Winners 2018
Accommodation
Large: RACV NOOSA RESORT
RACV Noosa Resort is nestled on six hectares of conservation sanctuary, in the tranquil surrounds of Noosa Heads, perfect for families and couples. RACV Noosa Resort offers spacious and modern one, two and three-bedroom self-contained apartments or Luxury villas, which include a rooftop spa. Apartments include prestigious fittings and fixtures throughout, including kitchen facilities with luxury appliances and stone bench tops. The Resort offers facilities including a day spa with six treatment rooms, two heated pools, water slides and splash park, outdoor heated spa, restaurant and sunset bar with wood-fired pizza, gym, flood-lit tennis court, playground and bike hire.
Agribusiness
Small: GOOD HARVEST ORGANIC FARM
Good Harvest Organic Farm is an organic small-scale farm at Woombye, servicing the greater Sunshine Coast community. They grow, pick, pack, and deliver organic farm boxes from their family farm, to your table. It is picked fresh, at its peak, and delivered the same day. They love growing organic food, it’s their passion and nothing makes them happier than being able to feed their community each week. The epitome of SLOW food; Seasonal, Local, Organic, Whole. Their story is unique, their values strong, and their dedication to your health is unwavering.
Large: COYO
Back in 2010, COYO created the world’s first Coconut Milk Yoghurt, inspiring an entire new food category worldwide. From humble beginnings in founders’ Sandra and Henry’s Yandina kitchen, to a purpose-built factory now employing 55 Sunshine Coast locals. COYO is driven by a purpose of being “Conscious creators of delicious food for healthy people and a happy planet.” and has now become the most awarded Coconut Yoghurt company in the world. COYO is a health and wellness brand providing plant-based functional food to benefit gut health and is available throughout Australia and internationally through its licensee network.
Attractions
Small: QUEENSLAND AIR MUSEUM
Queensland Air Museum was established 45 years ago with the vision statement “Preserving Australia’s Aviation Heritage’. From just 4 aircraft, no permanent home and a few members to an organisation now with 94 historic aircraft and many other displays, 400+ members, 100+ volunteers and 25,000 annual visitors. There are short, medium and longer-term plans including restoration, acquisitions, increased land, new hangars and display facilities. QAM confidently looks forward to the next 5 – 10 – 50 years with the knowledge of what has been achieved so far. The QAM story is very much a journey rather than a destination.
Large: GINGER FACTORY
Play, Taste & Discover at the Ginger Factory, home of Buderim Ginger. Welcoming over 300,000 visitors annually, the Ginger Factory is one of the Sunshine Coast’s most popular tourist attractions. Open daily, the Ginger Factory is a world of ginger discovery offering fun rides, informative tours, great shopping, and a fantastic Café. With free admission and free parking, the Ginger Factory is an adventure for the senses with many opportunities to enjoy our world of ginger regardless of your age.
Building & Construction
Small: GOLD PROPERTY PARTNERS
Gold Property Partners was created to disrupt the home building experience. They believe that you should enjoy Gold standard service when making the biggest purchase decision of your life. That’s why they have combined their passion for property and technology to create a service that takes the stress and confusion out of building a home. As your building broker, they partner with you from start to finish ensuring your home is built to perfection on time and within budget.
Large: THE FLEET OFFICE
The Fleet Office is unique to the market providing tailor made fleet solutions for your mobile business at an affordable price. The Fleet Office is not just about tracking your assets; it’s geared towards adding new interface features and technologies into their existing product range specific to customers’ needs. The Fleet Office has a reputation for not only providing the latest in GPS tracking and fleet monitoring systems but also keeping a track record of delivering satisfied customers.
Clean Technology
Small: INTELLIGENT AUTOMATION
Intelligent Automation is passionate about a sustainable future. They see the big picture which
includes renewables as one of the keys to fixing the national electricity network grid. Cutting
electricity wastage and bills for families and businesses is at the forefront of this passion. Intelligent
Automation is leading the way in this new revolution in Energy Efficiency. With its unique
functionality the Gswitch is poised to be the bench mark in Home Energy Management Systems. The
product is easy to use and affordable, making it accessible to anyone looking to move towards a
“smarter” home. “It’s Power, Your Way”.
