After a career in public relations with government, private sector and Aboriginal organisations, Janet Craig had two primary motivators in launching her own company, Dreamtime Public Relations, in 2002. The first was to offer employment and mentoring to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the production of quality print and online communications. The second was to produce culturally appropriate communications for Indigenous people. Today, Dreamtime assists in communication between government, companies and Aboriginal communities and Aboriginal businesses. The business has grown to specialise in Indigenous graphic design, web development, promotional merchandise and communications strategy, with Victoria’s Sorry Day Event one of its clients. Dreamtime has also mentored eleven Indigenous people, some of whom have established careers elsewhere and won awards. Dreamtime promises that its Indigenous artwork is produced only by Indigenous people.

“Dreamtime Public Relations is one of only about five companies providing Indigenous-focused visual communications services and one of the very few which employs and mentors Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in this profession,” - Janet Craig, Managing Director.

In less than four years, Jane Grech Dance Centre in Adelaide’s north-eastern suburbs has grown from operating one site with 33 students to teaching 415 students at six sites. In buying a small existing school, dance teacher Jane says she saw an opening to offer a professionally run service to busy parents who appreciated quality tuition for their children. The centre originally offered only classical ballet but added jazz and tap and later a class for 3-5 year olds called Dance Magic which is now its most popular. In response to customer feedback, in 2008 Jane introduced a program called ‘Dance Sing Play’ for 2-3 year olds accompanied by their parents. Focused on continuously improving its services, Jane also offers pilates, hip hop and contemporary dance classes and an innovation called Totally MAD (Movement and Dance) which combines dance and drama and appeals to students who discontinue technique classes.

“Dance teachers can become a very big influence in their students’ lives – we take this very seriously and follow our core values of respect, honesty and integrity to ensure that we are a good role model,” – Jane Grech, Owner.

Nadine Zanol opened her retail lighting store in Mount Gambier three years ago and immediately set out to encourage customers to consider energy efficient choices. Local builders sent their own customers to lights at 133 for their indoor and outdoor eco-lighting selections and the store’s ‘eco knowledge.’ Nadine’s positive contribution to the building industry and lighting selections of their customers was recognised early in 2010 when the Housing Industry Association presented her an award for lighting. lights at 133 reopened at a new location in January 2010 but kept the name of its former address and continues to offer lighting which meets the community’s changing style, seasonal buying and environmental trends. The business has tripled its floor space and added a full time employee to two casual staff. lights at 133 is directly marketing its product to industry groups and has increased its local market share as a result.

“A key lesson learnt very early was think big, aim big, believe in myself but don’t overspend on stock because the retail industry and customers’ needs are continually changing,” - Nadine Zanol, Proprietor.

When teachers.on.net was launched in 1999, it was a pioneer for internet based recruitment of teachers for Australian schools. It is different from other national job websites which offer advertising for all sectors and it provides a low-cost alternative to print advertising. teachers.on.net allows schools to advertise vacancies online and jobseekers to apply directly to the school. Operating initially as a start-up in a home office, the Eastwood business overcame hesitance by some schools to embrace the then unproven method of internet advertising. The site’s traffic and business has grown solidly with monthly unique visitors increasing by 42 per cent between 2007 and 2009. The business says 3700 schools advertised vacancies on the site in 2009 with the monthly jobs ads total topping 1000 in October. teachers.on.net is now marketing itself to international schools seeking to recruit Australian teachers and sees this as a major growth area.

“Our milestone of ten years as an operational website was important for us because the education community places a lot of value on stability and longevity,”– Melissa Boonzaayer, Director.

