Calgary Chamber honours 10 small businesses spanning tech, health care and energy

The Calgary Chamber of Commerce recognized 10 small businesses Friday at its 43rd Small Business Awards Gala, highlighting companies reshaping sectors from health care to energy technology.

Ava Industries Ltd. won the Servus Credit Union Award for simplifying medical records and making them more intuitive. The company now supports 8,500 clinics and health-care professionals across B.C., Ontario and Alberta.

HomeFree Homecare took the Doane Grant Thornton Emerging Growth Award for pairing dedicated homecare teams with physician oversight to help people with complex needs stay in their own homes. Pedesting Corp. won the RBC Inclusion Award for its free app that helps pedestrians navigate the city by finding accessible routes, ramps and elevators.

Devon & Lang, which won the Air Canada Community Champion Award, fabricates prints and underwear and donates products to organizations helping people in vulnerable communities across the country with every purchase.

AbaData, a company building technology for the energy industry for more than 20 years, won the AlphaKor Innovation Award for connecting engineers, field teams, operators and analysts through GIS mapping tools and software. 49 Native Design, founded by J. Nathan Rainy Chief of the Kainai First Nation, won the ATB Indigenous Entrepreneurship Award for bringing Indigenous culture together with modern design fundamentals in apparel and accessories.

cSPACE Projects won the CPA Alberta Social Entrepreneurship Award for providing spaces and opportunities for the city's creative community through a hub featuring studios, partnerships and programs. Audiology Innovations, operating since 2005, won the TikTok People's Choice Award for hearing technology, assessments and personalized audiology care.

AFTI Watchdog won the Avenue Magazine Made in Calgary Award for its WatchDog platform, which gives oil and gas companies a virtual view of wellsites, detects leaks and monitors production remotely after more than a decade of technology development. April Hicke of Toast Consulting won the Rogers Small Business Leader of the Year Award for her work advancing women in technology and recruitment and helping close gender equity gaps.

Chamber President Deborah Yedlin noted that small businesses comprise 94 per cent of Calgary's business community and fuel the economy by creating jobs and investing in communities. "This year's winners and runners-up showcase the changing nature of Calgary's small business ecosystem, spanning energy, technology, health care, successful social entrepreneurship and so much more," Yedlin said.