Large: GRENOF
Grenof is an Australian-owned solution-based company focused on providing innovative and proven technologies and solutions to the water, wastewater, renewables, mining, oil and gas sectors. Grenof provide turnkey solutions for customers by taking a clear planning approach, focusing on strong operational delivery and guaranteeing the desired customer outcomes. Core business is collaboration with major utilities and industry to commercialise new clean technologies. Grenof provides sustainable outcomes for water and wastewater treatment, asset management, operations, monitoring, and water quality. Grenof’s business approach to full water lifecycle sustainability has driven success in innovative technologies and applications that positively impact on the environment.
Creative Industries
Small: PURE UNDERWATER IMAGING
Pure Underwater Imaging is a specialist underwater photography business specializing in premium
quality, Australian made artworks, featuring images of marine life iconic to the Great Barrier Reef. Products include greeting cards, coasters, acrylic desk blocks, open edition prints and limited edition fine art wall prints. Justin Bruhn is the artist behind the brand and he dives on the Great Barrier Reef and other alluring locations in Australia and around the world to bring you ethereal images of amazing marine life and coral reefs.
Education & Training
Small: iPAD LESSIONS
iPad Lessions is owned by Colin Dunkerley, better known as The iPad Man – has been helping seniors learn how to use the iPad and iPhone since 2012. More than 2,000 seniors have either enjoyed his one on one tuition or participated in small group courses to improve their iPad skills. Plus more than 20,000 people follow his tips & updates on Facebook. Isn’t it time you discovered the easy way to use your iPad?
Large: KAWANA WATERS STATE COLLEGE
Kawana Waters State College strives to develop lifelong learners (with students from Prep to Yr12) who make a positive contribution to a global society. We are an Independent Public School and we are proud of our extensive links throughout the Sunshine Coast Business Community. Consisting of 200 staff and 1700 students, we offer an amazing array of specialized learning opportunities for students and staff. The College offers programs of Excellence in Academics, Arts (Dance, Drama), Football and Aquatics .. and we are a leading provider of Health Education. We are proudly “Kawana’s School”.
Festivals & Events
Small: AUSTRALIAN BODY ART FESTIVAL
The Australian Body Art Festival is Australia’s premier body painting event with artists from Australia and overseas producing living artworks for thousands of spectators. This community event has evolved into more than body painting and is now a wonderful art festival that includes world class body painting, wearable art (funky fashion from recycled materials), street performers, musicians, community art installations, photography and food and artisan stalls.
Large: NOOSA FOOD & WINE FESTIVAL
The Noosa Food & Wine Festival brought together some of Australia’s best chefs, wine, drink and food producers and foodies for five days of great food experiences in Noosa! 113 fantastic events took place at the Festival Village, Noosa Main Beach, along Hastings Street for the Long Lunch and Noir Noosa, in signature restaurants and throughout the Noosa hinterland with produce and brewery trails. Chefs included Matt Preston, Matt Moran, Alla Wolf-Tasker, Manu Feildel, Neil Perry, Christine Manfield, Ben O’Donoghue, Clayton Donovan, Jock Zonfrillo, Kirsten Tibballs, Adriano Zumbo, Matt Sinclair, Nick Holloway, Ronni Kahn, Paul Carmichael and more.
Health & Wellness
Small: THE MILK PANTRY
The Milk Pantry provides delicious food products for breastfeeding mums to boost their breast milk supply. These amazing mixes range from cookie mixes, brownie mixes, hot chocolates and protein
powders. All of their products have the capabilities to stimulate the hormone prolactin in breastfeeding mums, creating more breast milk and a higher quality milk for their babies. The Milk
Pantry supports every mother’s breastfeeding journey and wants to help improve the overall wellness of mothers, their babies and the environment.
Large: ZENKO YOGA
Zenko Yoga consists of two yoga studios in Noosa and Buddina offering daily yoga classes to suit all levels. Zenko Yoga also offers regular workshops, treatments, Yoga Teacher Training Courses and
retreats to help their clients cultivate a zen and contemplative state in their day to day lives. The word Zenko derives from two words: “zen” – a contemplative state of mind, and “ko” – the Japanese word for child. Like a child in its curious, contemplative state, the aim of Zenko Yoga’s classes is to help us return to that curious, meditative state of mind.
