And the winners are …
Published 10:00pm 19 November 2021
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
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