FH's Best of the Heights awards return in 2017

Since 2005, FutureHeights—a nonprofit that inspires and facilitates collaboration and empowerment in our community—has conducted the Best of the Heights awards to recognize the unique attributes of locally owned Heights businesses, and their contributions to the local economy.

FutureHeights asks residents to cast their votes for their favorite businesses by nominating them for an award in a variety of categories, such as Best New Business and Best Interior Décor. After a one-year hiatus, FutureHeights is bringing the program back with the theme Show Heights Businesses Your Love.

Beginning in January, residents can show their love for Heights businesses by voting for them in 12 categories. Online voting will begin on Jan. 15, and a paper ballot that can be mailed, or scanned and e-mailed, to FutureHeights will be printed on the back cover of the February print issue of the Heights Observer. Voting will conclude Feb. 15 and winners will be announced in the Observer’s March issue.

“When the program first started, FutureHeights volunteers would canvass attendees at the various summer festivals to ask for their Best of the Heights votes,” said Deanna Bremer Fisher, executive director of FutureHeights. “And when we launched the Heights Observer in 2008, we began to include a ballot in the summer print issues and hold our awards celebration in the fall. When we launched Heights Music Hop in 2012, our fall became extremely busy, so we began looking for a way to move the awards to the spring. With 95 percent of the voting now occurring online, we think a spring program with online voting is the way to go.”

The group is dispensing with the traditional awards ceremony, in lieu of a public announcement in the Heights Observer.

“Business owners are so busy and it is difficult to get them all together for an event,” said Bremer Fisher. “Instead, we will hand-deliver the awards directly to business owners.”

FutureHeights’ Planning and Development Committee has selected the categories that will be on this year’s ballot. All Cleveland Heights and University Heights businesses are eligible to be nominated for each of the categories. Visit www.futureheights.org to access the Best of the Heights 2017 ballot or look for a link to the ballot in the weekly Heights Observer e-news, beginning Jan. 15.

For more information, call FutureHeights at 216-320-1423 or send an e-mail to info@futureheights.org.