Business Awards Nomination Criteria

Annual Fall Awards Gala

 

 

 

 

Business of the Year Award (1-20 employees category)

  1. Nominee must be an active business located or operating in the San Marcos area.
  2. Nominee must be a member in good standing with the San Marcos Area Chamber of Commerce.
  3. Nominee must have been in business for at least 5 years.
  4. Nominee must have demonstrated one or more of the following characteristics:
    • Exceptional growth through additional creation of jobs
    • Revenue growth
    • Innovative products or services
    • Provides exemplary customer service
    • Volunteers in the San Marcos community
    • Demonstrates economic support of the San Marcos area business community
  5. The Chamber reserves the right to request two letters of reference from a third party. The nominee may furnish one of these letters if they did not submit the original nomination form.

Business of the Year Award (21+ employees category)

  1. Nominee must be an active business located or operating in the San Marcos area.
  2. Nominee must be a member in good standing with the San Marcos Area Chamber of Commerce.
  3. Nominee must have been in business for at least 5 years.
  4. Nominee must have demonstrated one or more of the following characteristics:
    • Exceptional growth through additional creation of jobs 
    • Revenue growth 
    • Innovative products or services 
    • Provides exemplary customer service 
    • Volunteers in the San Marcos community 
    • Demonstrates economic support of the San Marcos area business community
  5. The Chamber reserves the right to request two letters of reference from a third party. The nominee may furnish one of these letters if they did not submit the original nomination form.

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Emerging Business of the Year Award

  1. Nominee must be an active business located or operating in the San Marcos area.
  2. Nominee must be a member in good standing with the San Marcos Area Chamber of Commerce.
  3. Nominee must have been in business for 2 - 5 years.
  4. Nominee must have demonstrated one or more of the following characteristics:
    • Exceptional growth through additional creation of jobs 
    • Revenue growth 
    • Innovative products or services 
    • Provides exemplary customer service 
    • Volunteers in the San Marcos community 
    • Demonstrates economic support of the San Marcos area business community
  5. The Chamber reserves the right to request two letters of reference from a third party. The nominee may furnish one of these letters if they did not submit the original nomination form.

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Green Business of the Year Award (1-20 employees categories)

  1. Nominee must be an active business located or operating in the San Marcos area.
  2. Nominee must be a member in good standing with the San Marcos Area Chamber of Commerce.
  3. Nominee must be able to demonstrate at least one green business practice in six of the following eight categories (explanation of qualifying green business practices):
    • Waste Prevention
    • Recycling
    • Purchasing
    • Energy and Water Conservation
    • Involving Stakeholders (employees, customers, and/or suppliers) in greening your business
    • Transportation
    • Operations
    • Other
  4. Relevant contributions stipulated in the nominating letter shall have occurred within the twelve month period prior to the date of the letter. 
  5. The Chamber reserves the right to request two letters of reference from a third party. The nominee may furnish one of these letters if they did not submit the original nomination form.

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Green Business of the Year Award (21+ employees categories)

  1. Nominee must be an active business located or operating in the San Marcos area.
  2. Nominee must be a member in good standing with the San Marcos Area Chamber of Commerce.
  3. Nominee must be able to demonstrate at least one green business practices in six of the following eight categories (explanation of qualifying green business practices):
    • Waste Prevention 
    • Recycling
    • Purchasing
    • Energy and Water Conservation
    • Involving Stakeholders (employees, customers, and/or suppliers) in greening your business
    • Transportation
    • Operations
    • Other
  4. Relevant contributions stipulated in the nominating letter shall have occurred within the twelve month period prior to the date of the letter. 
  5. The Chamber reserves the right to request two letters of reference from a third party. The nominee may furnish one of these letters if they did not submit the original nomination form.

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Non-Profit of the Year Award

  1. Nominee must be an active 501-C-3 organization located or operating in the San Marcos area.
  2. Nominee must be a member in good standing with the San Marcos Area Chamber of Commerce.
  3. Nominee must have been in operation for at least 3 years.
  4. Nominee must have shown exemplary support to the San Marcos area through contributions and support of the community while adhering to the non-profit’s mission statement.
  5. Mission statement of the non-profit organization must be provided.
  6. The Chamber reserves the right to request two letters of reference from a third party. The nominee may furnish one of these letters if they did not submit the original nomination form.

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SOAR Business of the Year Award

  1. Nominee must be an active business located or operating in the San Marcos area.
  2. Nominee must be a member in good standing with the San Marcos Area Chamber of Commerce.
  3. Nominee must have made exemplary contributions to the education of youth in the San Marcos community. (The Education Committee will give consideration to a nominee’s contribution in relation to its scale of operations.) 
  4. A business may not nominate itself or be nominated by an employee or the owner of the business. 
  5. Relevant contributions stipulated in the nominating letter shall have occurred within the twelve month period prior to the date of the letter. 
  6. The Chamber reserves the right to request two letters of reference from a third party. The nominee may furnish one of these letters if they did not submit the original nomination form.

