The best of Whistler's business community were once again honoured at the 2015 Whistler Excellence Awards on June 18.
An announced attendance of 377 was on hand to see the hardware handed out — up from about 350 in 2014. In his opening remarks, Whistler Chamber CEO Val Litwin touched on the growing appeal of the event.
"Last year we received 54 nominations in our 8 different categories — and this year we collected 112," Litwin said. "I take this as an encouraging sign that as the years move by we have more and more to celebrate as a business community and just as a community period."
Vancouver TV personality Dawn Chubai served as emcee for the night.
"It's apparent to me as someone who visits Whistler as often as I possibly can that you've created such a beautiful community that you are a part of," Chubai said at the end of the night.
"You create this environment and this place that people can come to from around the world and feel like they live here for however long that they're visiting, and it's because of the incredible service that you all provide."
This year's winners are:
Business Person of the Year - Bob Deeks of RDC Fine Homes
Citizen of the Year - Anne Townley
Rising Star of the Year - Liam Peyton of the Whistler Village Beer Festival
Innovative Business of the Year - Chromag Bikes
Sustainability in Action Business - Tourism Whistler Conference Service
Whistler Champion of Arts and Culture - Stella Harvey
Service Excellence Award, Large Business - The Adventure Group
Service Excellence Award, Small Business - Whistler Visitor Centre
Pick up Thursday's Pique for the full story