National - Telstra Australian Business Awards

“When you have surgery at Darwin Day Surgery, the nurse to patient ratio is 1-to-1 not 1-to-10, as with most other facilities.” – Joanne Kovac, Director.

A lack of nurses and theatre time at Darwin Private Hospital prompted registered nurses Joanne Kovac and Maureen Schaffer to form a partnership with resident plastic surgeon, Ravi Mahajani, and open Darwin Day Surgery in Fannie Bay in 2007. The surgery carries out procedures under local and intravenous sedation, specialising in the removal of lesions, such as skin cancers, and providing the full gamut of minor plastic and hand procedures. Joanne admits it was daunting self-funding such a complex, compliance-heavy business, and neither she nor Maureen drew wages in the first few months. However, as the surgery established contracts with all private health funds and government service providers, its services grew rapidly to more than 500 procedures a year. This has helped reduce waiting lists for elective surgery in the Northern Territory. The business is now opening a new facility with two theatres, expanding operating hours and the variety of procedures it performs.

“We operated two photographic road show vans that were on the road for a combined total of 364 days in 2010 while visiting 45 locations.” – Melanie Schwartze, Director.

Melanie Schwartze and two partners established Top Shots Glamour Photography in 2005 but two years later rising debt led to discussions about closing. Melanie bravely decided to take over the business as sole shareholder and, from the ashes, Flash Fotos was born, offering clients glamour photography services that would make them look like models. Melanie invested in her professional development with a photography business coach and refined the marketing and pricing plans for the Sunshine Coast photography studio. The business really turned the corner when Melanie established full-time photographic road shows in five states and territories. Flash Fotos has serviced more than 10,000 customers, has 18 full-time equivalent staff and posted net profit growth of about 35 per cent in the past two years. In 2010, Flash Fotos later opened new premises in Maroochydore’s retail precinct. Further expansion and success has followed this year with the addition of a third road show servicing Western Australia.

“We want to be recognised for our standards of safety and customer service and be a benchmark for the industry.”- Paul Newbound, Director.

Director Paul Newbound established Australian Pressure Testing Services (APTS) in 2003 after identifying a gap in the resources and infrastructure markets for pressure testing services. APTS provides onsite and workshop services in water and air pressure testing of pipes, valves, fittings and vessels for the construction, resources and oil and gas industries. Starting as a one-man consultancy, Paul recognised that, to succeed, the business would need to go above and beyond client expectations. Paul said APTS aims to improve safety and customer satisfaction levels throughout the industry. APTS also has a state-of-the-art National Association of Testing Authorities accredited laboratory which provides quality calibration and repairs for pressure and temperature instrumentation. APTS has more than 150 employees and has continued to secure significant industry projects such as Pilbara’s Burrup Fertiliser project and the Otway gas plant in Victoria. In 2010, APTS won all the testing contracts for WA’s Pluto LNG and the Binningup desalination project.

“Our goal is zero glass waste and to return as much glass as possible to uses that capture the intrinsic value of the glass.” – Collette Harkins, Chief Financial Officer.

Colmax Glass was established in 2005 by engineer Peter Harkins and his wife Collette, to crush, clean and grade recycled glass more efficiently than any other plant. Based in Maroota, north west of Sydney, the company processes waste from glass recyclers to produce up to 100,000 tonnes of clean-graded glass each year for use in bottles, fibreglass insulation batts, water filtration and other everyday products. Colmax is the only processor in Australia taking completely unrefined glass waste that would normally end up in landfill and turning it into the highest-value resource possible with minimal wastage. In five years, the company has built four plants in four states, grown from five full-time staff to 32 and increased annual turn-over 10 fold. Collette says Colmax’s technical innovations have been refined by building its own plants, visiting glass operations in Europe and the United States and seeking potential customers who could use glass as a substitute for another raw material.

“I established m.a.d.woman (making a difference) to literally be in the business of making a positive difference - to the environment, the community and the lives of those who need support.” – Melina Schamroth, CEO.

Book a date night with m.a.d.woman Singles Volunteers events and you are likely to find yourself in a soup kitchen instead of a fancy restaurant. m.a.d.woman (making a difference) was created in 2007 by self-proclaimed social entrepreneur Melina Schamroth to bring together people who are passionate about doing good and to help corporates connect with the community. She builds singles events around community service projects, such as disaster relief and cooking meals for the homeless, supporting charities with a ready supply of helping hands and donations, and helping like-minded people ditch first-date nerves. Based in Melbourne, Melina also speaks on social responsibility and runs events for women and the business sector, encouraging companies to build stronger teams by tapping into their employees’ community spirit and desire to make a difference. Melina says m.a.d.woman, which has helped serve more than 50,000 meals to the homeless, counts “people helped” ahead of “revenue earned” as the benchmark for success.

“A key lesson has been the value of innovation. You must be prepared to be brave and to innovate to achieve success.” – Wayne Houlden, CEO.

Coffs Harbour software development firm Janison helps teach more than one million people around the world. Established in 1998 by Wayne and Jacquie Houlden, Janison develops, produces and hosts online learning systems, portals and assessments. The business began catering to TAFE colleges and small registered training organisations with its self-developed Janison Learning System, one of the first online learning tools in Australia. Janison now supports the e-learning needs of 100 local and international clients and has seen consistent annual revenue growth of 20 per cent. It has developed remotely-synchronised learning servers for ships and battle units in the New Zealand Defence Forces, supports an online global leadership academy for Deloitte, and has completed an e-learning rollout for vocational and technical education in Vietnam. Janison’s rapidly growing hosting network includes servers in Sydney, Dallas, Shanghai, Beijing, Hong Kong, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Ho Chi Minh City, all supported from the Coffs Harbour office.