By Kimberley Kristiansen, Executive Director of Lake Country Chamber of Commerce.

 

Kimberley Kristiansen LAKE COUNTRY – Business in Lake Country continues to keep pace with the increase in growth in our community. The Lake Country Chamber of Commerce is very pleased to announce the addition of 115 new members since the summer of 2016! This brings our total membership to 265 which is an increase of 77 per cent over the last 18 months.

We are very pleased to welcome the following new members in December: Custom Cleaning Solutions, Adventure After School, Power Industrial Training Services, Annette Denk Realtor and Lake Country Plumbing and Heating.

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Congratulations to all thirty-six top three finalists who were selected for this year’s 2017 Lake Country Chamber of Commerce Business Excellence Awards. Hundreds of nominations and testimonials poured into our Chamber over the past six weeks from customers, residents, and business associates alike.

The winner in each of our twelve categories will be announced at our Awards Gala which will be held on February 23, 2018 at the Sheraton Four Points in Kelowna.

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The Lake Country Chamber of Commerce held their annual Christmas Party on December 14, 2017 at Turtle Bay Pub in Lake Country. The evening kicked off with the exciting announcement of our 2017 finalists followed by a few words from our Chamber President Camae Thompson! This event was a huge success with a whopping sellout crowd of 176 guests!

Amazing appetizers were catered by Turtle Bay Pub and award-winning wine was served from Gray Monk Estate Winery. Thank you to our Title Sponsor, Sage Executive Group Real Estate and to Gold Sponsors Gray Monk Estate Winery, and Alternatives Funeral and Cremation Services, Sip Happens Wine Tours, Garth Donhauser ReMax Realtyand My Chocolate Crush.

Business Finalists: Ace Hardware, Alternatives Funeral and Cremation Services, Dairy Queen, CIBC, D.Oscar Barnes – Lawyer, Gray Monk Estate Winery, Interior Savings, Lakeside Diagnostic Hearing and Tinnitus Center, Lake Country Art Walk, Lake Country Health Planning, Lake Country Home and Yard, Mountain Nalu Massage Therapy and Wellness Home Services, , Neon Counselling, Nor-Val Rentals, Okanagan Rail Trail Initiative, Olive Us Oil and Vinegar Tasting Room, Oyama Zipline Adventure Park, Rooster’s Barber Shop, Sip Happens Wine Tours, Sun City Physiotherapy, Turtle Bay Medical Clinic, Turtle Bay Crossing Liquor Merchants and UBR Services Copy and Print Center.

Individual Finalists: Alison Beaumont (Oyama Community Club), Anne Leistner (CIBC), Bernard Dewonck (Lake Country Rotary), Bonnie Flint (Interior Savings), Chantana Pitiwan (Chantana’s Thai Restaurant), Domini Smith Bankert (Turtle Bay IDA), Garth McKay (Lake Country Medical Clinic), Jesse Hammer (Compass Energies), Rayleigh Belsham (Sip Happens Wine Tours), Kim Chapman (Mountain Home Services), Shannon Paul-Jost (Lake Country Health Planning), Tyler Kristiansen (Fairway Appliance Service)

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We would like to welcome Ditto’s Office Services to the community of Lake Country. They recently opened for business in November of 2017 and will be hosting their first Business After Hours event on January 24, 2017 from 5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. Owner, Holger Nierfled is excited to open his second Ditto’s Office Systems location in the Okanagan and we welcome him to our Chamber and to Lake Country!

Kimberley Kristiansen can be reached at 250-766-5670, by e-mail, or through the website.