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Fuji Xerox My Business Awards 2006


Fuji Xerox and My Business congratulate the winners of the 2006 Awards
for their deserved success.


Fuji Xerox My Business Awards

VIEW WINNERS & FINALISTS


WINNERS SALUTED AT THE FUJI XEROX MY BUSINESS AWARDS

In the superb setting of historic Doltone House at Sydney’s Jones Bay Wharf in Pyrmont, more than 300 guests joined in congratulating the winners of the prestigious 2006 Fuji Xerox My Business Awards.

The eight winners were chosen from 27 finalists who were selected from more than 500 companies, which entered the Awards. The 2006 competition was the most popular and successful in the history of the My Business Awards. Our sincere thanks to all who entered the Awards.

The winning businesses were:

Fuji Xerox Award for Outstanding Excellence and Winner and the Australian Business Limited State Chamber Award for Best Medium Business
Winner: Machinery Automation & Robotics (
www.machineryautomation.com.au)

The Australia Post Award for Best Small Business
Winner: Fruit at Work (
www.fruitatwork.com.au)

The Action International Award for the Fastest Growing Small Business
Winner: MAP (Mining and Plant) Fabrications & Crane Hire, WA (
www.mapcranehire.com.au)

The NetRegistry Award for Best E-Business
Winner: Dealsdirect (
www.dealsdirect.com.au)

The Engin Award for Best Technology in an SME
Winner: Ashop Commerce (
www.ashop.com.au)

The My Business Award for Customer Service Star
Winner: Last Minute Locums (
www.lml.com.au)

The Optus Award for Best Young Gun in Small Business
Winner: Amy Wilkins, Active Kidz (
www.activekidz.com.au)

The Manpower Award for Employee of the Year
Winner: CIC Secure’s Michael Cooke (
www.cicsecure.com.au)

Click here to view more details about the finalists and winners

 

The winners received prizes valued at $5000 but, as a number of the recipients pointed out, of equal value was the recognition and the sense of achievement which would flow through the entire business, and would have positive effects on staff and on customers.

In his address at the Awards Dinner, the Editor of My Business, Peter Stirling congratulated the finalists and commented “ regardless of who wins or loses on the night, all the finalists are already winners. They have built fine businesses, provided employment for their people, and have created value in many ways that service the community”.

He said “ Small businesses are the workhorses of the economy. They exist because of the willingness of business owners to take risks and to put their assets on the line. Without their hard work and commitment, we would be much poorer in so many ways. Community life would be impoverished without the colour and energetic dynamism of tens of thousands of small businesses.”

The NSW Minister for Small Business, David Campbell, outlined the initiatives being taken by the NSW Government to stimulate small business in the State. He praised the efforts of small businesses in seeking to excel, and to continuously improve their products and services.

Master of ceremonies, David Koch, the host of My Business TV, congratulated the winners and finalists. “ It is quite remarkable that more than 500 businesses entered these Awards. It clearly demonstrates the growing popularity of these annual Awards which have cemented themselves in the awareness of small businesses across the country.”

Senior executive with Australian Business Limited State Chamber, Jon Moyes, said that he had been impressed with “ the high standard and diversity of entrants in this year’s awards and are encouraged by the entrepreneurial spirit and sound business planning and management displayed by these successful Australian businesses. As a result, we found the judging to be both interesting and challenging.”

Mr Moyes presented the Australian Business Limited State Chamber Award for Best Medium Business to Clyde Campbell, the Managing Director of Machinery Automation and Robotics (MAR). MAR was also the judged to be the best overall performer amongst the eight category winners, earning the company the accolade of winner of the Fuji Xerox Award for Outstanding Excellence.

In presenting the Fuji Xerox Award, the General Manager of Fuji Xerox, Nick Kugenthiran, said that SMEs drive 29 per cent of the Australian economy and in awarding the prize, they were looking for companies “ achieving good revenue and profits and sustained growth, that had an Australian focus and an employee focus”. Mr Kugenthiran said that these vital elements were met by MAR which he described as a “market leader”.

Winner of the Australia Post Award for Best Small Business, Fruit at Work delivers fresh fruit weekly to more than 1000 workplaces in eastern Australia. Dean Kappler, the Consumer and Small Business Manager with Australia Post, said “ we were looking for a clearly inspiring business that had grown rapidly by successfully balancing a strong customer focus and business sustainability”.