Founded in 2002 by software contractors Jason Goodridge and Daniel Krause, Axios IT debunks the view that IT must be a cost to business. Joined by a third partner Scott Ayton in 2005, Axios IT’s principals are determined to make IT a revenue generator for its clients. This value-adding approach has brought the niche IT business sustained annual growth of between 40 and 100 per cent. Wayville-based Axios IT refined its service offering in 2008 to specialise in two key software areas – online product development and customised business systems. These help clients achieve quality or efficiency gains, reduce costs, improve customer outcomes and create new revenue streams. Axios IT’s partnership with major clients has brought many products to market including financial systems, training platforms, online dating sites and a diet and fitness assessment system.

“Axios IT’s primary objective is to create a competitive advantage for its customers – we view the software we create as a means to an end rather than the end itself,” Jason Goodridge, Managing Director.

Alfredo Cappella’s 50-year journey in hairdressing has taken him from a 12-year-old apprentice in Italy to a leading role as an educator of international and domestic students. Co-founder with John Daly in 1970 of Adelaide’s pioneering unisex hairdressing salon Clip Joint, Alfredo celebrates 20 years in 2010 at the helm of the registered training organisation Clip Joint Academy of Hairdressing. It is the largest privately-owned hairdressing school in South Australia and one of Australia’s largest, offering state-of-the-art teaching resources to a record 310 students in April this year. Alfredo insists that the teachers must be able to sell what they teach – they also work in Clip Joint salons at North Adelaide and Burnside. The hairdressing academy’s technical and contemporary skills are recognised by leading salons which choose it for apprenticeship training. It also makes a key contribution to hairdressing careers through its vocational education and training (VET) program for secondary school students.

“We are as passionate about hairdressing and the future of the industry as we were on the day we opened our first salon - we want young people to be inspired about hairdressing,” – Alfredo Cappella, Managing Director.

Advanced process control consultants Manta Controls helps maximise the performance of automated systems in large scale minerals processing plants. Established in 2004 by the Managing Director John Karageorgos, Manta Controls comprises a team with extensive practical operational mining experience in Australia and Africa. Manta Controls provides control strategies for unit areas of a processing plant so that they run optimally and with minimal costly down-time. Manta Controls says a processing plant that is automated correctly will run steady at the highest throughput levels and be resilient to process disturbances. The business invented and trademarked its own Manta Cube technology which has achieved huge improvements for their clients. On average, revenue increases worth more than $20 million a year have been achieved by implementing the Manta Cube technology onsite.

“Manta Controls specialises in taking a good processing plant and turning it into a great processing plant through effective automation,” – John Karageorgos, Managing Director.

Mark Fusco’s passion for improving Australia’s manufacturing performance and 20 years of industry experience led him to establish his own specialist process services company in 2005. Manufacturing Focus essentially helps other businesses do more with less by providing consultative services in strategic manufacturing process, technology and business practices. Mark’s exposure to world’s best practice manufacturing solutions while working in Europe, Japan and the USA and his role leading the production engineering unit at Mitsubishi Motors Australia have driven the growth of his company which now has 14 employees. Backed by a belief that many factories can be more efficient in their use of space, time and resources, Manufacturing Focus has gone from a start-up company to working in 25 different industry sectors. It has won contracts with large multi-national companies in diverse sectors such as analytical instruments, automotive, shipbuilding and window covering fabrics.

“Our success has been driven by an unwavering belief that many Australian companies can do it better, cheaper, faster and with higher quality and hopefully avoid the need to move to offshore production,” – Mark Fusco, Director.

In 1991 Angela Giacoumis launched Careerlink Training and Recruitment Services. Commencing as a vocational training practice they have grown to be one of South Australia’s leading providers of integrated human resource solutions. A customer centric organisation, Careerlink’s mantra of ‘being brilliant in the basics’ has built it an enviable reputation for providing recruitment and training to the corporate and government sectors. Under its entrepreneurial managing director, Careerlink opened its own simulated training facilities and diversified into strategic consultancy services, ranging from operating model reviews to benchmarking service standards. The business also initiated an alliance of recruiters to bid collaboratively on national projects. Team members travel overseas to gather and share the freshest ideas with the first international training program being delivered in 2008. Last year’s turnover doubled that of 2006 and five percent of net profit funds socially responsible initiatives.

