SCBEX Nominations Now Open

Nominations for this year's Swift Current Business Excellence (SCBEX) Awards have opened.

Announced last week, Nominations run from July 1, 2021, to August 31, 2021.

Karla Wiens is the CEO of the Swift Current and District Chamber of Commerce. She explained that of the ten categories that are up for grabs, ten are nominated by local residents while two are chosen by the chamber board.

"So when people are submitting their nomination, we take into account what has been written about that nominee. We compile all of the nominations in each of the categories. And that package is given to our selection committee which consists of the SBEX award winners from the previous year."

The winners from the previous year have the daunting task of whittling down the list of nominees in each category to three finalists which are set to be revealed on September 16, 2021.

Last year, both the reveal event and the gala that followed were handled virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

While there is no official word on what format this year's events will adopt, Wiens said that while they were originally planning to go completely virtual again this year, the changing state of the pandemic leaves other options firmly on the table.

There are certainly pros and cons to a virtual event, with last year's webcast of the final awards being viewed far more than would typically fit into an in-person venue.

"We had 10,000 plus people watch that awards ceremony last year. So the opportunity to expand that reach and viewership can't be discounted, that's for sure."

Whatever format the final result adopts, Wiens is happy to be celebrating the small businesses that, to her, have had to show impressive levels of resilience in the last 18 months.

"There are so many businesses that have been resilient and have shown such perseverance. Those words are thrown around a lot, but my goodness, struggling through and coming out the other side, you know, it's a great opportunity to say thank you, we're proud of you and well done."

Nominations can be submitted until August 31, 2021, through the Chamber of Commerce Facebook page or website.