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EXPLANATION OF QUALIFYING GREEN BUSINESS PRACTICES

  1. Waste Prevention (examples)
    • Reduce copying: use electronic distribution to avoid unnecessary document printing, and set copier and printer defaults to two-sided
    • Regularly update/purge your mailing list 
    • Contact catalogue senders and others to reduce the amount of bulk mail and duplicate mailings you receive 
    • Use marketing materials that require no envelope
    • Reuse packaging and shipping materials
    • Offer reusable shopping bags and/or discounts for those who use them
    • Replace individual hand soap containers with larger, refillable dispensers
    • Use reusable rather than disposable products- dishes, towels, boxes, bags, containers 
    • Install motion towel dispensers or air dryers near all sinks 
    • Install motion activated soap dispensers 
    • Prohibit littering at the workplace or while on duty, including the improper disposal of cigarette butts 
    • Other (please specify) 
  2. Recycling (examples)
    • Recycle paper 
    • Recycle glass 
    • Recycle aluminum and other metals 
    • Recycle plastic bottles, utensils, wrappers and other materials 
    • Recycle boxes and other cardboard materials 
    • Recycle pallets, pallet wrap, and any other wood debris 
    • Recycle toner and inkjet cartridges 
    • Recycle or properly dispose of all used batteries 
    • Recycle used cooking oil 
    • Install signs and distribute instructions on recycling to staff 
    • Compost food and landscape waste 
    • Other (please specify) 
  3. Purchasing (examples)
    • Buy office copy paper with at least 30% recycled content 
    • Print letterhead and business cards on 100% recycled stock 
    • Purchase and use safer, more eco-friendly alternative(s) to previously used products for janitorial, pest control, and/or facility maintenance 
    • Purchase recycled/re-manufactured toner cartridges 
    • Purchase biodegradable or compostable “to go” food containers 
    • Purchase more materials in bulk 
    • Use low-emission building materials when remodeling 
    • Purchase used furniture, equipment, or materials 
    • Exchange or donate unwanted furniture, equipment, scrap materials, etc. 
    • Purchase from other “green” vendors or service providers 
    • Purchase more materials and supplies locally to reduce transportation emissions 
    • Other (please specify) 
  4. Energy and Water Conservation (examples)
    • Have a professional perform an on-site audit of your energy use 
    • Track energy usage and share data with employees 
    • Replace incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescents 
    • Replace old T12 fluorescents with energy efficient lighting 
    • Use motion sensors, timers, or other lighting controls in appropriate rooms 
    • Unplug chargers when not in use 
    • Use “Energy Star” equipment
    • Update insulation or windows (includes tinting) 
    • Use programmable thermostat 
    • Get an HVAC tune-up or refrigeration tune-up 
    • Set all computer monitors to turn off after 10 minutes of inactivity 
    • Turn all computers off at the end of each business day 
    • Use renewable energy (e.g. solar) or purchase “Green Power” from local utility) 
    • Use aerators and/or auto shut-off on faucets 
    • Install commercial ultra low-flow toilets 
    • Install waterless urinals 
    • Install pre-rinse spray nozzle in kitchen 
    • Regularly check for and repair leaks in restroom 
    • Install low-water or no-water landscaping 
    • Clean outdoor areas with a broom instead of a water hose or air blower 
    • Use recovered wastewater and/or rainwater 
    • Other (please specify) 
  5. Involving Stakeholders (examples)
    • Involve employees in developing your green business plan; get their input 
    • Establish a “green committee” of employees to make the green business plan and to regularly identify new strategies 
    • Provide training for employees on implementing green business practices 
    • Institute a green business policy in the employee handbook, making participation in the practices a condition of employment 
    • Inform suppliers and/or customers about your green business interests and efforts; solicit their suggestions 
    • Encourage “green” practices by your customers 
    • Achieve sustainability recognition, award or certification for your business 
    • Achieve sustainability recognition, award or certification for your employees 
    • Participate in a local clean-up event (San Marcos River Cleanup, Keep San Marcos Beautiful Neighborhood Cleanup, Adopt-A Road, etc) 
    • Attend training/information sessions on green practices (i.e. industry specific, local programs, etc.) 
    • Other (please specify) 
  6. Transportation (examples)
    • Implement policies/practices to encourage employee walking, biking, carpooling, transit, and/or telecommuting
    • Provide an incentive or reimburse employee travel on public transportation 
    • Provide an incentive to employees that use alternative transportation 
    • Use teleconferences or web conferences rather than traveling for face-to-face meetings 
    • Schedule regular tune-ups for business vehicles; check tire pressure regularly; check for “ground staining” regularly 
    • Recycle all vehicle fluids, oils, etc 
    • Use hybrid or alternative fuel vehicle(s) 
    • Other (please specify) 
  7. Operations (examples)
    • Offer a green or sustainable product or service 
    • Replace production equipment with energy or water efficient models 
    • Plant trees, bushes and other landscaping at local facility 
    • Use recycled or previously used material in manufactured products 
    • Reduce and recycle waste materials from manufacturing process 
    • Adjust work schedules for efficient utility use and reduced traffic from employees and shipping vehicles 
    • Implement a protocol for employee suggestions for efficiency 
    • Other (please specify) 
  8. Other - Special Projects (Optional)
    • San Marcos Chamber businesses are also eligible to be recognized under this program for a specific project, process change or initiative that can be used as a model for other organizations.

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