EcoTour Adventures continues to make strides in the Jackson Hole community! This year, for the first time, ETA was nominated for the “Small Business of the Year” award at the 2022 Annual Chamber of Commerce Awards. Nominations are accepted from the general public, then voted on by members of the Jackson Hole Chamber of Commerce.
The individual responsible for nominating ETA said of the nomination, “EcoTours is the benchmark in small business operations. They treat their employees with respect and individualism. From rewarding for not driving to work, to matching donations up to $500 for Old Bill’s Fun Run, and…regular recognition and engagement events…, Taylor [Phillips, ETA founder and owner] continues to invest in his employees and his business, including buying housing to help seasonal employees. He has signed an exclusive worldwide deal with the leading eyeglass manufacturer Swarovski Optik, and ensures other products like lunches and partners are locally sourced… Taylor is a smart businessman and a kind and giving employer.”
From left to right: Taylor Phillips, founder and owner of ETA, Tenley Thompson, general manager of ETA, and Mark Byall, senior naturalist guide at ETA at the awards ceremony.
Two other local businesses, Creekside Market and JH Flower Boutique, were nominated as well.
At the awards ceremony, held on Friday night, October 21st, at the Cowboy Bar, the award went to Creekside Market, which was very well-deserved! Although we didn’t win, we were honored to be nominated among such a stand-out group of local businesses, and we plan to continue our nomination-worthy practices well into the future! Perhaps we’ll find ourselves at this event next year. Our fingers are certainly crossed!
In addition to ETA’s nomination, our founder and owner, Taylor Phillips, was nominated for Citizen of the Year at the same awards ceremony! We are deeply proud of him for this amazing honor; it was well-deserved!
Taylor Phillips poses with his two nomination placards.
Of Taylor’s nomination, the person responsible for the nomination said, “Taylor is a true leader in Jackson Hole. He started initiatives with businesses…to create accountability for businesses to protect our ecosystem. Taylor [also] gives away profit to conservation initiatives. Taylor is fully committed to help give back to local supporters of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem to preserve & protect our wildlife and natural wonders. [He also] donates 2.5% of every tour [to conservation initiatives] because he truly cares about conservation. EcoTour Adventures has donated over $100,000!”
Taylor was nominated alongside Cam Sholly, the Superintendent of Yellowstone National Park, and Elisabeth Rohrbach, the Director of Operations at Shari Brownfield Fine Art. The award was given to Cam Sholly, which we think was very well-deserved, especially given the late spring flooding crisis that Sholly had to respond to. We know Taylor was honored to be nominated among such incredible folks–we think he’s pretty incredible, too!
Hopefully we’ll find ourselves seated at this event next year! We want to extend our sincere thanks and gratitude to the Jackson Hole Chamber of Commerce for the nominations and for hosting such a stellar event!
