Maya Tait, Susan Jones of Webmax, and Chamber President Karen Mason
Professional Services Trophy – Karen Stones Sea of Bloom with Mayor Maya Tait and Chamber President Karen Mason
Membership Count and Growing
Membership Application
Our 2018 membership documentation
2020 Business Excellence Awards
Congratulations! to all the finalists and winners of the 2020 awards!
Dining and Hospitality
Sponsored by District of Sooke
- WINNER: Cathy’s Corner Cafe
- 2nd runner up: Route 14 Sooke
- 3rd runner up: Shirley Delicious
Home-Based Business
Sponsored by: Sea of Bloom
- WINNER: Meanwhile in Sooke
- 2nd runner up: Sooke PocketNews
- 3rd runner up: Whiffin Spit Wellness
Manufacturing and Industry
Sponsored by: Menard Plumbing and Heating
- WINNER: Sheringham Distillery
- 2nd runner up: Sooke Brewing Company
- 3rd runner up: Lainey Rae Goldsmith
Not-for-Profit and Volunteer
Sponsored by: Tim Ayres
- WINNER: Sooke Food Bank Society
- 2nd runner up: Amber Academy Youth Fine Arts Society
- 3rd runner up: Sooke Family Resource Society Thrift Store
Pandemic Pivot Award
Sponsored by: Stick in the Mud
- WINNER: Westcoast Family Medical Clinic
- 2nd runner up: Riverside Cannabis
- 3rd runner up: The Stick in the Mud
Professional Services
Sponsored by: Rustic Roots
- WINNER: A Sea of Bloom
- 2nd runner up: Otter Point Veterinary Hospital
- 3rd runner up: Sooke Veterinary Hospital
Retail and Services
Sponsored by: Mason Financial
- WINNER: Stick in the Mud
- 2nd runner up: The Artisan’s Garden
- 3rd runner up: Bosley’s Sooke
- 3rd runner up: Sooke Home Hardware
Trades and Skilled Labour
Sponsored by: Webmax
- WINNER: Len Banner Construction
- 2nd runner up: 24/7 Electric
- 2nd runner up: Dumont Tire
- 3rd runner up: West Shack Auto
New Business of the Year
Sponsored by: Chamber Plan
- WINNER: Lainey Rae, Goldsmith
- 2nd runner up: Sooke Yarn and Fibre
- 3rd runner up: Collar & Comb Pet Grooming
People’s Choice
Sponsored by Sooke News Mirror
- WINNER: Cathy’s Corner Cafe
- 2nd runner up: Sheringham Distillery
- 3rd runner up: Sooke Brewing Company
Business of the Year
Sponsored by: Sooke Chamber
- WINNER: Castle Liquor Store
- 2nd runner up: Sooke Home Hardware
- 3rd runner up: Sheringham Distillery
Announce $200 Gift Card Winner:
Tera Szadkowski
President’s Choice:
WINNER: Webmax
Sooke Chamber of Commerce
Great Sooke Video
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