Best of the Best recognized

WINTERSVILLE -- Events like Wednesday’s Best of the Best Readers’ Choice Awards Gala that bring people together are good for the community.

“When I look out into a room filled with people who are excited to celebrate, I see so much more than a sold-out gala,” said Heather Francis, advertising director of the Herald-Star and The Weirton Daily Times, which have presented the competition for numerous years. “I see a community that believes in itself. I see business owners, employees, community leaders and supporters who take tremendous pride in what they do and in the place they call home.”

Awards presentations also are good for area businesses and individuals who were recognized during the annual event held at the St. Florian Event Center.

“Small businesses are the lifeblood of our local communities,” said John Hale, publisher of the newspapers. “There are many local people in the communities across the Tri-State Area who work hard each and every day to ensure that their businesses offer the best goods and services and the friendliest shopping experience to everyone. Those are the people we are thrilled to be able to honor.”

The gala brought a close to a process that began during the summer, when readers of the newspapers were asked to nominate their favorite businesses or individuals in 156 categories, ranging from the top auto body shop to the leading funeral home to the best place to get all of your lawn and garden needs.

Readers responded in a big way -- there were 1,245 unique nominations. During the first round, 125,919 votes came from 5.740 users. In the second round, there were 87,500 votes from 1,717 users. The winners in each of the categories, as well the second- and third-place finishers can be found inside the special section that is included with today’s editions.

“The number of votes we receive in the Best of the Best competition shows me just how much pride people have in the community and how deeply they care about businesses that serve it,” Francis added. “These votes represent more than just a favorite business or service -- they represent relationships, trust, loyalty and the connections people have built with local businesses during the years.”

Businesses in the food industry dominated the top 10 categories in the vote, with pizza topping the list. Atmosphere was second, deli was third, service was fourth, bakery was fifth, coffee shop was sixth, ice cream shop was seventh, breakfast spot was eighth and cake was 10th. Hair salon was the only non-food category in the top 10, coming in ninth.

The popularity of and the loyalty shown to their favorite pizza from customers across the Tri-State Area became evident in the voting. Pizza received the most votes in the second round --1,552 --and the most votes overall -- 2,733.

“Best of the Best continues to attract attention,” Hale said. “Every year, people start to call the office in late spring, asking when the nomination process will start. Then, as the voting continues, we’ll get calls from people who wonder about how the vote totals are going. Of course, we never reveal that information in advance, but it shows what winning one of these awards means to local businesses and their employees.”

There were several multiple winners recognized during the event. The list included Team Automotive, Lyle’s Auto, Zatta’s Auto Sales and Salvage, Shear Perfection, 7 Ranges Entertainment Center, Puskarich Accounting, Casie Johnson State Farm Insurance Agency, Freddie Jones and Jones Gym, Cipriani and Thomas Law Offices, Hancock County Savings Bank, Gus’s Goodies, Mark’s Carry Out, Howdy’s Dari Owl, Theo Yanni’s, Downtown Pizza, Fresh Twist, Apollo Pro Cleaning and Restoration, Wayne Door Sales, Fuscardo Concrete, the Spoiled Pup, Hidden Acres Wedding and Events, M&M True Value Hardware, Ferguson House of Furniture and Moe’s on Main.

Twice as Nice entertained before the awards were presented. Mallory Bozovich performed several songs before the presentation started. Miss West Virginia Elizabeth Romanek helped distribute the awards, and Brian Oliver served as master of ceremonies.