The 2009 Business of the Year winners are:
Small business is the foundation of any local economy; it is the main driver or powerhouse of the community. It is widely recognised that any economic growth to a town will come from already existing businesses. The aim of this award is to foster and encourage the growth of small business in the District Council of Ceduna area.
Objectives include:
Several years ago members of the Committee spent considerable time reviewing the application criteria, the judging criteria and simplifying the entry form to encourage more businesses to apply. "We have had a record number of entries since the changes and hope to replicate this again this year" said President Marcus Tanke".
"We believe the changes have encouraged even the newest or smallest business to apply. The Encouragement Award has been specifically tailored for young, developing small businesses, and not just the retail sector. Only businesses who meet the following three criteria will be eligible to apply - Business must be less than 7 years of age, must have no more than 10 employees and must supply a much needed service or range of products to the community" he said.
"Some businesses have said they do not apply because the entry form has in the past required a considerable amount of time to fill in, or they felt that only really large businesses that had spent considerable money on renovations or improvements would get a look in. The Committee encourages all our members to have another look at the entry forms as we believe the changes which have been made, particularly to the judging criteria and the simplified entry, mean every business can apply on an even footing" Mr Tanke said.
