EXPRESS The
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
Locally owned and proudly independent
Winners!
Chamber of Commerce rewards the risk-takers at biannual awards night Photo: Peter Roy
By Ryan Groube
B
usiness leaders are confident the local economy will surge in the lead-in to Christmas and continue deep into 2014 as the Mareeba Chamber of Commerce hosted its Business Awards on Saturday. Under clear skies at the Mareeba Turf Club, there was a renewed sense of optimism among the 220-strong crowd that the economic uncertainty of recent years is at an end. The gala evening was held to recognise Mareeba’s outstanding businesses as well as the role those businesses play in contributing to the wider community. Throughout the evening awards were presented in the categories: community group of the year, communitarian, rural/agricultural, new business of the year and business of the year. A customer service award, decided by popular vote, was also presented on the night. Prior, award nominees underwent an interview with an independent panel of judges consisting of a business leader from Mareeba, Atherton and Kuranda. In most major categories, the panel rewarded businesses that had been proactive and taken risks despite the lingering economic gloom.
The Express took out the evening’s major gong as Business of the Year on the back of a major expansion into Atherton. The expansion makes the independent newspaper the only Tableland paper home delivered in both major Tableland towns and represents a 40 per cent increase in distribution at a time most media organisations are cutting back. Managing editor of The Express Carl Portella said the expansion and success of the newspaper would not have been possible if it wasn’t for the support it had received from the local business community. “Since we started the paper back in 2010 we have never had anything but support from this community and, in particular, this business community. It is that support which gave me the confidence to expand our operation,” he said. “These business awards are so important for all the winners and the nominees because it allows us to think about where we have been and what we have achieved in the past two years. “I know for many of us, including ourselves, the feeling is that we as a business community and as a town have come a long way but that we still have a long way to go.” New Business of the Year went to John and Debbie Nucifora for their creation of a frozen
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mango ice block – Zingo 100% Pure Mango. The couple began tinkering with the product in December 2011 and after a year working on different prototypes and a $300,000 up-front investment began distribution in late 2012. The Nuciforas said now that they have consolidated the product in Queensland they are ready to roll it out across Australia. “We believed in the product but it was still a hell of a risk and getting it to where we are now was one of the hardest tasks I’ve ever had,” Mr Nucifora said. “The Mareeba community has been overwhelming in their support of us and this product and the fact that they have been so good makes us proud to live, farm and have a business here in this town.” TGT continued its recent resurgence by taking out the rural/agricultural award and teasing that a major announcement for the business was just around the corner. General manager of TGT Sheldon Mulla said the company was in the midst of a major cultural shift from co-operative to corporation. Mr Mulla said the pitfall of being a co-operative was that the business had been guilty of taking custom for granted and that over the past two years that culture had changed. “There has been a lot of change recently and
that has involved a lot of blood, sweat and tears which is why I received this award tonight on behalf of the staff,” Mr Mulla said. “We changed a long standing culture almost overnight because we realised that, that is what we needed to do if we wanted to continue to be a player in this town for another seven decades. “The [outlook] for business still isn’t all that good with all the uncertainty of recent elections but it looks like we are about to get some clear air [in 2014] so we can all get on with business.” Other major winners from the evening included: Mareeba Turf Club as community group of the year, John and Delsi Delai won the Communitarian Award while Joey Trotta from That’s My Physio romped home in popular voting to take out the Customer Service category. Mareeba Chamber of Commerce president Pietro Girgenti said there was an undercurrent of optimism in the business community leading into Christmas and 2014. “The business community is looking forward to putting the uncertainty caused by the Federal and [upcoming] local election behind them so we can get back to business,” he said. “I think it is important that every so often we take stock of these amazing things that are happening in our business community and celebrate what we have achieved.”
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