Dianna Yurko, of Autocrafters CARSTAR Collision, is Bensalem’s 2021 Alignable Local Business Person of the Year.
Alignable.com, a large online referral network for small businesses, recently announced the results of its month-long North American search for local business leaders who have gone above and beyond to help peers during the COVID-19 crisis.
Alignable amassed more than 86,000 votes and recommendations about hometown business heroes. This is the third year it has hosted the contest. Participation levels for 2021’s competition topped 2020’s by 800 percent. During a time when at least two-thirds of small businesses have reported suffering negative effects from COVID issues, this outpouring of support makes it clear 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, Alignable’s co-founder and CEO. “This frenetic level of participation is a testament to the strength of the business relationships forged and reinforced over the past year.”
Alignable’s 2021 Local Business Person of the Year contest ran from Jan. 6 to Feb. 5. It invited its 6 million members to vote for their favorite peers. In all, 2,962 local business people emerged victorious across North America after 61,000 votes were tallied and over 25,000 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 businesses in our community is, to me, an essential must do, especially in 2020.”
Yurko and the 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 Alignable’s co-founder and president Venkat Krishnamurthy. “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.”
