The Winning Edge Awards will be handed out during a lavish banquet at Woodside Golf Course tomorrow night. All week we've been profiling the nominees. Here are the final great Airdrie businesses nominated for Airdrie's premier business awards.

The Little Gym of Airdrie - Family Friendly Award nominee

Deb Elliot and her partner Tracy Schmaltz are proud of what The Little Gym has accomplished.

Happy handstands and great days abound at The Little Gym of Airdrie. This child and family friendly motor skills development centre has only been in operation for two years in Airdrie, but they have already built a reputation as one of Airdrie's happiest places.

Owners Tracy Schmaltz and Deb Elliot established The Little Gym in 2009 and currently employ 12 staff members. The Little Gym is a franchise with over 300 outlets around the world, however, Airdrie's location is the only one in Alberta and one of only two in Western Canada.

Deb is naturally thrilled that The Little Gym received this nomination:

They use a professionally developed curriculum to help enhance and develop physical, emotional, perceptual, social, and cognitive skills in children ages four months – 12 years old. They offer non-competitive gymnastics, dance and karate classes as well as Awesome Birthday Bashes, Parent’s Survival Nights, and summer and holiday camps.
tlgairdrieab.com

Bright Explorations Child Development Inc. - Family Friendly Award nominee

Bright Explorations retail store is a cheerful space with a wide selection of educational and fun products.

Bright Explorations Child Development Inc. started their preschool program with less than 20 children in September 2010 and finished in June of that year with over 50 children involved. Currently, they are proud to have over 100 children registered in their programs. A source of pride to owners Jenny Owen and Meghan Saruwatari is how often they hear parents say how pleased they are with the program, classroom space and customer service.

Of the nomination, Jenny says, "We are quite excited and honoured. It feels really good to be recognized for something that you've put all your sweat and tears into. So much of our self, our spirit and passion has gone into our business and to be recognized for that after only being in business for one year is really wonderful."

Bright Explorations helps children learn and grow by offering a retail store and education classroom that focuses on supporting parents, guardians, teachers, and caregivers with guiding, teaching, and nurturing children. They offer preschool classes and their retail store carries books, games, puzzles, and fun toys that help children develop important life skills. They are currently expanding into offering specialty evening classes for older children.
www.brightexplorations.com

Grow with UsRetail & Consignment - Family Friendly Award nominee

The shelves are always full of great deals at Grow with Us!

One of Airdrie's newer businesses, Grow with Us Retail & Consignment opened less than a year ago in November 2010 and currently has five employees. Owner Rebecca Reaville has given Airdrie a special store that offers new and used goods for the family. You’ll find consignment clothes and accessories for kids 0-10, women and maternity. They also have a great selection of new gear and great brands such as Melissa and Doug, Robeez, Beco, Bum Genius and much more. They have also established a local breastfeeding support group for mums in the Airdrie community.

Since opening, the store has enjoyed a continual growth in sales and consignors, and they are currently negotiating a larger space with their landlord to give them more space for an ever expanding inventory.
growwithus.ca