The 27th Annual Biz X Awards Tribute Hitting The Right Note
Cover Story By Rebecca Wright & Jim Murphy
The phrase “hit the right note” as we all know means to achieve a high point of success in your career, be popular or do something EXACTLY right.
We feel this best describes the Biz X Awards program, year after year. To prepare the annual awards edition, our staff, freelance workers, IT support team, Judges and sponsors, work together in harmony to hit the right note with our target audience, the residents of Windsor, Essex and Pelee Island. As well, this phrase pertains to the 196 nominees in 2024, in all kinds of industries from finance, automotive, legal, manufacturing, aesthetics and construction, to retail, digital, art, hospitality, real estate and more.
These business owners, along with self employed individuals and non-profit organizations, must always be in tune with what their customers/clients need and expect. In addition, this is our 27th annual Awards Tribute and according to Hallmark, music is the traditional gift for this anniversary. And since notes are very important in creating melodies, the theme — hitting the right note — was music to our ears!
Throughout this entire awards story, you will see musical references to notes, graphics, song titles, lyrics and catch phrases. Though our theme changes each year, our mission remains the same . . . to honour the outstanding entrepreneurs and leaders in Windsor, Essex County and Pelee Island.
Which local businesses, organizations, professionals and events will be chosen to receive the “pillars of success” — Biz X Award — for 2024?
In our 27th annual Awards Tribute, 196 nominees competed in 24 categories. This year, the online voting poll ran from September 17 until September 24 with 23,427 votes coming in (slightly down from previous
years as links to our main website were not able to be shared on Facebook and Instagram due to the news ban).
Our award history goes back to 1998, and with the publishing of this issue, over 825 Biz X Awards have been handed out. Like every year before, the new batch of nominees are simply the best our region has to offer and we congratulate every company, organization, event and individual listed throughout this entire cover story.
However, like all award programs, there can be only one winner per category in the end.
Along with bragging rights to tell others that they are #1 in their fields, winners receive a plaque from The Trophy Boys (see accompanying graphic) to display in their workplace, plus promotion in the November/December print and digital editions of Biz X.
In addition to the support of The Trophy Boys for many years, we also would like to thank five businesses and organizations who sponsor our awards: the Motor City Community Credit Union; Small Business &
Entrepreneurship Centre; St. Clair College Alumni Association; InPlayMagazine.com (Windsor & Detroit sports news); and Williams Food Equipment. A special graphic before each section showcases each sponsor logo and website.
Let’s now fill you in on how a business, organization, individual or event became a nominee or the overall winner of their category, by recapping the official rules for the Biz X Awards.
Each year a list of award categories is published in the summer and September editions of Biz X magazine and online on: BizXmagazine.com. Businesses, organizations, events and people can be nominated by customers, suppliers, and Biz X readers, from late July until early September, using an online form with a section for supporting evidence included. Only a single nomination is required to qualify for the voting poll, so everyone has a fair chance, especially if it’s a small company or organization.
After the nomination period ended, nominees were made public on the Biz X website, when a voting poll in each category commenced in mid- September, for one week. People could only vote once per category, per IP address, (reinforcing the fact this is not a popularity contest). Individuals could vote in all categories if they wanted — or just one! Everything was totally confidential, with no one knowing who voted for who, or how many votes a particular nominee had. Getting the highest number of votes did not constitute an automatic win, and the voting results may or may not have had an impact on the judging process. Vote tallies are only a part of the overall selection process.
The qualifications for nominees are simple. Businesses/organizations must be located in Windsor, Essex County or Pelee Island, which includes LaSalle, Lakeshore, Tecumseh, Amherstburg, Kingsville, Leamington, and Essex Centre. For categories in the PEOPLE section, nominees must be 19 years of age or over and reside in Windsor, Essex County or Pelee Island.
Only one nomination per business/organization or individual (People categories) is permitted. Multiple nominations in different categories are not permitted. Businesses/organizations/people are only allowed to win one award per year.
National chains/franchises and non-profit organizations are not eligible in most categories. Our mandate is to reward start-up businesses in our region and not national companies. However, exceptions are made in the PEOPLE categories as we do believe those individuals (working for national chains or employed/volunteering for a charity/non-profit) living in our area deserve to be recognized. Since this entire section (categories 8 to #13) is being judged on the individual and not the company itself, they can be included. An exception for category #24 in the HOSPITALITY & ENTERTAINMENT categories is also allowed, as many national organizations have local chapters hosting events. -No media outlets can participate in any of the categories.
Nominees are given an opportunity to submit information online, answering specific questions set out by Biz X magazine, upon notification that they were nominated. Information from the nomination forms and online submissions, along with the voting poll results, is then reviewed by each Judge on his or her own time. All nominees are required to submit information online as it is a way to check the details a nominator has submitted on the website form. The information provided is also used to compile the write-up on the company or person in the annual Awards Edition, should they be determined to be the winner. Judges also research each nominee at their own discretion. The Judges meet after the online voting poll closes and all nominee information is received, they discuss their findings with each other and select the final winners during Judgment Night in October.
To avoid any conflict of interest, Biz X full-time staff members are not permitted to participate in the judging process. This is to ensure impartiality to all advertisers, suppliers, and friends. As well, Judges cannot participate on Judgment Night conversations or the final voting in any categories that friends, relatives, or their own businesses, are being considered for. They also are not permitted to be involved in any part of the judging process if their own business or workplace is a supplier to a nominee or pays a nominated company for any services they or their business may need. There is an exception to this rule if a Judge has hired or worked with many nominees in the category. In this case, we consider him/her an expert in this industry with valuable input to offer and they are permitted to vote. As well, in large categories, such as #8 Powerhouse Professional — where certain Judges know multiple nominees and all Judges would have had to declare a bias as each knows at least one nominee — they are allowed to participate or there would be no voting Judges! Biases declared by Judges, are mentioned at the end of the award write-up, if necessary.
Businesses do not have to advertise with the magazine to be nominated or to win. Every company or organization, whether a Biz X advertiser or not, has an equal chance of winning. Once all nominations are in and the voting poll is closed (the end of September), nominees may be contacted to purchase ads by Biz X Sales Associates to thank those who nominated and voted for them in the November/December Awards Issue.
The Judges are unaware which companies advertise in this edition (or do not) when they make their final decisions and only see the completed Awards Issue at the same time the readers do. This ensures there are no biases or conflicts of interest. Judges do not know who the final winners are on Judgment Night as they voted by secret ballot and are not told the results. All those nominees who chose to advertise in the November/December issue had nominee badges in their ads and, just before the magazine went to print, for those who won, the nominee badge was switched to a winner badge (without the knowledge of the advertiser). The entire process is kept top secret with only a select few knowing the final outcome during the printing process of the magazine and no-one seeing the winner badge in their ad until the annual Biz X Awards Edition is released to the public in mid-November.
COVER STORY CONTINUES ON PAGE 18