Mr Kappler said “Fruit at Work was that inspiring business. They have experienced extraordinary growth over the past 12 months and have invested in their supply chain process to support this growth in business.”

MAP ( Mining and Plant) Fabrications & Crane Hire produces novel products for the mining industry including drilling rigs, service trucks, tilt trucks and tippers. It is growing rapidly with many of the products being designed by MD, Alan Ryde. The company’s success won it the Action International Award for the Fastest Growing Small Business.

In presenting the Award, Action International’s Simon Harris, said that “ the standard of nominations was very high and there was strong competition for the Award. MAP Fabrications & Crane Hire has demonstrated strong revenue and profitability growth in recent years and has developed a clear strategy for sustaining that growth.”

The DealsDirect website lists around 2000 products for sale with many of the items as much as 80 per cent below recommended retail prices due to the savings of using the online selling. Around 30,000 items are shipping by DealsDirect every month, and the company’s success won it the NetRegistry Award for Best E-Business. Paul Greenberg of DealsDirect said that it was the company’s first public award and “ it means a lot. For us it’s the beginning of a journey.”

Congratulating the company, the CEO of NetRegistry, Larry Bloch, said “ DealsDirect was an outstanding candidate. For an online business to be successful requires a comprehensive application of the available web technology. DealsDirect has a well-defined professional approach that has led them to their staggering growth and we believe that they are the outstanding ebusiness of 2006.”

Ashop is making the process of creating an online store faster and more affordable. It is helping SMEs to build and manage their online retail or wholesale store using smart turnkey e-commerce technology. The company increased its turnover by 400 per cent in its second year and has established a UK presence. The company’s success has won it the Engin Award for Best Technology in an SME.

The CEO and Founder of Engin Ltd, Ilka Tales, said “ we received many outstanding entries, however Ashop stood out against all criteria. In particular, Ashop’s e-commerce solutions have improved productivity and efficiency for companies wanting to develop their online presence. It is particularly impressive to see a previously complex and expensive process be designed in such a way that it maintains full functionality, but at a lot lower price.

At the age of 22, Michael Cooke has been entrusted with large responsibilities at Canberra-based CIC Group, a new but rapidly expanding company in the key security industry. Amongst his roles, Michael has represented the company in a trade mission to Washington and has won substantial contracts for CIC. He works a full week while also completing a double degree. CIC’s Director Sales and Marketing, Carol Cooke, said that Michael has developed an “ incredible rapport” with customers and wants to see CIC become a world leader in its field.

His evident passion and skills won him the Manpower Award for Employee of the Year. Manpower’s Chief Marketing Officer, Stephen Hinch, presented the Award commenting “Michael has shown great dedication in his field of work and displayed strong leadership abilities in gaining success in the export market for the business.”

Active Kidz is an award winning Australian children’s television program that is becoming a national brand. Through the ABC, it reaches eight million children and encourages children to lead healthy and fun lifestyles through better nutrition and exercise. Active Kidz is to begin licensing its brand to other companies and Active Star Productions is actively building an international business for the show and related products.

The show is the brainchild of Amy Wilkins and her evident success won her the Optus Award for Young Gun, which was presented to Amy by Gemma Garratt, Optus Marketing Communications Manager for SMB. Gemma congratulated Amy saying that “ she has challenge the norms, and with hard work and determination, has created an exciting new way to encourage children to lead a healthy, fun and active lifestyle.

Last Minute Locums was the winner of the My Business Award for Customer Service Star. Since starting in 2003, Last Minute Locums has been assisting doctor’s practices and hospitals to find casual or part-time doctors - locums. Managing Consultant, Nancy Tsai, whose brother and parents are doctors, established the business and her team have worked hard at building and maintaining relationships with hospitals. Nancy said “ service is about being approachable, and providing individual attention. We enhance relationships which encourages return business”.

Presenting the Award to Nancy, the Commercial Director My Business, Tony May, said “ good service is the heart and soul of running a good business, whether it be small or large. Nancy and her team at Last Minute Locums have demonstrated a clear commitment to service excellence, which will drive the success of their business now and in the future. We wish them the best of luck.”