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The 2008 BEC Australia Awards for
Performance will be opening soon. You can nominate a business for
one of three categories: Best New Business, Best Home Based
Business or Best Micro Business. You can also nominate the BEC that
assisted you or the BEC manager for Best BEC/ Best
BEC Manager. See you won the 2007 awards below....
2007
BEC Australia Awards for Performance
Over 200 business practitioners and guests gathered at the gala
dinner of the Small Business Development conference in Perth to
celebrate excellence in small business. Three organisations
presented awards on the night – one of which was BEC Australia, who
presented the 2007 BEC Australia Awards for Performance.
The aim of the BEC Australia Awards is to highlight the
excellence that exists within the national BEC network and
recognise:
• Business Enterprise Centres, their management and staff whose
business practices, innovation and core service delivery has
realised outstanding outcomes and economic benefits to their local
communities, and
• Business Enterprise Centre Managers who have displayed innovative
leadership in managing a BEC
• Micro-businesses whose business practices, innovation and service
delivery have realised outstanding outcomes, notably home-based and
start-up businesses.
There were six categories in this year’s awards:
The Australian Taxation Office Award for Best Metropolitan
BEC:
Finalists:
Tea Tree Gully BEC
Northern Adelaide BEC
Belmont BEC
Winner: Northern Adelaide BEC
The business.gov.au Award for Best Regional BEC:
Finalists:
Murray Hume BEC
Hunter Region BEC
Greater Shepparton Business Centre
Ballarat Business Centre
Winner: Hunter Region BEC
The business.gov.au Award for Best BEC Manager:
Finalists:
David Baumgarten (Clearly Business/Eastern Suburbs BECs)
Ron Watts (Northern Adelaide BEC)
Petrina Jude (Tea Tree Gully BEC)
Alan Amezdroz (Inner Southern BEC)
Rod Doherty (Hunter Region BEC)
Winner: David Baumgarten
The business.gov.au Award for Best New Business:
Finalists:
Tee Sub (Nominated by Clearly Business BEC)
Six hands (Nominated by Eastern Suburbs BEC)
aduki (Nominated by Box Hill BEC)
Play Safe Gas Safe (Nominated by Murray Hume BEC)
CubbyHouse Indoor Play Centre and Café (Nominated by Broken Hill
BEC)
Face Wand (Nominated by Northern Adelaide BEC)
Winner: Play Safe Gas Safe (Nominated by Murray Hume BEC)
The HP Award for Best Home-Based Business:
Finalists:
Natural Consulting (Nominated by Eastern Suburbs BEC)
Jonno’s Car Wash (and Jonno’s Magic Wash) (Nominated by Box Hill
BEC)
Extreme Putt (Nominated by Northern Adelaide BEC)
Winner: Natural Consulting (nominated by Eastern Suburbs
BEC)
The HP Award for Best Micro Business:
Finalists:
aduki (Box Hill BEC)
Jack in the Box Clothing and Giftware (Nominated by Northern
Adelaide BEC)
Design Train (Nominated by Tea Tree Gully BEC)
Winner: aduki (nominated by Box Hill BEC)
BEC Australia wishes to congratulate all finalists and
winners.
A short profile on each of the winners is listed below:
The Australian Taxation Office Award for Best Metropolitan BEC,
Northern Adelaide BEC (SA)
The Northern Adelaide Business Enterprise Centre (NABEC) is
located in Elizabeth West, approximately 35 kms north of the City
of Adelaide and provides advice and assistance to businesses across
the Northern Adelaide Region. The BEC has a strong focus on Retail,
Manufacturing and Business Services with the local business base
numbering approximately 20,000. A high proportion of these are Home
Based Businesses (67%).
NABEC is a small but very effective team managed by Ron Watts,
with staff who represent a cross section of their community.
NABEC focuses on leadership and relationship rather than
management and process. They know their businesses, know lots about
them and provide services that are practical solutions to their
issues. NABEC staff get out of their office and meet business
owners in their premises, so they get to see what they are doing
and share experiences. Their focus is business education and the
introduction of business systems, support to family business and
succession planning. Their delivery methods are simple - know your
people, gain their trust and always deliver services faithfully.
When they can’t do something, they have the confidence to say
so.
NABEC has a confident, informed and supportive team who just
enjoy working with people, sharing information and enjoying
life.