Hospitality
Small: ICECREAM CURLS
Icecream Curls provide handcrafted icecream made fresh from an icepan, right in front of your eyes, from a vintage style icecream trailer. Using only the best Maleny Dairies milk, the Icecream
Curls are delicious and very entertaining to watch, offering guests an amazing dessert experience. Icecream Curls specialize in weddings, birthdays, corporate events and functions, and markets.
Large: WILDFLOWER RESTAURANT & BAR
Wildflower Restaurant & Bar overlooks the stunning Lake Kawana. Just over 2½ years ago, a group of six local friends watched their dream emerge from a bare block of dirt, to become the first major construction in Birtinya. The intention—to develop a beautiful restaurant that would become the Sunshine Coast’s newest event, and dining experience, to support new residential, commercial and
public developments such as the Sunshine Coast University Hospital. A few short years later, that dream has become a reality with the restaurant proudly offering a beautiful dining location, and stunning function venue setting for personal dining, weddings, and functions.
Manufacturing
Small: AUSSIE SOLES
Aussie Soles is the best-selling, mid-priced support thong on the Australian market today. They are the one stop thong shop to all their wholesale customers looking for a lot more than a basic thong to
fill a category. They have a diverse product selection and have captured hearts and minds across Australia through their sales in pharmacy, souvenir, news-agency, resort and grocery stores. They offer all the benefits of an anatomically correct foot bed, recommended by Podiatrists, snug fitting strap and wide based tread. Their thongs are light weight and come in bold colors with high wholesale profit margins.
Large: HELIMODS
HeliMods is a progressive aerospace tech-company that combines cutting-edge technologies with world-class talent. From their state-of-the-art facility on the Sunshine Coast, they transform helicopters to take on special missions like firefighting, law enforcement, and medical rescue. As a local start-up turned global scale-up, they are recognised as true innovators shaping the future of their industry.
Professional Services
Small: SPLASH MARKETING AND PR
Splash Marketing PR works with Sunshine Coast and regional Queensland growth businesses to build a detailed picture of their business environment and opportunities in the first instance. They deliver a range of services, beginning with business benchmarking, opportunity analysis, business
modelling, marketing, stakeholder/ customer engagement, public relations and communication services. The business is also structured to bring holistic solutions to clients via a stable of support –
and project managed by Splash.
Large: OFFICE HQ
Office HQ have been blazing the trail in virtual reception and phone answering solutions since 2003 and are leaders in their industry. They believe all businesses, no matter their size, will benefit from having their callers greeted by their friendly, professional receptionists. They’re a fast growing, Australian company with operations in the US and UK providing ‘follow the sun’ 24/7 coverage. They provide a premium customer experience for every call into their clients’ businesses. Their receptionists are local, their service is 24/7 and their clients’ callers are always listened to and valued. They are proud to say their receptionists are all valued employees…not contractors.
Retail
Small: NO NASTIES MAKEUP
No Nasties Makeup is an Innovative Australian owned company creating all-natural kids play
makeup, face paint and hair chalk. They deliver beautiful, brown paper packages of fun with love
from their family to yours. Everything about No Nasties has been considered, they use recycled
cardboard for their packaging and their packs all have a unique identity and story, just like each of
their kids! All of their products are made in Australia and since launching in 2016 are now sold in
stockists across Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and Canada.
Large: LAGUNA PEST CONTROL
Laguna Pest Control offers a highly experienced team in pest management that provides exceptional customer service. Owner Jay Turner is a qualified trainer and assessor in pest control, completing his Bachelor Degree in Biology and Entomology and continues to deliver industry leading
innovative treatment techniques to the Australian Pest Industry. They are a multi award winning company that has recently taken out Qld Pest Manager of the Year 2016, Australian Pest Manager of
the Year 2017 and Excellence in Leadership Award 2017. Locals looking after locals.
Social Enterprise
Small: FOOD & AGRIBUSINESS NETWORK
Food & Agribusiness Network (FAN) is a collaborative ecosystem that empowers its members and industry to grow. Established by the industry for the industry, FAN is a not-for-profit food and beverage cluster that has been operating for five years. FAN will grow the industry by creating an ecosystem that supports collaboration, accelerates innovation and drives trade locally and globally. Today FAN has 300+ members from across the food value chain in the Greater Sunshine Coast region (Gympie, Noosa, Sunshine Coast and Moreton Bay) and is recognised as a leading Australian cluster organisation. Members include growers, manufacturers, retailers, foodservice operators and affiliated services and suppliers.
