2nd annual Kootenay Manufacturing Awards announced

The Kootenay Manufacturing Awards recognize the growth, innovation and entrepreneurial spirit of the manufacturing sector.

Canadian Timberframes Ltd., located in Golden, B.C., has been named Manufacturer of the Year in the 2nd Annual Kootenay Manufacturing Awards. — Photo courtesy Imagine Kootenays

Often tucked away in an industrial park or in some other out-of-the-way location, the manufacturing sector in the Kootenays can be somewhat invisible. We find the sector seldom gets the recognition it deserves. The Kootenays, of course, is a fertile ground for entrepreneurs and these companies are often major creators of jobs and drive growth throughout the region.

With this in mind, we at Kootenay Business are pleased to present our 2nd Annual Kootenay Manufacturing Awards. Our initial list of manufacturing enterprises, large and small, comprised over 150 companies. Many are one- or two-person operations, whereas the larger companies have hundreds of employees.

We invited all 150 or so companies to participate in the Kootenay Manufacturing Awards by completing an online nomination or application form. We were primarily interested in growth, innovation and entrepreneurial spirit. From a shortlist, we further narrowed down the selection to our winners in each category.

We are pleased to recognize the successes of the Kootenay manufacturing sector. Here are some of the comments that appeared with this year’s nominations:

“This company has grown 500 per cent in five years, and we are the largest home-building company in our town.”

“The company has built a solid reputation and a trustworthy brand and has expanded its brand presence throughout North America.”

“This company is driven by our passion for innovation, and we are constantly pushing the innovation envelope to deliver game-changing products.”

“We foster strong relationships with our retailers to build the value of our brand and have seen 300 per cent growth in five years.”

We salute these companies for their innovation, growth, excellence and good management and the fact that they have put entrepreneurship into action. Congratulations to all the winners of our 2nd Annual Kootenay Manufacturing Awards.

Here is a list of the winners (number of employees appears in brackets):

Top Small Kootenay Manufacturer (1 to 10 employees)

Dave’s Hot Pepper Jelly, Invermere (2 employees)

Top Mid-size Kootenay Manufacturer (11 to 49 employees)

Kootenay Meadows, Creston (13 employees)

Top Large Kootenay Manufacturer (50+ employees)

Pacific Insight Electronics, Nelson (240 employees)

Builder of the Year

Jordan Cochrane Construction, Revelstoke (15 employees)

Manufacturing Executive of the Year

Mike Hambalek, Caliper Machine and Hydraulics, Cranbrook (16 employees)

Manufacturer of the Year

Canadian Timberframes Ltd., Golden (39 employees)

Kootenay Business is pleased to recognize these innovative and dynamic companies in the manufacturing sector. We also congratulate the many nominees in our 2nd Annual Manufacturing Awards as well. We wish everyone much continued success!