Tumbler RidgeLines won Business of the Year at the Chamber of Commerce’s Community Excellence Awards for 2023.
The awards were handed out at this year’s Small Business Christmas Party, which was taken over by the Chamber of Commerce after the Tumbler Ridge Children’s Centre Society folded.
The Business of the Year award was sponsored by MLA Mike Bernier, who also presented the award to publisher Trent Ernst.
The newspaper was nominated by a local resident, who wrote that the paper is “such an important resource to our community. Trent works tirelessly on the paper as well as volunteers for so many things in the community. We are very fortunate to be the only community in the South Peace with a newspaper that focuses on Tumbler Ridge. Trent has one person helping with finding advertisers but does all of the writing, editing and delivery himself. Because of that and his commitment to the community, Trent attends all community events. He has served on the Emperors Challenge planning committee, WNMS, the Youth Centre, the Library, and the Chamber and this shows in his paper as he works hard to create community.”
This is the first time that Tumbler RidgeLines has been nominated or won a Community Excellence Award.
Nominations were open through most of the month of November. This is the third time the Chamber has presented Community Excellence Awards, and the first time in person.
The previous two awards were held during Covid.
This year’s runner up for Business of the Year was Home Hardware. “Home Hardware is by far one of the best businesses in Tumbler Ridge,” writes the nominator. “They have just about everything you could need for your home, but then they go above and beyond with pet food, toys, shoes, candy, you name it they probably carry it. Their prices are very fair, and they have helpful employees. And they also donate to so many fundraisers and non-profits. They are an amazing business, definitely deserving of Business of the Year.”
This is the second time they’ve been runner up in the Business of the Year category. In 2021, they also won Customer Service of the Year.
The Volunteer of the Year award—sponsored by Urban Systems—was Erin Wanvig. “Erin is always helping out at functions. She takes great care of the Arts Council and all of its events. Erin is sight impaired but doesn’t let that slow her down. She is a great inspiration to the young people in the community. Erin gives so much of herself to TR and also maintains info on FB and runs a tight ship so there is nothing inappropriate on her pages.”
This is Wanvig’s first time winning the award.
Also new to the award this year was runner up Don Blunden. “Don Blunden is a committee member of Tumbler Ridge Days Society. Not only does he commit to every event held, but he also contributes the most hours of any other committee member as a part of TR Days Society. Being a true jack-of-all-trades, Don has demonstrated his ability to take on any task (construction, electrical, or mechanical).”
Last year, his wife Terry Cosgrove won the award. This year, the couple are core to the winner of the Not for Profit of the Year Award, Sponsored by Urban Systems: The Tumbler Ridge Days Society (TRDS). Writes the nominator: “Terry Cosgrove and the TRDS have worked tirelessly for the community. The hours they have spent building a legacy for the community in the Fair Grounds, is inspirational. They have provided a spot for events, music, and family time. They have hosted fantastic family filled events which started many years ago with the Grizzly Valley Days, Grizfest and now includes the Fall Fair and the Blunden’s Halloween Haunt. They have done this for the Community of Tumbler Ridge. They go above and beyond to host unique and fun filled events.
The many hours that go into events for our town go unnoticed by many but not all. Terry has dedicated her life to making Tumbler a better place for families. Tumbler is so lucky she chooses to live here!”
The runner up was the Tumbler Ridge Community Gardens. “The Community Gardens give people a beautiful spot to enjoy in the community. Shauna Shea has worked hard, she went above and beyond for the gardens this year! Creating a even larger and amazing shared area and fundraising to get more beds next year. My favourite thing is the sprout boxes she got donated for kids gardening.”
Freshmart sponsored two awards this year. The first was Sports Organization or Individual of the Year Award, which was awarded to the Tumbler Ridge Mountain Bike Association (TRMBA). “The TRMBA is an amazing group who envision a thriving mountain biking community and works hard to establish Tumbler Ridge as a premier global biking destination. The TRMBA is dedicated to providing educational programs and organizing various biking-related events accessible to trail users of all skill levels and ages. Their unwavering commitment extends to constructing secure and sustainable trails, ensuring the long-term vitality of the biking culture in Tumbler Ridge.”
Freshmart also sponsored Educator of the Year, which went to Mark Deeley. “Mark works tirelessly to ensure all students find success in his classroom. He gives up weekends, evenings and summer days when students need help. Now that some students are adults, they ask him for advice, references and invite him to weddings. They bring their children for visits and tell him how he’s helped them, through school and life. As a principal, it makes me happy to know the students are cared for every day while learning the material with a passionate educator, as a wife, it makes me proud.”
