Alignable.com announced it has named Dianna Yurko of Autocrafters CARSTAR Collision as Bensalem, Pa.’s 2021 Alignable Local Business Person of the Year.
Alignable conducted a month-long search throughout North America for local business leaders who have gone above and beyond to help peers during the COVID crisis. The contest ran from Jan. 6 to Feb. 5, 2021. Alignable invited its over 6 million members to vote for their favorite peers. In all, 2,962 local business people emerged victorious across North America, after 61,000-plus votes were tallied and 25,000-plus recommendations were reviewed.
“Bensalem’s community means a great deal to me and, like many of my peers, I have gladly helped my fellow small business owners overcome a number of obstacles during this tough time,” said Yurko. “I am beyond honored to receive this award and very grateful for the heartwarming support from my peers. We’re all stronger together. Actively participating in community groups and offering marketing advice to small business in our community is, to me, an essential must-do, especially in 2020.”
This is the third year Alignable has hosted this contest, and the participation levels for the 2021 competition topped 2020 by 800%. During a time where at least two-thirds of small businesses have regularly reported suffering negative effects from COVID issues, it’s clear just how much small business owners wanted to recognize the extraordinary efforts of their peers.
“To see so many business owners celebrate their peers was awesome — 60 votes landed every minute at the height of the contest,” said Eric Groves, co-founder and CEO of Alignable. “This frenetic level of participation is a testament to the strength of the business relationships forged and reinforced over the past year.”
Yurko and other 2021 Local Business People of the Year in communities across the U.S. and Canada have received badges on their Alignable profiles in recognition of their contributions. In past years, the awareness generated through this contest has helped drive additional connections, prospects and new business for many winners.
“We hope the popularity of this year’s contest will lead to even greater awareness and business success for 2021’s winners,” said Venkat Krishnamurthy, co-founder and president of Alignable. “We’ve
already heard from some members that the surge in networking, referrals and recommendations that occurred during 2021’s contest got them off to a stronger start this year.”
