Yarmouth business awards have new tourism category

Launch event for 2018 awards is Sept. 6; awards to be presented Nov. 1

A new category celebrating tourism will be introduced when the Yarmouth and Area Chamber of Commerce launches its 13th annual business awards Thursday, Sept. 6 at Heritage Brewing Co.

“Tourism business of the year is a great category because we have so many small businesses that are working in that area — everything from kayak and bicycle rentals to walking tours, wine and food tours,” says Loretta Davis, chairwoman of the business awards committee.

“Yarmouth is a tourism town and business is flourishing now that The Cat is back and running, so I think we’ll get a lot of nominations in this category.”

Expanding the number of categories allows the chamber to serve a wider base of its membership, Davis says. “It gives us a broader field to choose our winners from. We had great participation in nominations last year and are hoping for even more this year.

“We’re really excited about having the rollout at Heritage Brewing’s lovely new location on Main Street,” she says. The event runs from 5 to 7 p.m.

The chamber is making an effort to include new businesses in its agenda, Davis says, noting a meet-and-greet for members at the Tusket Falls Brewing Co. in June.

The business awards process will be widely promoted on the chamber’s social media pages and on Facebook, she says. Nominations can be filed online at www. yarmouthchamberofcommerce.com.

“You can’t just submit a name,” Davis says. “We want to know why you’re nominating them, so there is a short set of questions you have to answer when doing a nomination. This levels the playing field when the judges assess the nominees and helps them to arrive at their final choices.”

Nominations are open to Yarmouth town, county and surrounding areas. “You don’t have to be a member of the chamber to nominate or be nominated,” Davis says, adding there’s an incentive to enter a nomination. “For every nomination folks make, they get their name in a draw for a $500 gift basket comprised of vouchers for restaurants, brew pubs and other local experiences.”

The deadline to submit nominations to the chamber is Wednesday, Oct. 3.

Nominees will be reviewed by a judging panel consisting of three members of the business community who are not on the chamber’s board of directors.

Wade Cleveland will emcee the awards ceremony at the Rodd Grand Yarmouth Thursday, Nov. 1. Doors will open at 6 p.m. and the presentation will begin at 7 p.m. Appetizers will be served. Tickets go on sale Sept. 7.

The award categories are as follows: --Business of the year (1-10 employees); --Business of the year (11-or-more employees);

--Rising star of the year; --Export achievement; --Community impact; --Customer service; --Employee of the year;

--Boss of the year;

--Young entrepreneur of the year; --Tourism business of the year. Contact the chamber office for more information: phone — 902-742-3074; email — info@ yarmouthchamberofcommerce.com; website www.yarmouthchamberofcommerce.com.