And the winners are …

The ingenuity, resilience and tenacity of businesses across the Moreton Bay Region has been celebrated during the gala 2021 Moreton Bay Region Business Excellence and Innovation Awards night this evening.

About 480 people from the business and broader community came together for the event at Eatons Hill Hotel’s grand ballroom, which shined a light on their achievements.

There were 58 finalists across 12 categories, after a record number of businesses from a diverse range of sectors were nominated.

The fourth annual awards program has been refreshed to reflect Moreton Bay Regional Council’s Regional Economic Development Strategy, with the introduction of three new categories – Businesswoman of the Year, Food and Agribusiness Excellence, and Advanced Manufacturing Excellence.

The Moreton Bay Region Business Excellence and Innovation Awards are delivered by Moreton Bay Region Industry and Tourism (MBRIT) with sponsorship through its partner Moreton Bay Regional Council.

The winners were decided via a judging process involving a total of 40 judges, who came from a mix of public and private sector organisations from across South East Queensland, using world-class expertise to assess submissions.

Brendale-based Elexon Electronics won the inaugural Advanced Manufacturing Excellence Award and was named Business of the Year.

Elexon Electronics is a 100 per cent Australian-owned and operated engineering developer specialising in the design, development, and manufacture of hi-tech electronics for niche local and export markets.

These include hi-tech electronic products for their own niche markets as well as for external original equipment manufacturers.

Elexon Electronics has developed a range of innovative and commercially successful products for a variety of markets including mining, medical (Pathology), automotive, defence, aerospace, renewable energy and smart battery solutions.

Timely celebration

Moreton Bay Regional Council Mayor Peter Flannery said in the history of these awards, never has a group of businesspeople been so deserving of a celebration.

“As a former small business owner, I never faced anything like COVID but I knew the importance of immediate government intervention to help get businesses through,” Mayor Flannery told the audience.

“We are unusually lucky in this region to work across electoral boundaries and the political divide. So, I want to thank (State MP for Redcliffe) Yvette D'Ath and (Federal MP for Longman) Terry Young and their respective governments for the extra $50 million they pumped into our economy through local projects.

“I also want to thank our new Economic Development team for their constant advocacy on your behalf. But, in particular, I want to thank my Council colleagues for their unanimous and immediate support of our $33 million business support package.

“We now have just under 30,000 local businesses in Moreton Bay Region, and 2700 of those were new business registrations this year alone. Those start-ups, partnerships, and small businesses are the engine room that will drive us to a $40 billion economy by 2041. You helped us achieve a Gross Regional Product of $17.72 billion last financial year.”

MBRIT Chairman Shane Newcombe said the evening was a great chance to celebrate the achievements of the business community – the region’s engine room.

“Business owners and their teams seldom get the chance to celebrate their hard work, ingenuity and the valuable contribution they make to our community. We’re thrilled to give them that opportunity via the awards program and tonight’s gala awards evening,” Mr Newcombe said.

“I wholeheartedly congratulate the finalists and the winners, particularly Business of the Year Elexon Electronics and the winners of our new categories. They have all cemented their place in history.”

STEM Punks Co-Founder Fiona Holmstrom won Businesswoman of the Year, while Pinata Farms won the new Food and Agribusiness Excellence Award.

Full list of award finalists and winners

Advanced Manufacturing Excellence Award

Elexon Electronics Pty Ltd

Fibre King Pty Ltd

Health Focus Manufacturers

Tubeworx Australia

Winner: Elexon Electronics Pty Ltd

Businesswoman of the Year

Ellie Bakker – Splice Marketing

Fiona Holmstrom – STEM Punks

Jacki Hinchey – Blue Dog Farm

Susanne Jones – Just Better Care Brisbane North

Dr Sonia Sonia – Kallangur Dental Surgery

Winner: Fiona Holmstrom – STEM Punks

Customer Service Excellence Award

Eckersley Print Group - Print Approach

Lillybrook Dental Surgery

Northshore Pet Resort

Rinse & Repeat

Sesame Lane Care & Kindergarten

Winner: Sesame Lane Care & Kindergarten

Employee of the Year

Andrew Luke – Packer Leather Pty Ltd

Kai McCoy – Bramble Bay Co

Travis Rock – Insurance Web

Teena Ryder – Intercept Youth and Family Support Program

Therese Thomson – Sesame Lane Care & Kindergarten

Winner: Therese Thomson – Sesame Lane Care & Kindergarten

Entrepreneur of the Year

Mike Arieni –Solar Bollard Lighting

Ellie Bakker – Splice Marketing

Michael Holmstrom – STEM Punks

Michael Kennedy – Kennedy’s Timbers

Matt Ryan - CareTech

Winner: Matt Ryan - CareTech

Environment & Sustainability Excellence Award

ByGreen

Club Pine Rivers

Eckersley Print Group - Print Approach

Samford Valley Mushrooms

Winner: Eckersley Print Group - Print Approach

Exporting Excellence Award

Big Dog Pet Foods

Bramble Bay Co

Packer Leather Pty Ltd

Solar Bollard Lighting

Trident RFID

Winner: Solar Bollard Lighting

Food and Agribusiness Excellence Award

Bask & Co.

Little White Goat Cheese

LuvaBerry

My Berries

Pinata Farms Pty Ltd

Winner: Pinata Farms Pty Ltd

Innovation Excellence Award

It’s Rocket Science

JESI

Little Hinges Pty Ltd

Spatial Innovation

STEM Punks

Winner: JESI

Not-For-Profit Excellence Award

A Brave Life

Intercept Youth and Family Support Program

The Carers Foundation

Worklinks Qld Ltd

Youth Development Foundation

Winner: The Carers Foundation

Tourism Business Excellence Award

Ocean View Estates

Pitstop Café

Redcliffe Farmers and Artisan Markets

Sandstone Point Holiday Resort

The Store of Requirement

Winner: Sandstone Point Holiday Resort

Youth Innovation Excellence Award

Grace Lutheran College - Shark Tank Year 9

Grace Lutheran College - Robotics

IntelVest

Murrumba State Secondary College

PHL Photos

Winner: IntelVest

Business of the Year Award

Winner: Elexon Electronics Pty Ltd