The 27 winners of the 20th Sunshine Coast Business Awards were announced this evening (15.11.14) at a celebration attended by over 600 guests at the University of the Sunshine Coast’s Innovation Centre. The winners, along with two Hall of Fame recipients were selected from over 115 finalists and received awards in individual, small and large business and special categories.
Guests were treated to an extravagant gourmet feast, beverages and live entertainment as performed by dancers, acrobats and singers before sitting down to hear the winners’ names announced by ZINC 96.1FM’s Al Doblo and WIN Network’s Paul Taylor.
In congratulating the finalist and winners, Sunshine Coast Mayor Mark Jamieson said, “Of all the events I attend each year, the Sunshine Coast Business Awards event is always a special one for me,” Mayor Jamieson said.
“As we work towards developing the New Economy here on the Coast, it is encouraging and rewarding to see so many local businesses getting such great results.
“With the recent announcement of Coast business Co-Yo taking out Emerging Exporter of the Year at the Premier of Queensland Export Awards, these awards wrap up a fantastic year of achievements.
“I’m really proud of the 115 finalists. What a terrific result for the Sunshine Coast to have so many business champions succeeding locally, nationally and internationally.
“We have a great story to tell and these businesses tell it better than anyone, by delivering great results. They are the sure sign that business activity and business confidence is on the rise across the Sunshine Coast.”
The Enterprise of the Year award for large business went to Beerwah based Trailers 2000, a family business that began in 1993. It is now the largest Australian trailer manufacturer of quality, fully galvanised trailers and accessories and processors of rolled formed steel. Trailers 2000 has made a comeback in the awards after retiring from entering for a few years after being inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2001. The Small Business of the Year title was awarded to Kunda Park’s Kombo a supplier of synthetic grass and environmentally sustainable materials that can be used to replace timber, steel and aluminium profiles in the building industry.
Warana’s Quik Corp won the Innovation award for the second year in a row for its manufacturing of innovative equipment to the agricultural, emergency services and mining sectors and Glenview’s Radaqua was victorious in the Export category with its seafood production systems and aquatic environment technology solutions for marine and freshwater applications.
Belli Park’s Hinterland Feijoas was triumphant for a third year running in the SCBA, taking home two awards – the small business Food & Agribusiness award and the Business Sustainability Award. Hinterland Feijoas is Australia’s first certified organic feijoa grower with 750 feijoa trees. Caloundra based 4 Ingredients took out the large business Food & Agribusiness award for a business which now boasts 18 published cookbooks, two television series, various DVDs, cookware and iApps. The business’s success is based on recipes made with only four ingredients with the cookbooks published on three continents and in six foreign languages.
Sippy Downs’ Italic Creative and Caloundra’s Sunshine Coast Events Centre attained the small and large business Creative Industries awards respectively. Italic Creative is a creative agency specialising in branding, websites and marketing solutions whilst the Sunshine Coast Events Centre manages one of the largest regional theatre and function centres in Queensland.
Warrick Bidwell Business Coach from Wurtulla collected the small business Knowledge Industries and Professional Services award for his business which specializes in goal setting, mindset, marketing, sales, finance, leadership and team building. The Compass Institute in Palmwoods won the large business Knowledge Industries and Professional Services category for its work assisting young people with intellectual and/or physical disabilities to make smooth transitions from school or home to an increasingly independent future.
The small business Building and Manufacturing award went to Warana’s Poppy’s Fibreglass, a family owned business which has been operating on the Sunshine coast for 12 years. The experienced father and son team have been in the fibreglass industry for a combined total of 35 years. Poppy’s Fibreglass is a registered boat builder and manufactures bus/coach panels, camper roofs, shower cubicles, ski boats, flat panels and houseboats. The
large business Building and Manufacturing award went to Kunda Park’s Qld Shadeshelters which designs, manufactures, supplies and installs shade sheds and shelters to commercial and residential customers. All Qld Shadeshelter’s sheds and shelters are manufactured in its Sunshine Coast workshop.
Health and wellbeing is something we all aspire to and Maroochydore’s Demi International Beauty Academy took home the small business Health and Wellbeing award. The business is recognized as one of the leading beauty academies on the coast, delivering accredited and non-accredited training to students as well as offering discounted beauty services from its ‘Student Salon’. Maroochydore’s Advanced Care Australia collected the large business Health and Wellbeing award. The family owned, disability and aged care support agency is committed to enhancing its clients’ independence and quality of life.
The region’s tourism businesses continued to triumph with Beerwah’s Australia Zoo being awarded the Tourism Attractions and Tourism Sustainability awards. Caloundra’s Rumba Beach Resort gained a Tourism Accommodation award and Mooloolaba’s Fish n Crab Deep Sea Charters won the Tourism Experiences award.
Alexandra Headland’s Epicentre Environmental took home the small business Clean Technology award for its specialist fauna and flora management for projects in the oil, gas, mining and civil sectors. The company’s work helps to support Australia’s ecological sustainability. Kunda Park’s Perfect Earth won the large business award in the same Clean Technology category for its environmental consulting and contracting work which includes erosion and sediment control, soil improvement, soil stabilisation, re-vegetation and environmental services.
Retail and Specialist Services category winners included Maroochydore’s Rent to Own Cars in the small business category and Forest Glen’s Kunara Organic Marketplace in the large business category. Rent to Own Cars caters for people who cannot secure mainstream finance to purchase a car and has now released a franchise model which has grown to 16 franchises Australia wide**. In the past 25 years Kunara Organic Marketplace has grown from a roadside fruit and vegetable stall to one of Australia’s largest one-stop destinations for everything natural and organic.**
Karina Iversen of Noosaville**’s** Surrender Dorothy hair salon and Maria Woods of Forest Glen’s Sunshine Coast Grammar School were honoured with the Outstanding Employee of the Year and Outstanding Business Person of the Year titles respectively.
Hall of Fame inductees including Palmview’s Aussie World ) which won the Tourism-Attraction category three years running in 2011-13) and Pacific Paradise’s Bli Bli House (which won the Tourism-Accommodation category for the same three year period).