Educator of the Year runner up was Cara McLean. Writes the nominator: “Cara is a fantastic educator to the young people of Tumbler Ridge through both Preschool and the Strongstart program. She has a special place in the hearts of the children in this town, and goes above and beyond to make them feel welcomed, accepted, and cherished. The impact that she has had on our children is invaluable.”
Home Hardware sponsored the Employer of the Year award, which went to Southpaw Rentals. “Southpaw offers competitive wages, apprenticeships, and benefit packages,” writes the nominator. “Pernell even put an employee through training to get their Class A drivers license. They allow their workers the freedom to go get a proper education and then hands on training at work.”
The runner up was the Tumbler Ridge Public Library. “The Tumbler Ridge Public Library is the place to work! Love the space, the patrons and you can earn a living wage. It has brought importance to my life in this community.”
The Up and Coming Business of the Year, sponsored by Tumbler RidgeLines, was awarded to Designs and Details by Eric. Says the nomination form: “Eric works with plenty of businesses in town and helps bring the community together. He always goes above and beyond. Eric has done an amazing job planning and executing Conuma Resources adult Christmas parties, kid’s Christmas parties, golf tournaments and family BBQs. Eric possesses an extraordinary level of creativity, consistently demonstrating an exceptional ability to innovate and think outside the box. His keen eye for detail ensures that every aspect of his business is meticulously crafted, contributing to its overall excellence. Moreover, his pure dedication is evident in the relentless pursuit of success, making him a standout candidate for the Up and Coming Business of the Year Award.”
The runner up was Twisted Seasons Bistro. “Service and food at Twisted Seasons Bistro is fantastic, the atmosphere is fun, professional and cozy. I have had great experiences there and I have read amazing reviews online from patrons. Ten out of ten. This new bistro is awesome! Love the food and amazing customer service. Such a great addition to Tumbler Ridge.”
Lake View Credit Union’s Tammy Beers won the Customer Service of the Year Award. “Tammy ALWAYS provides clear, concise service, answers questions with professional knowledge, if she doesn’t know, she will get the answers. Responds to correspondence quickly, even during outside her working hours.”
Runner up was Laura Benson, who works at Home Hardware. “Laura is just great, always helpful, always happy. Also does a great job of upselling, if I was her boss I’d be really happy with this employee!”
There was a tie this year for Citizen of the Year, with Rose Snyder and Tim Croston both taking top honours. First, about Tim. “Tim spends much of his time when he is not working, volunteering with the outdoor groups and taking care of trails. Tim is known for going above and beyond. He goes about cleaning areas where people have dumped just because he wants to ensure the areas surrounding TR are clean and beautiful.. He was on the Chamber board when the Chamber was successful in attaining a Job Creation Partnership Grant and he was instrumental in ensuring that the new trails were built and improved properly and his knowledge and assistance was valuable.
“Whenever someone posts for assistance on the Facebook pages, Tim is almost always the first to offer help. During the evacuation Tim checked on people’s homes, made sure the gas was off, watered gardens, for many community members.”
Co-winner Rose Snyder “is a long-time resident of Tumbler Ridge who has dedicated the majority of her life to public service and helping others. To really understand all Rose has done for the community, one would have to go back to the day she moved to town. Rose is a generous, genuine and kind person who has given years of outstanding service for the betterment of our community and to write down all of her participation would take several pages.”
Finally, the Peoples Choice Award, sponsored by the Tumbler Ridge Chamber of Commerce, went to Lush Desserts. “Lush Deserts bakery offers a luxury to the little town of Tumbler Ridge—fresh and diverse baked goods. Various small coffee shops have come and gone from TR over the years, but in my memory, never one that focused on baked goods as well as specialty drinks that are ordinarily only accessible in bigger municipalities. The diversity offered by this business—lunch/savoury items, sweet treats, birthday cakes, cookie decorating kits, catering—allows many opportunities to benefit the population of Tumbler Ridge. Lush Desserts loves supporting its community snd deserves this award for its efforts!
“Amanda is constantly striving to provide a quality product and service to our community. She generously donates to good causes in town. She trains her bakers with valuable life skills and one even went on to open her own baking business!”
The Tumbler Ridge Chamber has been doing the Excellence Awards every two years over Covid, but—now that they have taken over the Small Business Christmas Party—will be determining if they will be running the awards for 2024 later this year.
Trent is the publisher of Tumbler RidgeLines.
