As our regular readers know, we have conducted an extremely popular Reader Dining Survey & Contest virtually every year since 1994 in the New Tampa & Wesley Chapel Neighborhood News. I have often been asked why we don’t do the same for area businesses, so after discussing the idea with office manager Nikki Bennett, we have decided that this year is the year! So, area doctors, dentists, hair and nail salons, veterinarians, carpet cleaners, florists, boutiques, supermarkets and virtually every business category you can imagine will finally get the same treatment we have given area eateries.

To that end, we hope you will continue visit our website and fill in as many “Best of Wesley Chapel” categories as you want — from one to all of them — just bear in mind that you will receive one entry into this great contest for every category you fill in, as long as you correctly fill out your entry. You can fill in just the name of your favorite flooring store and you’ll still receive one entry into a random drawing for at least 20 great prizes, which will range from a great two-night hotel stay to $50 and $100 salon and spa prizes to $20 gift cards to a favorite local restaurant.

Yes, this “Best of Wesley Chapel” contest is a popularity contest, so feel free to get as many of your friends as you can to vote for your own chiropractic office or your best friend’s new catering service. The business which receives the most votes of any in its category will win the highly coveted first annual “Best of Wesley Chapel” award in that category. We will announce all of the 2012 award winners in our special January 2013 issue.

There are some rules, however.

1) You can only enter this contest on our website — no mailed, emailed or faxed entries, please!

2) Each person can only submit one (1) entry, but up to four other people in the same household may also submit their votes.

3) You can vote for one business in one category or place a vote in every category and you will receive one entry into our contest for each category in which you cast a vote.

4) You can enter the contest any day between now and September 30.

5) No matter how many categories you fill in, you must include your name, address, the community you live in (Meadow Pointe, Seven Oaks, etc.), your daytime telephone number and a valid e-mail address or all of your votes will not count!

How Your Business Can Benefit, Too!

We created this contest to help promote area businesses, which, of course, is our primary goal in virtually everything we do. So, if you want your business to get more votes than just the ones you and your friends submit, we are offering a special discount for new Wesley Chapel Neighborhood News advertisers who sign a new agreement for at least four issues during the summer months. That discount increases if you agree to run your ad for at least six issues. And yes, we will gladly banner your ad with a “Please Vote for Us in the 2012 ‘Best (dry cleaner, wine shop, etc.) of Wesley Chapel’ Contest!”

In our January 3 and January 14, 2013, issues, we will announce not only the winners, but also the runners-up and third-place vote-getters, in each category. And, in each 2013 issue in New Tampa and Wesley Chapel, we will guarantee to run at least one full-length feature story about one of our category winners. We know the businesses will appreciate not only the honor of being named a category winner, but also the opportunity to have their business featured in a great feature story which will appear, not only in print, but also on our website.

More Website Stuff

Speaking of our website, I hope you continue to visit us regularly as we continue to feature exclusive web-only content, including a “New Item of the Day,” which can be anything as simple as a Chamber ribbon cutting to the story about that construction that snarled I-75 for hours during the morning rush hour. Staff writer Matt Wiley continues to provide these great news items and the only place you can get the full story is at WCNeighborhoodNews.com.

In addition to the remainder of Matt’s “Summer Movie Preview”, our website also features exclusive content like recaps of the recent Rotary PigFest, “Night of 5000” gala and a couple of other print stories we couldn’t fit in this issue. Check it out!