Small business awards

TRURO - The Truro & Colchester Chamber of Commerce has announced its small business award winners for 2021, after being paused last year due to COVID.

“Our business community has had to adapt to constant change while overcoming many challenges in the past year and a half navigating a global pandemic that is continuing to deeply impact several sectors,” executive director Sherry Martell said, in a news release. “The chamber is very pleased to recognize the accomplishments of several of our outstanding businesses that have experienced success during very difficult times.”

The recipients are: New Small Business of the Year, Barnyard Grill; Small Business Achievement, Moore's Service Center; Small Business Innovation, Raging Crow Distillery Inc.; Export Achievement, Aroma Maya Coffee Roasters; Excellence in Community Development, Jamieson's General

Store; Small Business Growth, Abalone Retreat; Agriculture/ Agri-small Business, Bayview Poultry Farms/blake's Pumpkin Jungle; and Newcomer Business of the Year, AA Wearhouse.

“We view this as very positive for our area and we were also pleased to see a great number of nominations in the New Small Business of the Year category,” said Martell, who added that there were over 90 nominations, the most being in the small business growth category.

“This clearly demonstrates a number of new businesses have opened despite the pandemic. Our judging panel had very difficult choices with quality of nominations received.”

These awards are, respectively, sponsored by Community Credit Union, Grant Thornton, RBC, Nova Scotia Business Inc., Town of Truro, BDC and MNP LLP and Truro-colchester Partnership for Economic Prosperity.

The fourth annual Rising Star – Chamber Legacy Startup Award supporting new businesses is being presented to Waugh River Stables. They are receiving $2,500, more than 12 hours of mentorship and other products and services. The award partners are: Copia HR, Atkinson Accounting Ltd., Burchell Macdougall Lawyers LLP, Caldwell Roach Insurance, CBDC-NOBL, Colchester Printing Company Inc., Shoreline Journal, Advanced Multimedia and White Leblanc Wealth Planners.

The awards are being presented at a luncheon on Oct. 21 at 12 p.m. Tickets for the event, at The Inn on Prince, are $30 for chamber members and $40 plus HST for non members.