 Good evening, I'm Malmy Yamamoto, Minister of State for Tourism and Small Business. Small businesses are the heart and soul of our communities. You support families and keep local economies strong. In October is Small Business Month, our chance to recognize the tremendous contributions that small businesses like yours make. It takes courage, energy and dedication to run a small business. I know the challenges from earning my own small business for 21 years and from my time with the BC Chamber of Commerce and the North Vancouver Chamber. Tonight you've come together to celebrate entrepreneurship in BC. You have the opportunity to share your stories, expand your networks and build your businesses. You will inspire each other, learn from each other and celebrate each other's successes. And speaking of success, I'm excited about the upcoming Small Business BC Awards. There are nine categories altogether, something for every small business. This year the BC government is sponsoring a new award, the Premier's People's Choice Award. This will go to a BC small business that demonstrates that their community thinks they go above and beyond. After being nominated, small businesses must use imaginative, creative and traditional approaches to engage customers, clients and neighbors to vote online. The BC business with the most votes from their community wins. Each of the small business BC award winners will also receive special recognition from Premier Christy Clark along with the Premier's Prize of $1,500. Visit Small Business BC's website for more details on all of the award categories this year. I encourage all of you to nominate yourselves and each other. Thank you for the work that you do every day.