The 107 businesses featured on those pages cover the full gamut of the economy – from some of the biggest names in Australian retailing to some of the smallest operations in our region.

Between them, they employ literally thousands of Bathurstians and pump millions of dollars into our economy every year.

And that’s what makes the Crowe Horwath Carillon Business Awards such an important annual event on the Bathurst calendar.

For the second year now, the awards are being run by the Bathurst Business Chamber, bringing a new level of professionalism to the process.

Running the awards under the auspices of the chamber means that local category winners can go on to compete in regional and state business awards.

That means the best of Bathurst businesses will go up against the best businesses in the state, giving them a much clearer picture of how they are performing.

That opens up new networking and mentoring opportunities and this can only be a good thing for our whole community.

It is often said that local businesses are the backbone of any regional community and that is certainly the case here in Bathurst.

Local shoppers want for nothing in comparison to big city residents, and we know that each dollar spent in a locally-owned and run store will find its way back into the community.

The Crowe Horwath Carillon Business Awards have gone through many name and format changes over the years and each time have emerged bigger and better.

This latest change will be no exception.