National

With two randomised control trials and a 15 year track record, The COACH Program is a proven way to improve risk factor status and reduce hospital utilisation for sufferers of cardiovascular disease. The company’s unique business model enables organisations to deliver the program using their own staff, substantially reducing the costs of delivery and allowing The COACH Program to expand its services much more quickly and widely. The program is designed to be easily integrated into any existing health care system. It is delivered over the telephone and supported by personalised written information enabling virtually 100 percent of chronic disease survivors to be targeted. The COACH Program has been adopted as standard care in the Australian public health system and through private health funds both in Australia and the Netherlands with plans to expand into the USA.

Edible Blooms offers a unique twist on traditional flower and gift delivery, offering ‘bouquets’ of gourmet chocolates, home-baked cookies, fresh fruit and even ‘beer cakes’. From its beginnings as a sole owner-operator business in 2005, Edible Blooms is one of the most popular and fastest-growing gifting websites in Australia and has developed a cult-like following by offering a unique range, easy online access, speedy delivery across Australia and the ‘wow’ factor the blooms provide upon arrival. From humble beginnings, Edible Blooms has grown exponentially with current growth at 30 percent, a database of 50,000 clients, stores in four states and 15 employees providing a national delivery service. A combination of technology in packaging and sophisticated courier networks has enabled delivery to include regional Australia, greatly increasing the market potential for the company to continue expansion into regional areas.

To support its fast and efficient service offering, this project management consultancy has adopted a ‘mobile office’ policy. Point Project Management has provided every one of its employees with an iPhone with full internet, phone and email access to allow them to interact with clients and other members of the team wherever they may be. Founded in Canberra in 2006, Point is a dynamic clientside project management consultancy specialising in building and property. Point has grown to become one of Australia’s largest specialist project management consultancies, with offices in Canberra, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth. In just three years, Point has grown from one employee and one client to 33 employees and 54 clients. Revenue has grown by an average of 1,870 percent since the company was founded. Point can also boast a stable employee base with a 95 percent retention rate.

With over 60 years experience in red meat retail, wholesale and abattoir operations, this Victorian business is leading the way in certified organic and ethnically-sensitive meat production. Radfords’ Certified Organic facilities enable conventional producers to convert to organic practices, thereby removing chemicals and residual pollutants from stock feed and stimulating rehabilitation of grazing land. In the early 1980s Radfords identified and successfully developed a number of niche markets otherwise overlooked by many processors. Supply of ‘Greek Lambs’ has extended to similarly culturally driven requirements from other Mediterranean and South East Asian communities. Supply to meet these ethnic or religious observances typically includes offal products that would otherwise be relegated to commodity ingredient markets. Radfords is also leading the way in tackling long-term environmental issues in the industry, recently undertaking an industry-first project to recycle 95 percent of waste water to potable quality with potential industry-wide annual water savings of over 13 gigalitres.

Small vaccine research and development business, Vaxine, has demonstrated to the world that hard work and an innovative approach can be the basis for unparalleled success. When it opened its doors in 2004, against prevailing wisdom that a biotech needed a large pharmaceutical partner and an early listing on the Australian stock exchange to succeed, there was no inkling of the enormous success that the company would go on to achieve. Despite beliefs that vaccines were a dying and unprofitable business and that new vaccine technologies had no commercial future, Vaxine has proven that an innovative business model based upon a firm belief in its product can outperform a competitor many times its size. Vaxine recently signed an $8.5 million five-year contract to provide vaccine research and development services to the US government and a new license deal with a major overseas influenza vaccine manufacturer.