Categories 2021

BizX Award Categories 2021

Nominations for 2021 are now closed. Nominated businesses and individuals, if you have not received your verification email/form to complete, please contact actionmarketing@actioncoach.com. All verification forms must be received by midnight Pacific Time on Feb 24th in order to be considered.

Best Service Based under 10 Employees*

A service-based business is any business that offers services to others without selling tangible products.

Best Service Based over 10 Employees*

A service-based business is any business that offers services to others without selling tangible products.

Best Retailer*

A person or business that sells goods to the public in relatively small quantities for use or consumption rather than for resale.

Best Food Service/Quick Service Restaurant

A fast food restaurant, also known as a quick service restaurant (QSR) within the industry, is a specific type of restaurant that serves fast food cuisine and has minimal table service.

Best Full-Service Restaurant

A full-service restaurant is defined as a sit-down eatery where food is served directly to the customers’ table. These establishments may sell alcoholic beverages; provide takeout, delivery or present live entertainment.

Best Bar, Pub or NightClub

An establishment for primarily adult and nighttime entertainment, typically serving drinks and offering music, dancing, etc. Also known as a night spot, disco, cabaret, or club. These establishments can also serve food and be open during the day in many cases.

Best Bank or Financial Service Provider

A bank is a financial institution licensed to receive deposits and make loans. Banks may also provide financial services, such as wealth management, currency exchange, and safe deposit boxes. Financial services providers can be part of a firm or individual provider known as brokers or analysts.

Best Company Culture*

Company culture is the personality of a company. It defines the environment in which employees work. Company culture includes a variety of elements, including work environment, company mission, value, ethics, expectations, and goals. … Other companies have a casual workplace without many rules and regulations.

Best Customer Service*

Customer service is the process of ensuring customer satisfaction with a product or service.

Best E-Commerce / Online Business*

Aretail entity that sells exclusively online without a brick and mortar location.

Best Community Impact/Corporate Responsibility*

Corporate impact integrates social and environmental considerations into all aspects of business operations, including relationships with employees, suppliers, consumers, and local communities.

Best Import/export company*

An import export business is a company that facilitates trades of goods and commodities between domestic and foreign companies.

Best Non-Profit organization*

A nonprofit organization is a business that has been granted tax-exempt status by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) because it furthers a social cause and provides a public benefit. Donations made to a nonprofit organization are typically tax-deductible to individuals and businesses that make them, and the nonprofit itself pays no tax on the received donations or on any other money earned through fundraising activities. Nonprofit organizations are sometimes called NPOs or 501(c)(3) organizations based on the section of the tax code that permits them to operate.

Best Manufacturer/Wholesaler/Distributor*

A manufacturing business is any business that uses components, parts or raw materials to make a finished good. These finished goods can be sold directly to consumers or to other manufacturing businesses that use them for making a different product. Wholesaling or distributing is the sale of goods or merchandise to retailers; to industrial, commercial, institutional, or other professional business users; or to other wholesalers (wholesale businesses) and related subordinated services. In general, it is the sale of goods to anyone other than a standard consumer.

Entrepreneur of the Year*

A person who organizes, operates, and assumes the risk for a business venture.

BEST OVERALL COMPANY*

An organization which exemplifies the highest standards of quality and operates using best practices in all areas of the operation.

Minority Owned Business of the Year*

A person who organizes, operates, and assumes the risk for a business venture who belongs to a group who is categorized as a minority because of race, sex, national origin or sexual orientation.

Minorities Groups include but should not be limited to members of the following groups: Hispanic or Latino American, African American, Native American, Pacific Islander, Asian American, Arab America, Inuit or Alaska Native, LGBTQI, Disabled American.

most innovative company*

Innovation generally refers to changing processes or creating more effective processes, products and ideas. For businesses, this could mean implementing new ideas, creating dynamic products or improving your existing services.

Young Entrepreneur of the Year (40 years of age or younger) *

A person who organizes, operates, and assumes the risk for a business venture who is under the age of 40.

Female Entrepreneur of the Year*

A person who organizes, operates, and assumes the risk for a business venture who is female or identifies as female.

Best Comeback or Turnaround Business

An organization which faced challenges and instituted innovative approaches and processes to over come obstacles and become profitable and successful.

CEO of the Year*

A chief operating officer of a company who has held the position for more than 12 months.

Best New CEO of Year

A chief operating officer that has been in the position less than 12 months.

Best New Business with under 10 Employees (under 2 years of operation)

A new organization or business which demonstrates an innovative approach in delivering their products or services to the marketplace.

Best New Business with over 10 Employees (under 2 years of operation)

A new organization or business which demonstrates an innovative approach in delivering their products or services to the marketplace.

Best Sales Team

A sales team which exceed targets and goals set by the organization within a calendar year.

Best COVID Health & Safety Response

This business has take proactive and extraordinary measures to meet the requirements of the COVID 19 lock-down standards to ensure they are focused on the Health and Safety of their employees and customers. The nominee can be in any industry. Nominees in this category are an example of the highest standards and protocols and have served their community at the highest levels of safety.

