SA - Telstra Australian Business Awards

“We believe customers like to buy from real people, which is why we take the personal approach and have a photo of our family on each jar of Beerenberg produce.” – Anthony Paech, Managing Director.

Starting with a batch of strawberry jam in the 1970s, family-owned Beerenberg Farm has diversified and grown into an international brand with 54 employees, and products in supermarkets, aircraft and five-star hotels. The Hahndorf business still grows strawberries and sells from the farm, but has spent the past 25 years building a gourmet range of retail and hospitality sector-sized jams and condiments, including chutneys, sauces and dressings, which are exported to 25 countries. Managing Director Anthony Paech says Beerenberg Farm pioneered portion serves for its products in the mid 1980s, enabling it to secure its first hotel contract. Since then, the company has been tailoring products to customer requirements and market trends, introducing state-of-the-art manufacturing equipment to meet increased demand. Over the last five years, Beerenberg has increased turnover by one third and expanded the range from 42 to 60 products through regular and personal conversations with distributors and end-consumers.

“We want to bring the latest fashion and technologies to all Australians.” – Lucimar Nielsen, Director.

Brazcom Imports supplies Biocosmetic clothing that is designed to look good and do good. The clothing incorporates science and technology to deliver cosmetic benefits, such as body sculpting. Brazcom Imports was founded in 2008 by Lucimar and Tim Nielsen five years after they had visited Lucimar’s home country, Brazil, and discovered fashionable, high-quality clothing with cosmetic benefits. Lucimar had to learn English before she had the confidence to go store-to-store in Adelaide with a handful of items, while Tim, then a PhD student, delivered orders from a borrowed van. The business secured 100 Australian retail clients in its first year, and continued to grow turnover by 25 per cent last financial year. The Edwardstown business distributes three lines of cosmetic apparel, the biggest seller being Scala BioPromise shapewear, designed with heat-emitting micro-fibre to help women lose cellulite and reduce measurements. The business also sells online and over the telephone direct to consumers.

“We look for challenges that emerge from changes in the health care environment and provide well-tested ideas and tools to overcome them.” – David Dahm, CEO.

A work-related car accident in 1985 and a long recovery prompted accountant David Dahm to start a consultancy to empower health carers to become better finance managers and patient advocates. Health and Life advises on all financial aspects of practice management for hospital, medical, dental, allied health and elite sports professionals and encourages them, in turn, to become advocates for financial literacy in the community. With 11 employees, the Adelaide business has more than doubled revenue over the past three years through the continual development of software tools so clients can better manage the fiscal health of their practices. In addition to taxation, financial and succession planning advice, Health and Life provides monthly monitoring for clients and produces a number of industry kits and reports, including The Good, Bad and Ugly Report, which helps healthcare providers better manage finite resources. David also speaks publicly and runs regular webinars, sharing his insights on running sustainable and socially responsible health practices.

“We believe customers like to buy from real people, which is why we take the personal approach and have a photo of our family on each jar of Beerenberg produce.” – Anthony Paech, Managing Director.

Starting with a batch of strawberry jam in the 1970s, family-owned Beerenberg Farm has diversified and grown into an international brand with 54 employees, and products in supermarkets, aircraft and five-star hotels. The Hahndorf business still grows strawberries and sells from the farm, but has spent the past 25 years building a gourmet range of retail and hospitality sector-sized jams and condiments, including chutneys, sauces and dressings, which are exported to 25 countries. Managing Director Anthony Paech says Beerenberg Farm pioneered portion serves for its products in the mid 1980s, enabling it to secure its first hotel contract. Since then, the company has been tailoring products to customer requirements and market trends, introducing state-of-the-art manufacturing equipment to meet increased demand. Over the last five years, Beerenberg has increased turnover by one third and expanded the range from 42 to 60 products through regular and personal conversations with distributors and end-consumers.

“Innovation comes from teamwork and understanding customer needs. Weekly project meetings allow all employees nationally to get an update on product developments, discuss progress on major projects and table new product ideas.” – Noon McNamara, General Manager Strategy.

Established in 1991, SCF Group supplies containers to the Australian transport and logistics industry. The Adelaide business manages assets worth more than $70 million and is made up of four divisions: Rail Containers, Tank Containers, Simply Containers and Container Rooms. In March 2010, SCF Group launched a lightweight 40 foot polymer side-door transport container. The creation was a world-first for the industry weighing just 28 kilograms in comparison with 140 kilograms in steel and resulted in fuel savings and reduced operating costs. Prototypes of 48 foot polymer side-door transport containers for domestic rail use are currently being trialled by clients and have attracted interest from some of Australia’s biggest logistics companies. The business also introduced an online GPS tracking system for customers after successful trials. SCF Group is the only Australian transport company that supplies the complete range of container services, including design, relocation, pooling, shipping, repairs, maintenance and technical advice.

“I want to empower patients and health providers beyond their clinical interests to then allow patients to take better care of themselves.” – David Dahm, CEO.

Health and Life CEO and founder David Dahm says the Adelaide business reflects his primary life ambition to break the cycle of ill health and poverty among lower socio-economic groups. Having seen abject poverty when visiting India as a young boy and experiencing the trauma of a severe car crash in 1985, David uses his health practice management consultancy to encourage medical professionals to be advocates for health and finance education in their communities. Health and Life has set up the One Moment Foundation to foster positive relationships between health professionals and disadvantaged teenagers, believing that medical practitioners are respected and credible influencers in the community. The business leverages netball sponsorships and pro bono time to spread its positive messages, targeting young women as future nurturers. David is national chair and a volunteer with the Australian Association of Practice Managers and working to develop a social responsibility program for the health care industry.

“We firmly believe a business must contribute to its local community to make it a better place for employees to live, work and play.” – Sue Chase, Managing Director.

Cowell Electric Supply contributes to organisations that are working to enhance the lives of people in regional and remote areas of Australia. Managing Director Sue Chase says the provider of overhead and underground high-voltage powerlines relies on resilient and thriving regional communities to sustain its operations and projects in the mining, defence and land subdivision sectors. Based on Eyre Peninsula, the business provides financial support to sporting and other groups in the communities in which it works. The company is passionate about improving access to quality health care in the outback and donates to the Royal Flying Doctor Service and Angel Flight. Sue even pilots her own plane for Angel Flight to transport non-emergency regional patients to population centres for treatment. Cowell Electric Supply also enhances regional access to the arts, sponsoring young Adelaide concert percussionist Nicholas Parnell to perform in remote areas.