Large: PARENT TO PARENT
Parent to Parent helps people with a disability to identify and access optimal support. This person-centred approach is enhanced by the collaborative relationships they’ve built over two decades. P2P are pioneering new approaches to create inclusive and equitable futures for persons with a disability. They work with social enterprises to provide inclusive and fulfilling career opportunities. Their personnel and board combine unique personal knowledge with lived experience. At P2P they don’t look at communities from the outside – they drive them forward from their centre.
Tours and Transfers
Small: iEXPEDITION
iExpedition is a team of passionate, highly qualified travel experts with a shared love of exploration. Our dedicated online platform was born out of dream to introduce others to the incredible wonders of the world so that they too could experience the wonders of nature and the spirit of adventure. iExpedition’s team has more than a decade’s expertise and knowledge dedicated to polar & expedition cruising to the most exciting and interesting destinations on Earth.
Large: KANGAROO BUS LINES
Kangaroo Bus Lines is a family owned and operated organisation delivering superior service and experiences to the Sunshine Coast. Our business encompasses a wide range of transport solutions and is complemented by our professional coach drivers, a dedicated customer service team and experienced Operational taskforce. Our young, modern fleet is immaculately presented featuring the latest technology and safety features along with other added attributes such as wheelchair accessible options. We are centrally located in Kunda Park near Maroochydore, and together, we have the ability to cater transport needs for the entire Sunshine Coast region.
Hall of Fame
AUSTRALIA ZOO
Australia Zoo, on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, is home of the Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin. Nestled on 110 acres and with over 1,200 native and exotic animals, it’s the most interactive wildlife adventure and conservation destination on the planet. Check out giraffes, rhinos, zebras, meerkats and cheetahs at the African Savannah, and majestic tigers and red pandas in South-East Asia. Visit Bindi’s Island, where you can explore a three-storey treehouse with sweeping views of Australia Zoo, and see ring-tailed lemurs, giant Aldabra Tortoises, colourful macaws and more! Watch the world-famous Wildlife Warriors show at noon, with all the slithering, swooping, jaw-snapping action of saltwater crocodiles, birds and snakes LIVE in the Crocoseum. Cool off at The Laughing Frog Water Park, this fun-filled area is open to all guests and boasts a water splash play area with spectacular wildlife sculptures! Learn about amazing animals by booking an up-close animal encounter or check out the free daily wildlife shows on offer. And don’t forget to say hello to all the roving wildlife around the zoo too!
THE COMPASS INSTITUTE INC
The Compass Institute Inc. is an award-winning For-Purpose organisation, dedicated to providing support for people with intellectual and/or physical disabilities. At Compass, we believe in the extraordinary potential of human beings and are driven to create a world where EVERYONE can have the opportunity to create the life of their choice. Many people implicitly associate disability with liability, and then assume that passive welfare is the solution. Our philosophy is to take an asset-based approach. We focus on unlocking each individuals’ unique potential through rich and meaningful learning and personal development programs, skills-based training and a multitude of vocational opportunities through Compass’ wide range of social enterprises.
TYPEFI
Established in 2001 on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia, Typefi initially launched with the vision of providing automated publishing software for print documents that would enable collaborative workflows within workgroups and across enterprises. Recognising the early promise of Adobe InDesign for layout, the potential of Extensible Markup Language (XML) as an interchange format, and the strength of Microsoft Office as an authoring and editorial tool, Typefi combined these with its patented automation intelligence to deliver the world’s first fully automated desktop publishing system in 2004. Expanding to North America in 2007 and then to Europe in 2009, Typefi’s vision for its products and services broadened as the digital revolution gained momentum and new ways of delivering content emerged. Typefi is now an established global leader in single-source, multi-format automated publishing, with customers in over 20 countries around the world, and a team of 40 staff across eight countries.
Business of the Year
BLI BLI HOUSE RIVERSIDE RETREAT
Bli Bli House Riverside Retreat is a masterpiece of exquisite Victorian luxury in the heart of the Sunshine Coast. This magnificent five-star property overlooking the river has been creatively renovated with attention to every detail of the luxurious Victorian era that has been reproduced throughout. This is truly a place where luxury and convenience meet as our guests step back in time to a bygone era of romantic charm, decadent amenities and historic intrigue. Phil and Merryl look forward to the privilege of being your hosts to share with you this incredible luxurious food and accommodation experience.