“Humbling and intimidating” are the words Greg Evtushevski used to describe the top honours his Kelowna sports store, Chevy’s Source for Sports, took recently at this year’s Bauer World Sports Expo in Orlando, Florida.
“To be selected as the top store by Bauer, one of the world’s leading sports icons, from all other sports retailers across the country, is an achievement that still hasn’t quite sunk in”, said Evtushevski, after returning from Bauer’s global sports expo in Florida late last month.
The Expo, held annually by Bauer, previews new product launching for the upcoming year and draws attendance from around the world with resellers coming from as far away as Germany, Russia, Sweden, the United States and Canada.
In addition to workshops and product demos, Bauer celebrates industry leaders with an exclusive awards banquet, honouring sports stores representing the highest standards of sales performance, progressive leadership, community involvement and the overall customer in-store experience.
This year, it was Chevy’s Source for Sports singled out as the best of the best.
“This is something that you just never imagine winning. We’re talking about beating out every other sports store in the country. It’s the biggest thing that’s ever happened to our store and I think it may be the biggest major acknowledgment ever awarded to a sports store in the Okanagan.”
Evtushevski was apologetic when asked about the official acceptance picture sent to him from Bauer.
“It’s embarassing. I honestly never dreamed we’d be accepting Bauer’s top honours at a world renowned event like Bauer World, so I didn’t bother dressing up for it. Then they announced us as the winner, and there I am stepping up to accept the award in shorts and sandals! I had no speech, nothing. I was dumbstruck. It was absolutely amazing! A moment I’ll never forget”