Mortgage expert Angela Calla was named the Business Leader of the Year at last weekend’s gala honouring the best businesses and entrepreneurs in the Tri-Cities.
Calla, who leads The Angela Calla Mortgage Team, took the award for her work last year, at an online event hosted by Michael Hind of the Tri-Cities Chamber of Commerce.
The prize was previously won by Ryan Peterson of Finger Food Advanced Technology.
Butter Studios took the Business of the Year (1-10 employees) accolade while Ballistic Arts Media Studios won the Business of the Year (11-30 employees) and Rocky Point Ice Cream scooped the Business of the Year (30-plus employees) title.
The Not-For-Profit award was handed to the Immigrant Link Centre Society — a volunteer group launched in 2016 with the aim to prevent food waste — and Malik Malikzada of Jamila’s Kitchen and Grill took the Community Spirit award for their No Money, No Worries food program that he and his wife, Jamila, began in 2017; that program expanded in 2020 to include first responders and front line workers as well.
Meanwhile, Jessica Morrison of Squish Juicery was named the Tri-Cities’ Young Professional of the Year and Fulfill Shoppe won the Environmental Steward accolade for their online refill shop and their aim to reduce plastic and packaging waste.
Finally, the business resiliency awards — a new category in response to the pandemic — went to Legends Haul Supply and Novo Textiles while Chris Chong of Butter Studios was named the Chamber Member of the Year.
“As the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Chris continued to navigate the uncertain landscape by learning new skills and supporting the hardest-hit businesses in our backyard,” according to a Tri-CIties Chamber of Commerce statement. “Developing his filming and editing skills, Chris created short promotional videos for Tri-Cities retailers that were severely impacted by the pandemic. He also launched a fundraising campaign for an organization near and dear to his heart with the ‘Balance’ toilet paper print.”
