South Australian Business Awards announced on 22 July

Fourteen of South Australia’s outstanding small and medium businesses are in contention to win the 2011 Telstra South Australian Business Awards this Friday 19 July.


Winners will be announced at a gala dinner at the Hilton, Adelaide from 6.30pm.


The Awards are in their 19th year of celebrating the State’s best entrepreneurs and innovators in the small and medium sector. They include the prestigious title of South Australian Business of the Year.


There are seven Awards with two new categories in 2011. The new Awards are:


The Telstra Regional Business Award which will recognise the best business located outside the metropolitan area of Adelaide;


The Blackberry® People’s Choice Award which is open to all entrants in the Awards and is decided by a public vote.


South Australian winners receive a share of the $500,000 in cash and prizes, become part of an exclusive national business alumni, and proceed to the national Awards in Melbourne on 26 August 2011.


The finalists for the 2011 Telstra South Australian Business Awards are:




Business Owner Micro-Business Award

• Bellevue Bed & Breakfast: McLaren Vale
• Brazcom Imports: Glenelg North
• DVE Business Solutions Pty Ltd: Mount Barker
• Lights at 133: Mount Gambier
• Tour Barossa: Tanunda

MYOB Small Business Award

• Health and Life: Adelaide
• Hern Financial Services: Eastwood
• LBW Environment Pty Ltd: Norwood
• North Adelaide Fitness Centre: Ovingham

Panasonic Australia Medium Business Award

• Beerenberg Farm: Hahndorf
• Cowell Electric Supply Pty Ltd: Cowell
• KeyInvest: Adelaide
• SCF Group: Mile End

AMP Innovation Award

• Cowell Electric Supply Pty Ltd: Cowell
• North Adelaide Fitness Centre: Ovingham
• SCF Group: Mile End

Yellow Pages Social Responsibility Award

• Caramel: Adelaide
• Cowell Electric Supply Pty Ltd: Cowell
• Health and Life: Adelaide
• KeyInvest: Adelaide
• Lights at 133" Mount Gambier
• SCF Group Mile End

Congrats to green builder in NT

Finally a builder designing homes to suit the Top End’s unique climate! Since 2007 Justin and Karinda Gill have been building environmentally sustainable homes.  Abode New Homes includes solar hot water, solar power, 5 star energy efficiency and inverter air-conditioning in every home it builds.

Bellevue B&B is a Telstra Business Awards Finalist.

Hi everyone
We are stoked to let you know that we have been named as a finalist in the 2011 Telstra Business Awards – Micro Business Category, (that’s for business with 5 full time employees or less).

The gala night and announcement of the winners will be on the 22nd July at the Hilton.

There are 14 SA finalists for this year’s Awards.

Telstra Business Group Managing Director and Telstra Business Awards Ambassador, Deena Shiff, says analysis of the finalists’ business performance shows:

More than 50% of the finalists’ new business in the past year came from either existing customers or referrals from those customers.

All but two of the finalists specifically trained staff in the past year to improve customer service.

Twelve say almost 90% of customers are satisfied with their services;
All finalists say the majority of their staff are aware of who the company’s best customers are.

“The best South Australian finalists clearly have a commitment to providing top customer service that underpins their business growth,” Deena says.
Face-to-face feedback, surveys, newsletters, packages for new customers and rewards were among the most common methods South Australian finalists used to develop and nurture customer relationships.

The Telstra Regional Business Award will recognise the best business located outside the metropolitan area of Adelaide.

The BlackBerry People’s Choice Award is open to all entrants in the Telstra Business Awards. The Award is decided by a public vote.

Winners of the Telstra South Australian Business Awards will be announced at the Hilton Adelaide on 22 July. The national Awards are in Melbourne on 26 August.