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Two Whistler companies up for Small Business BC Awards

RDC Fine Homes and Canada's Best Apps named as finalists
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photo from Small Business B.C.

Two Whistler companies have been announced as finalists for the 14th annual Small Business BC Awards.

British Columbians were asked to nominate their favourite small businesses between Oct. 1 and Nov. 30. Whistler custom homebuilders RDC Fine Homes will vie for the Best Employer award, while mobile app developer Canada's Best Apps was nominated in the Best Concept category.

The top 10 finalists in each category now have a month to provide a detailed application outlining why they think they deserve the award. From these applications, a panel of judges will narrow it down to five finalists in each category, which will be announced on Jan. 23. The winners, which will receive $1,500, business mentorship and more, will be unveiled at a Feb. 23 ceremony at Pan Pacific Vancouver.

RDC Fine Homes is an award-winning company that specializes in the construction and renovation of sustainable green homes. President Bob Deeks said the Function Junction-based office engages regularly with its 40 staff on how to improve the workplace experience, offers a flexible schedule, and places particular emphasis on professional development. This year alone, Deeks said RDC has committed over $40,000 to staff education initiatives.

"We really are trying hard to provide a unique workplace opportunity for people here in Whistler, and we really feel this is key to our ability to attract the best people in the industry and keep them," added Deeks.

Canada's Best Apps specializes in creating cross-platform, information-based apps that are "uniquely tailored to reflect your business identity." Canada's Best App licenses its software to brands to either create their own app or have its developers do it for them, all at a fraction of what it would cost to build from scratch. It has developed apps for Tourism Whistler, Explore Squamish, Tourism Pemberton, and others.

"It's a unique platform that we haven't seen anybody imitate yet in the world of mobile apps," said president John Barber.

Both Whistler companies have been finalists at the Small Business BC Awards before; RDC Fine Homes finished in the top 5 in the Best Employer Award two years ago, while Canada's Best Apps was in the running last year for the Emerging Entrepreneur category.

The Small Business BC Awards recognize the achievements of new and existing businesses with fewer than 50 employees. There were 699 nominations from 72 communities across the province this year.

"Small businesses are the backbone of Canada's leading economy, responsible for creating over a million jobs in B.C.," said Premier Christy Clark in a release announcing the finalists. "That's why we worked hard to become the most small business-friendly jurisdiction in North America. Congratulations all the Top 10 Semi-Finalists for being recognized as innovative, responsible pillars in their community."

For the full list of finalists in each category, visit www.marketwired.com/press-release/top-10-semi-finalists-announced-for-14th-annual-small-business-bc-awards-2182612.htm.