Trekking across B.C. and a heavily decorated office contributed to Emcon Services Inc. winning the Heart and Stroke Foundation's Dress Red Day contest Friday afternoon.

A panel of four judges selected Emcon as the top business in town among 21 participants in Dress Red Day, an initiative started to raise money for the Heart and Stroke Foundation and to spread awareness of heart health and wellness.

“We had a lot of participation in the office,” said Emcon administrative assistant Barb Treadway.

Emcon, who has dethroned last year's winner, the Coldwater Indian Band, was the most decorated out of all the business and the staff were dressed in red from head to toe.

But that's not all they did.

“One of the girls had an idea where we would exercise and eat properly and she put a map on the wall,” said Treadway.

“Anytime we would go downstairs and exercise we would clock our time and kilometres.”

Emcon employees put in a lot of sweat, 900 kilometres since January. Any time they exercised in the company fitness room or at home, they recorded of their distance.

They estimate that they have travelled a distance spanning from the B.C. coast to the Alberta border.

“They had absolutely outstanding support from their staff and from their corporate office,” said HUB International Barton Insurance area manger Jo Ann Irvine.

“They always decorate their office absolutely to the extreme,” she continued.

The title is nothing new to Emcon, who won the contest in 2006.

Brambles Bakery, one of Merritt's newest businesses, placed second while CIBC came in third.

The first place price was a buffet dinner for six, donated by Crystal Gardens Chinese Restaurant. Brambles and CIBC received a goodie bag with items donated by HUB and Heart and Stroke.

The Dress Red mascot, Big Red Heartland, a stuffed gorilla, was present for all the awards presentations.

Dress Red Day in Merritt started in 2004 when Irvine and HUB dressed up in red and raised some money for the Heart and Stroke Foundation.

The following year, the company challenged other businesses in town to top them.

Last year, HUB raised over $5,000 for Heart and Stroke and this year, Irvine estimates the raised amount to be about the same.

Businesses are judged on décor, the attire of their employee, as well as special events and fundraising activities.