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Olivette selects UPS Store as Business of the Year; Balance and The Bridge recognized in annual awards
Summary
Olivette commissioners and staff reviewed 211 nominations and unanimously selected the UPS Store as Business of the Year, Balance as Restaurant of the Year, and The Bridge as the Commissioner's Choice; winners will be honored at city and Chamber events in May.
Olivette City staff and commissioners announced winners of the city’s annual business awards after reviewing nominations and vetting entries. The UPS Store received the Business of the Year award, Balance won Restaurant of the Year, and The Bridge received the Commissioner's Choice award. The selections were approved unanimously by the planning commission during the meeting.
Why it matters: The awards recognize local businesses for customer service, community presence and other attributes that staff and residents prioritized in the nomination process; the winners will receive public recognition at Coffee with the Mayor and a Chamber luncheon in May.
Staff reported there were 211 total nominations submitted for the awards cycle; nominations were vetted to ensure nominees were located in Olivette, had current business licenses, had not been honored in the immediately previous year and had no unresolved code violations. Staff said multiple nominations were disqualified for failing to meet those criteria.
Don Doty, senior planner, presented the nomination results and the category tallies. He told the commission the UPS Store received roughly 51% of the votes among the businesses that advanced through vetting (39 votes in that pool), a strong plurality in the business category. For restaurants, staff said Balance led the nominations among eligible contenders. The commission then discussed the slate and made motions to affirm the staff-presented winners.
Cole Donaldson, an observer in the meeting, offered a technical comment on how the visual slide stacked attributes; staff adjusted the display and confirmed that “exemplary customer service” was the most frequently selected attribute across nominations.
Commissioner action: A motion to approve the UPS Store and Balance as the top vote‑getters was made and seconded; the commission voted unanimously in favor. The commission then selected The Bridge for the Commissioner’s Choice award; the vote was likewise unanimous.
Logistics and follow-up: Staff said winners will be notified and invited to Coffee with the Mayor on May 14 and to the Olivette Chamber luncheon on May 15 to receive their awards. The staff presenter said certificates and a standard award plaque design will be used for this year’s winners.
"There really are a lot of great businesses," the staff presenter said while summarizing comments submitted by nominators. "Exemplary customer service" repeatedly emerged as a top trait in the nominations.
The commission concluded the awards item without additional policy changes; no ordinances or council actions were taken at this meeting on the awards themselves.
