Nearly 300 people turned out at the Bert Church Theatre last night (October 18) to recognize some of the best businesses in the city at the 20th Annual Airdrie Chamber of Commerce Business Awards.  

This year, the Chamber received 100 nominations for businesses to be recognized and the adjudicators had their hands full in choosing the individual award winners.

The Business of the Year Award went to Airdrie Family Eye Doctors.  Owner Heather Cowie says in the nearly five years they've been in business, the support of the Airdrie community has been phenomenal.

"It's been monumental.  We've had support right off from day one.  We've had amazing patients that come in that shop local, that support local that have been cheering us on.  We've had huge collaboration from other business owners in Airdrie.  The Airdrie Chamber of Commerce has been really, really helpful to help us get on our feet and to help us get connected to other local resources as well."

Cowie gives credit where credit is due for the businesses success.  She places it squarely on her staff saying, "My team is everything to me, we could do absolutely nothing without them.  They are the reason we're building our dream, that we are able to do what we do.  I am grateful to them every single day."

Sid Van der Meer came to Airdrie in 1978 to work for the company that he ended up owning.  In 2004 he moved that business to Airdrie before he ended up selling in 2014.  Since then he's been acting as a mentor for the Airdrie SmartStart program, an award-winning entrepreneurial training program that has helped many Airdrie businesses to get started.  For that, he was awarded the Business Leader Award.

Van der Meer says SmartStart gives would be business in the city a solid footing.  He says, "It's a solid base for Airdrie.  We have so many great, great people with great ideas and with the SmartStart program we're able to give them that foundation, that base so that when they get out in the real world of business they have a solid foundation that they can grow on and go and not have to do all the learning things that people had had to do with their businesses."

Van der Meer is honoured to be named as a Business Leader in Airdrie.  "It's an honour to be recognized for the effort and the time we put in, as all the volunteers in the SmartStart program do.  For me, it's my give back.  Airdrie was great to me, it gave us the lifestyle that we now enjoy and I'm hoping that through the SmartStart program we can help all the rest of them achieve their goals too."

Four other awards were presented at last night's gala.  The Legacy Business Award was given to Cam Clark Ford.  West Airdrie Dental took home the Employer Excellence Award.  Airdrie Maid Pro was chosen the Franchise Business winner, and Damit Amit was named the Emerging Business Award winner.