“Success comes from being innovative. Finding the right candidate in a tight market can be challenging – our expertise in sourcing the best people and our links with other recruiters ensure that we can always fulfil a client’s need,” – Angela Giacoumis, Managing Director.

Ninety-eight years since Joseph Osborn purchased vineyards south of Adelaide, McLaren Vale premium wine producer d’Arenberg is going from strength to strength. Joseph’s grandson Francis d’Arenberg (d’Arry) Osborn owns the winery that bears his name and was succeeded by son Chester as chief winemaker in 1984. The d’Arenberg label, with its iconic red stripe, was instrumental in building McLaren Vale’s wine reputation. Exporting to 60 countries, d’Arenberg wine sales grew by 400 per cent in the past decade, winning awards from Australia to the Houston International Wine Competition. The company has 110 employees and uses traditional methods in the vineyard – no fertilisation, minimal or no irrigation and no soil cultivation. Grape flavours are preserved in the production process using labour-intensive techniques such as open fermentation and basket pressing of red and white wines. Its cellar door and restaurant d’Arry’s Verandah receive 40,000 visitors a year.

“Key factors in d’Arenberg’s success include a commitment to producing wine of the highest quality, continually striving to improve the quality and standing out from the crowd in its presentation,” – Lincoln Ridley, Financial Controller.

Kelly Engineering evolved from what was a sideline to farming 20 years ago, into a family-owned manufacturer and exporter of quality agricultural machinery. Located on the Kelly’s farm near Booleroo Centre, the former machine-repairing hobby business now employs 38 staff with a turnover of $11m. It is a significant employer of apprentices in SA’s northern agricultural region. After entering export markets in 2006, it experienced growing demand from North America, Denmark, South Africa and New Zealand. Kelly’s innovative machinery contributes to sustainable agriculture by enhancing soil structure and health and reducing erosion and nutrient flow into waterways. The Kelly Disc Chain Harrow is its key product, a six-model range primarily used for stubble mulching but also for weed control, soil levelling and pasture seeding. The award-winning exporter commenced manufacturing machines under licence in Denmark last year and is on track to do the same in the US in 2010-11.

“Our background is farming so we have an excellent understanding of the reliable and versatile equipment that our farming customers need and expect.” – Shane Kelly, CEO.

In 1989, Angus Irwin and three business partners launched Kanmantoo organic fertiliser manufacturer Neutrog Australia, working through the night on production and spending the days in their cars making customer deliveries. From that first product, Bounce Back, Neutrog has grown to be one of the largest fertiliser manufacturers in Australia with a turnover approaching $11m, export markets in four Asian countries and licensed operations in South Africa and Ireland. Neutrog – the name is a combination of nutrients and organics – produces 25,000 tonnes of pellet fertiliser a year and 10,000 tonnes of associated products. A premium brand with a 50-strong workforce, Neutrog has clients including Flemington Racecourse Rose Garden and Sydney’s Royal Botanic Gardens. Its products are used by tens of thousands of home gardeners in Australia on everything from orchids to vegetables. Angus says a turning point for the company was its 2005 adoption of brand-shaping cultural values.

“Our cultural values define the company – we are grounded, focused, disciplined and spirited in everything we do,” – Angus Irwin, Managing Director.

Manta Controls services a niche market with its self-designed systems used to optimise processing equipment in mineral processing plants. The Manta Cube technology uses traditional advanced control techniques - such as constraint control, feed forward and gain scheduling - and the company’s proprietary technology to provide automated on-line optimisation of process plants. Manta Controls has implemented the Manta Cube system on various processing units such as semi-autogenous grinding mills, ball mills, de-watering circuits, flotation circuits, thickeners and counter-current decantation circuits. Founded by John Karageorgos in 2004, the company’s systems operate large scale mineral processing equipment for resources companies in Australia and Africa. The Manta Cube innovation was first implemented in 2004 and competes with systems designed internationally. Manta Controls has also developed formal training in process control fundamentals that is recognised by the Western Australian School of Mines.