The Business.gov.au Award for Best Regional BEC, Hunter Region
BEC (NSW)
The Hunter Region Business Enterprise Centre was established in
August 1992 with Aub Eardley as the inaugural manager.
Over the fifteen years the HRBEC has been in operation it has
grown from providing small business advisory services to Cessnock
City, Maitland City, in 2001 the Dungog Shire and 2003 Singleton,
Muswellbrook and Upper Hunter Shires.
From 1992 until the end of 1999 the HRBEC provided adequate
service to Cessnock and Maitland and went through a number of
management changes. Since the beginning of 2000 the business has
settled down with a small group of dedicated staff committed to
growing the HRBEC.
The growth over the past six and a half years has been
extraordinary through hard work, good marketing and “Being seen”.
In 1999 the HRBEC had 29 members of which 10 were directors. In
2007 there are 270 members including 14 directors. Membership
includes large corporate members through to sole traders and home
based businesses. In addition to this membership, the BEC has over
3000 clients on its books.
Hunter Region BEC is managed by Rod Doherty who leads the team
of five.
The Business.gov.au Award for Best BEC Manager, David
Baumgarten (Clearly Business and Eastern Suburbs BECs)
David Baumgarten is CEO for both the Eastern Suburbs BEC located
in Bondi Junction, and Clearly Business Enterprise Centre , located
in the centre of Sydney and the first BEC not to be geographically
named. The BECs run a number of programs, including the Sydney
Business Advisory service contract, Women in Business Mentor
Program for the NSW state government, NEIS for the Commonwealth
Government, Business Buddies and Accelerate for Growth, both of
which are BEC programs which have been developed by David.
Both BECs have excellent reputations, as a direct result of
David's hard work in creating alliances within the community. David
has direct personal contact with 13 local councils - business
development officers, and/or Event co coordinators, including local
Mayor, General Manager, State and Federal members. Some examples
include;
• City of Sydney Council - Series of Business Skills workshops,
individual Chamber of Commerce Strategic planning workshop all in
conjunction with City of Sydney Economic Development manager Jan
Campbell.
• Burwood Council Business Breakfast Series, Marrickville Council
Business Breakfast Series, Combined Chambers of Commerce Randwick
and Randwick Council Breakfast Series, Eastern Suburbs BEC Business
Breakfast series- all breakfasts are on three monthly cycle.
• Canada Bay Council- Small Business Seminar Series
• Business Thursday "Information on the Run" workshops
• Bankstown City Council - liaison with Muslim Community Radio,
Australian/Lebanese Chamber of Commerce to expand the multi
cultural client base - e.g. Bankstown LGA has 17% Arabic
speaking
• In conjunction with NSW IP Australia, facilitated 'Innovation
Month' Business Breakfast at Sydney Town Hall (sponsors Sensis and
HP), as part of the Centenary of Australian Trade Mark
Celebrations, a pilot of six IP Workshops "Your Trademark (™) Is
Your Business Future".
The high regard in which David is held is evidenced by the
number of nominations he received for this award.
The Business.gov.au Award for Best New Business
Play Safe Gas Safe (Nominated by Murray Hume BEC) is a
business owned by Kevin Barber which designs and manufactures gas
alarms. His current product the Smell Alive Gas Alarm is a safety
device that will detect and alert the presence of un-ignited LPG
and natural gas and came about as a result of a family member
losing their home to a gas explosion. Kevin has commenced his
business and conducted a period of marketing and research with the
assistance of Murray Hume BEC. The product has recently been
launched with great success and there are busy times ahead for this
new business.
The HP Award for Best Home Based Business
Natural Consulting (Nominated by Eastern Suburbs BEC) is
a business specializing in the provision of results-based training
design and delivery, coaching and facilitation services to the
corporate, public and not-for-profit sectors. With ten years left
to work, Melanie Wass chose a home based business because of its
convenience, low cost and flexibility, and has worked hard to build
a professional business which just happens to be based from her
home. Melanie became involved with the BEC through its Women in
Business Mentor program, and has found the BEC an excellent source
of networks and advice which have helped her business to
prosper.
The HP Award for Best Micro Business
aduki (Box Hill BEC) a boutique publishing company based
in Melbourne. Aduki publishes work by new and inspired authors and
covers topics and issues that are often overlooked in mainstream
media. Titles from aduki independent press provoke discussion and
debate and are a source of learning and entertainment. Business
owner, Emily Clark, also publishes aduki magazine, a food and
lifestyle publication for vegetarians and vegans.
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