Awards showcase strength of Miles business sector

The significance of local businesses to the regional economy was highlighted last Saturday night at the annual Miles Business Excellence Awards hosted by Miles and District Chamber of Commerce.

Business owners, community leaders and well-wishers turned out in force for the awards ceremony at the Leichhardt Centre to acknowledge the strength of the local business sector and applaud the outstanding calibre of all entrants.

Accolades on the night went to three Gold Award winners – Kerwick's Earthworks, Miles Wholesale Meats & Smallgoods and Hub Real Estate – with Hub Real Estate also taking out the top honour of Business of the Year.

The Business of the Year and Gold Award winners were joined on the dais by the following award winning businesses:

Silver Award – Murilla Community Centre Inc

Bronze Awards – J Mullins Plumbing, Miles Engineering, Miles SHS, Murilla Hardware Supplies and Tribes Plant Hire

All businesses who took part in the event underwent a rigorous assessment process, with the following awards reflecting their strength across seven assessment categories:

Leadership: Hub Real Estate

Strategic Planning: Miles Wholesale Meats & Smallgoods

Process Management: Kerwick's Earthworks

Information and Knowledge: Kerwick's Earthworks

Customer and Market Focus: Miles Wholesale Meats & Smallgoods

People: Hub Real Estate

Success and Sustainability: J Mullins Plumbing

Miles and District Chamber of Commerce President John Hoffmann said the Chamber was pleased with the number of submissions received this year and congratulated all the Award winners.

“It is important that the Awards are seen not as a competition, but as a self improvement exercise against Australian-wide benchmarks,” Mr Hoffman added.

Treated to a night of great food, conversation and celebration, Awards night revellers were also entertained by comedian Syd Heylen Jnr as MC and former Moranbah Mayor, Matthew Athanassiadis, as guest speaker.

One of the country’s most in-demand corporate comedians, Syd Heylen’s juggling tricks and his exploitation of Lachlan on stage will be long remembered by the audience.