Best IT Organization

An organization that is focused on harnessing technology to deliver superior products and services to the consumer.

Best Green/Sustainable Business

A business who demonstrates a commitment to reducing their carbon footprint and demonstrates a sustainable approach to reduce the use of fossil fuels and natural resources.

VP/Director/Department Head of the Year

An individual in the organization who demonstrates leadership qualities that help transform their teams and gain greater results.

Employee of the Year

An individual contributor who demonstrates outstanding initiative and goes above and beyond their normal work requirements.

Best Child Friendly Business

Any business which caters to or has special services or products designed to delight your children and is focused on making the little ones in our lives feel special.

Favorite Neighborhood Business

This award is open to any type of business, anywhere. No matter the size or the type of business, if you have a “favorite” hangout or service provider in your area this special award recognizes the company’s impact on everyday lives in their community.

Best Pet Friendly Business

This special award is open to a business that has a focus on providing not only you but your fur family member a great experience. If you shop or frequent a company that has a pet-friendly policy or environment and/or supports animal rights and causes, this award recognizes their commitment to animals.

Best Business Influencer

Business influencers have a significant impact on how business is carried out today. Influencers motivate business owners to dream big and believe in themselves. They teach crucial lessons to help owners, entrepreneurs and seasoned professionals succeed in business.

Most Influential Business Guru

A business guru is someone who imparts deep knowledge, new concepts and often disrupts the status quo thinking. This person influences others in the business community to change behaviors, adopt theories, and implement the strategies they espouse.

Best New Business Book of the Year

These new books, published within the last 12 months focus on a business topic. Whether customer services, marketing, sales, growth strategies, investing or team building the nominees in this category provide thought-provoking concepts and insight for any entrepreneur, business owner or professional looking to up their game.

Best Business Author

Choose the Author of the business book that has made the biggest impact on your business. As long as the book was published within the last 12 months, any topic is eligible as long as it has business implications and application.

Best Business Speaker or Presenter

You’ve seen this dynamo on stage, watched their videos, subscribed to their YouTube Channel. You can’t get enough of their Facebook Live sessions. If you are a devotee of a business speaker or presenter that moves you to action, nominate them in this category.

Best Digital Media Company

A modern-day marketing/advertising company is one that develops and delivers both content and functionality defined as text, video, graphics, code and applications to customers across all electronic media, from online to mobile. This one-stop-shop makes your business’ digital footprint a reality.

Best Video Production

These video wizards, shoot, direct and edit video that captures your business’ products, services and messages in creative formats that tell visual stories you use to grow your business.

Best Website Designer

They have created your website and developed a highly responsive, attractive and functional platform to represent your company’s brand.

Best Business Support Service Provider

(can include Virtual Assistant services, Payroll process, HR Administration, Legal Services, Bookkeeping)

This outsource service not only fills a gap in your company, but offers you cost savings and efficiencies that make you more productive and profitable.

BEST COVID BUSINESS PIVOT

Nominees in this category have not only survived the COVID 19 Pandemic restrictions, they have found a unique or novel way to serve their community. The nominees has adjusted their products, added new products, enhanced or changed delivery or products or made changes to the way they provide services and have adjusted to the new conditions in their community keeping them a vital business. These nominees may have also provided their employees with work from home or creative ways to keep their teams engaged and productive during the crisis. Nominees in this category can be from any industry.

Nominations will be accepted from August 7 through December 30, 2020 at midnight Pacific Standard Time.

Nominations are open to any business which meets the criteria for each award.
Self-nominations are welcomed.
Once nominated, all nominees will be contacted and asked to complete a Nomination Validation form to ensure we have all the contact information and the business name correct.
Nominations should include a statement of nomination by the nominator briefly providing reasons why the business should be considered.
Nominees that do not return the Nomination Validation form will not be considered for the second stages of the award process.
Nominees must return their Nomination Validation form on or before January 8, 2021 at midnight Pacific Standard Time.
Once Nominees forms are received and contact information is validated, nominees will move to the Customer Validation process.
Customer Validation will be held from January 11 through January 22. This will phase will allow customers, vendor, suppliers, friends and family to vote for the nominee of their choice in each category.
Voters are limited to only voting once per day, per nominee, per category. All voting will be monitored daily. If any irregularities are detected, we reserve the right to disqualify the nominee.
Top five vote getters in each category will be “Finalists” and be asked to provide additional information for consideration by an independent judging panel or judge for each category. If vote totals are tied, then additional finalist may be added to the category.
All validated nominees will be recognized with a Certificate of Achievement.
Finalists will be provided a Finalist Certificate and winners will receive a Customized BizX Award trophy once we have confirmed that they have met all the criteria and all the requirements within each category.

All rules are subject to change at any time and we reserve the right to cancel, suspend or delay any and all timelines for the awards.

Denotes Awards that are recognized at Award Gala

These awards are for entertainment purposes only.

For questions or inquiries, email: actionmarketing@actioncoach.com