“The advantages of using the Manta Cube technology include guaranteed improve plant or circuit performance and continual development of new process control technology design,” – John Karageorgos, Managing Director.

Neutrog Australia’s innovative community-based marketing model is a key reason for the success of the Adelaide Hills organic fertiliser manufacturer, according to owner Angus Irwin. As it grew from a small factory to a 20-hectare plant, Neutrog invested enormous time, effort and resources in building close relationships with its home gardener and commercial markets. In the past decade, Neutrog partnered with 12 Australian garden societies and clubs which directly input into the development and testing of Neutrog’s fertiliser products. Under an agreement, they then formally endorse the final product in return for ongoing royalties of all retail sales. The endorsements are promoted prominently on Neutrog’s packaging, providing a high level of credibility with customers, a boost for its premium brand and a clear differentiation point from competitors. Similar relationships with many Australian botanic gardens, turf clubs and sporting stadiums have been the catalyst for developing or enhancing Neutrog products.

“Neutrog has distributed a total of $600,000 in royalties in the past decade to the rose and orchid societies and other groups with which we have a relationship,” - Angus Irwin, Managing Director.

Eastwood-based teachers.on.net launched two innovative products which enhance its online services for clients who advertise education vacancies in Australian schools. The first is eLeader which is an opt-in weekly ebulletin sent to more than 2000 education leaders listing all principal, deputy, department head, curriculum learning, pastoral and boarding positions which are advertised on teachers.on.net. The second product is teachers.on.net plugin which automatically places advertisements on teachers.on.net onto the website of a regional education office which includes the school advertising the vacancy. It means no administration is required by the education office in updating the employment section of its own website. teachers.on.net is a business partner with the Australian Secondary Principals Association and provides advertising solutions for 26 school groups including Catholic Education Offices from Parramatta to the Northern Territory, the ACT Department of Education and Training, Independent Schools Queensland and Lutheran Education Australia.

“These innovations offer great support to our customers by helping them to manage their own web content and also giving their advertisements increased exposure,” – Melissa Boonzaayer, Director.

Customised software solutions provider Axios IT aims to make its operations environmentally sustainable and encourages staff to be involved in charitable and community projects. Axios IT’s partners have always recognised that the business has a responsibility to the community and that, as the company grew, the responsibility and opportunity to make a positive impact was greater. In 2009 the Wayville-based business completed an audit of its carbon footprint and purchased sequestration offsets to minimise its environmental impact and provide more habitat for Australian wildlife. Axios IT, founded in 2002, bases a lot of its team building activities around charitable initiatives. Its social responsibility practices involve choosing three charities a year for either direct company donations or matching dollar for dollar contributions by staff. These initiatives have supported Movember, Kids Helpline, the Variety Club, Ronald McDonald House, Oxfam and other community appeals.

“Social responsibility in some ways is a lifeline that ensures we remain connected to something bigger than ourselves – the partners and our team take great reward from operating sustainably and giving back to the community,” - Jason Goodridge, Managing Director.

As the impacts of climate change and the tourism industry’s contribution to greenhouse gas emissions have become clearer, McLaren Vale business Bellevue Bed & Breakfast has taken action to measure, reduce and offset its carbon footprint. After attending industry conferences to understand tourism’s effect on climate change, owners Ciaran Cryan and Jenny McGrath invested in energy-saving solutions such as a low light solar system and a solar hot water system. When approached in 2008 by the SA Tourism Commission and Ecotourism Australia, they agreed to participate in a world first pilot program called Climate Action Certification. In March 2010, Ciaran says Bellevue achieved the highest accreditation possible in Australia of Climate Action Leader - recognition as a carbon neutral business. The accreditation gives Bellevue a focus for all its operations and the owners are planning an advanced landscaping and water conservation project for implementation during 2011.

