Winners
2008 Business of the Year
Major Award
2008 Business of the Year
Winner: Haul
Scott Kilmartin - Owner
haul…Pop Culture Recyclers
Haul manufactures a range of fashion accessories and corporate gifts from recycled materials including used advertising billboards, truck inner-tubes and number plates.
Evolving from a hobby in Tasmania selling a single product from a market card table. The biz re-branded as haul in 2004, now wholesales to specialty retailers & makes green promotional products and eco-gifts for companies including BP, Jetstar, SEEK, AGL, Origin Energy, NRMA & Virgin Mobile
Export Category Award
The Export category which is for businesses that predominately gain their gross revenue through export income.
Two winners: Aesop & Salesforce
Aesop
Michael O'Keeffe - CEO
In February 1987 Aesop was established in Melbourne with clear and simple ambitions - to create the best skin, hair and body care products on the planet and deliver them elegantly, honestly and intelligently.
Our core focus at Aesop has always been premium product efficacy, sensory pleasure and safety. We aim to deliver these objectives with solid science, uncomplicated packaging and an unwavering sense of humour.
In Australia alone Aesop is represented by 11 signature stores and 9 counters. Now in our 21st year, we have grown to over 140 employees and have offices in Melbourne, London and Tokyo and distributors and subsidiaries throughout Asia, Europe and the USA.
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Sales Force
Stuart French - Manager - Culture Salmat Group
SalesForce is a division of Salmat and is the largest out source Contact centre and Direct Sales channel provider in Australia.
Salesforce employs over 5000 team members over ten centers of excellence across sites in regional Victoria, NSW and Queensland with major hubs in Sydney, Melbourne, Auckland and Kuala Lumpur.
Working with some of Australias most recognizable brands, SalesForce has been named Best Employer in Australia and New Zealand through the Hewitt and associates Best Employer in Australia and New Zealand Awards in 2005, 2006 and 2007.
SalesForce was named the fastest growing business in Australia through the GIO Business Star Awards in 1999.
Innovation Award
The Innovation Award Category if for businesses that have developed innovative solutions for their market or in their day-to-day operations.
Winner: Lachesis Biosciences
Mr Miguel Wood, Executive Director
Lachesis Biosciences is focused on bringing preventive healthcare to life.
Founded in 2005 the company
seeks to develop and ommercialise innovative proprietary products/ services in the preventive healthcare field via the convergence of information and healthcare technologies.
Our company vision is: “Bringing preventive healthcare to life”
Personal health optimiser® is a new, secure, personalised, web-based service to help customers
improve their health and well-being through primary intervention.
It was developed by a Registered Pharmacist, in consultation with a Doctor and Dietitian and is accredited by the Health on the Net Foundation (www.hon.ch).
Currently, the leading causes of death are preventable chronic diseases, yet in Australia we only
spend about 2% of our current healthcare expenditure on public health and prevention services.
Personal health optimiser provides customers with affordable (about $80 p.a), online primary
intervention from the convenience of their own home.
Community Responsibility Award
The Community Responsibility Award is for not -for-profit organisations that demonstrate an innovative business initiative and for companies that show significant advancement in Triple Bottom Line management.
Winner: Down Syndrome Association Victoria
Catherine McAlpine Executive Director
The Down Syndomw Association of Victoria was established by a group of interested parents in 1978. It is essentially a peer-support service operated by volunteers.
Since then they have grown in professionalism, employing a Family Support Coordinator and Adult Support Coordinator to provide advice and counselling services.
They also operate family support networks throughout the state, most of which are play groups or coffee groups facilitated by a volunterr.
New Business
The New Business Award is for businesses that are less than two years old.
Winner: Mag nation
Sahil Merchant & Ravi Pathare Directors
mag nation is the brain child of Sahil & Ravi and is the world's first and only magazine superstore with a growing number of bricks and mortar retail stores in Australia and New Zealand.
Stocking over 4,000 magazine titles, they have the largest range of maintstream and special interest magazines in the galaxy.
Magazines are Sahil and Ravi's passion and they want to share their product with the world and to continually strive to exceed the highest expectations of their customers.