A local business has been selected as a semi-finalist for the 17th Annual Small Business BC Awards.
The Squamish Connector is among the Top 10 contenders for the Best Community Impact award.
It's a bus service that shuttles passengers from Squamish who need to travel to Vancouver and the North Shore — a need that has become more present since the departure of Grey Hound.
For the awards, over 611 nominations were received, with each nominated business tasked with gaining as many votes as possible before the deadline, according to the announcement made by Small Business BC.
The 10 businesses from each category who received the most votes have now moved forward as semi-finalists.
The Squamish Connector may be in for some stiff competition. Among the others vying for that prize is the ever-popular Rio Theatre in Vancouver and Guru Nanak's Free Kitchen, which serves free meals in the Downtown Eastside.
For the next step, each business must present an application to an expert panel of judges why they deserve to win the award they’ve been nominated for.
That will narrow things down to a selection of Top 5 finalists in each category, which will be announced on Jan. 20, 2020.
The winners will then be declared at the Small Business BC Awards Gala on Feb. 21, 2020.
The complete list of nominees in that category is as follows:
BEST COMMUNITY IMPACT
Blissed Out Yoga and Fitness, 100 Mile House
Catoro Café, Vancouver
Ginger Jars, Gibsons
Guru Nanaks Free Kitchen, New Westminster
Happy Gut, Castlegar
IRL Construction, Vancouver
New Tew Yew, West Kelowna
Nutmeg and Co, Vancouver
Rio Theatre, Vancouver
Squamish Connector, Squamish