“Climate Action Leader accreditation offers us new marketing opportunities with our guests – financially we started to reap savings in the consumption of utilities almost immediately,” – Ciaran Cryan, Owner/Operator.

McLaren Vale winemaker d’Arenberg reached a significant milestone in its goal of sustainability by recycling on site 100 per cent of the waste water and solid grape waste from its production. A waste water treatment facility, constructed in 2001, has been updated and enlarged regularly to meet the company’s expansion and improve waste water quality. d’Arenberg established a formal natural heritage agreement with state environment authorities to set aside and protect a significant portion of the winery’s naturally vegetated areas. The company’s commitment to harmony between wine industry practice and environmental sustainability led to current trials of organic viticultural techniques to reduce use of chemicals. d’Arenberg supports schools, charities, community and sporting groups by donating about $100,000 worth of wine every year. The winery’s owner Francis “d’Arry” Osborn, a past president of the SA Wine and Brandy Association, was awarded an OA in 2004 for his community and industry services.

“d’Arenberg is also trialling technology which captures carbon dioxide during the fermentation process as we look to reduce our carbon footprint by efficiencies in power consumption areas,” – Lincoln Ridley, Financial Controller.

Glo is a health food business on Port Lincoln’s foreshore that aims to encourage a healthy lifestyle among its customers while improving the lives of children in developing countries. Established by Kaaren Colwell and Michael Cheeseman in 2007, glo good living organics health bar & market allocates a percentage of its profits to the education of underprivileged children. Glo sponsors five children through international development organisations in Cambodia, Brazil and Haiti and raises awareness among customers about the activities through its store and its website. Kaaren was one of 16 people who cycled 350 km in Cambodia to raise $60,000 to build a school at Chook Meas in Cambodia’s Svang Rieng province. At a local level, glo supports bushfire fund appeals, sponsors sporting teams to promote healthy lifestyles and partners in projects to entertain children in hospital and educate school children about drug abuse.

“I believe that everyone is entitled to a level playing field and that, through education, underprivileged children will have a choice in life,” – Kaaren Colwell, Owner.

Family-owned agricultural machinery manufacturer Kelly Engineering is a significant employer in a small rural community in the foothills of South Australia’s Southern Flinders Ranges. The Booleroo Centre business is also contributing to raising the community’s skills base by opening its workshop on weekends to offer nationally-recognised welding training. In conjunction with the local regional development board, the certificate course provides participants, usually local farmers, greater skills for their own workplaces as well as opportunities in the rapidly growing minerals sector in northern SA. Kelly Engineering also offers successful candidates part-time work. Kelly’s employees are involved in the program with some giving up their weekends to conduct the training. CFO Jo Kelly says Kelly Engineering’s investment in the welding course offers farmers a supplementary income and benefits the business by creating a stable base of skilled casual labour.

“We live in a small community where social responsibility is the very fabric of society – we have the skills and equipment to offer training that is particularly relevant in a rural community,” - Jo Kelly, CFO.

When 23-year-old Angus Irwin and three partners made the choice to manufacture an organic fertiliser in 1989, they believed that it was superior to chemical based products and would have real environmental benefits. The Kanmantoo-based Neutrog Australia also felt that more sustainable products would be the basis of a sound business. As Neutrog grew into a successful national and export business, it educated thousands of people on the use and benefits of organic products – 240 public meetings in 2009 alone. Neutrog donated more than $1 million worth of product to community groups in the past decade. It donates $50,000 worth of product a year to botanic gardens around Australia. The business will financially support the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation in a program to encourage children to grow and prepare their own seasonal produce. Neutrog also will supply each school in the program with their annual fertiliser requirements at no cost.

“Social responsibility practices have allowed us to differentiate our company from our competitors and achieve business success,” – Angus Irwin, Managing Director.