Originally published on Fosters.com

On Thursday, Aug. 24 businesses from across the region will celebrate the 2017 Best of the Seacoast awards, presented by Seacoast Media Group.

The celebration will take place at the Portsmouth Harbor Events and Convention Center and feature free valet parking, a red carpet welcome, entertainment, open bar, formal dinner and awards ceremony.

“It’s a remarkable feat to create a successful local business, and when that business wins the hearts of the people on the Seacoast as a ‘Best of the Seacoast’ vote winner, it’s a true mark of excellence,” said John Tabor, Seacoast Media Group president and publisher. “We want to showcase that excellence by gathering all the winners for a gala tribute event. We want to make it memorable and rewarding night.”

Readers cast 156,000 Best of the Seacoast ballots in categories including Arts and Culture, Beauty, Car Services, Drink Places, Education, Entertainment and Recreation, Food and Dining, Health, Merchants and Retailers, and Professional Services. The top three finalists in each category have been invited to attend the gala, where the winner in each category and subcategory will be announced.

Red Post Realty in Portsmouth, which in just four years has grown to $80 million in residential sales, is a finalist in the real estate category.

“We have some very loyal clients,” said Red Post CEO Todd Hudson, who is also president of the Seacoast Board of Realtors. “Our goal is to provide the best service in the industry. We’re 100 percent about doing what our clients need and the Best of the Seacoast voters showed that we’ve done that.”

Michelle Meagher opened Cause salon in Dover a year ago and is nominated in the hair salon category. While Cause provides an array of salon and spa services, its specialty is women’s wigs. Cause is an American Cancer Society wig bank. Meagher realized the Seacoast needed a high quality wig maker when her mother was undergoing chemotherapy for ovarian cancer.

Meagher said being voted a Best of the Seacoast finalist “was huge to me. It let me know I was doing something right.”

“We are passionate people who take our jobs seriously, have fun doing it and we genuinely love what we do, helping people and making them beautiful,” Meagher added.

If your business is nominated and you have not yet reserved your seat at the Best of the Seacoast gala, you can register at https://register.growtix.com/events/landing/best_of_seacoast_2017.