Quest to find best at business support

PRESS RELEASE FROM SARAH TROTMAN & ASSOCIATES
Re: Vero Excellence in Business Support Awards

Quest to find best at business support

People who complain about how long it takes companies to answer the phone or provide a simple service should take note when the 2008 Vero Excellence in Business Support Awards are announced.

Forty-five companies are competing for the honour of being the organisation that provides the best business support in New Zealand.

Founded by small business sector specialist, Sarah Trotman, and sponsored by Vero, National Business Review and BDO Spicers, the Vero Excellence in Business Support Awards are a key event of the Small Business Expo – New Zealand’s largest event for business - and will be announced at a Black Tie Gala Dinner held on 17 April in Auckland.

The finalists cover a wide range of organisations that sell software and financial management systems, an incubator, universities, local bodies, government departments and four individuals.

The educational sector had particularly strong entries with the finalists being Lincoln University; University of Otago, The Results Group (Auckland), The Knowledge Gym (Albany) and AUT University Business School.

The Not for Profit sector is also strongly represented and includes NZ Institute of Management, NZ Centre for SME Research (Massey University), Connect New Zealand, EEO Trust and the Business Development Centre of Hamilton City Council. The EEO Trust is also a finalist in the Public-Private sector partnership category along with Auckland Plus (a business unit of the Auckland Regional Council) and NZ Business Forums.

Organisations to watch are finalists in the high growth category that include AUT Tech Park, Upstart Incubation Trustee and Better by Design,

Individual finalists for 2008 are Chris Matthews, The Open Polytechnic; Warwick Grey, HP; John Morrell, NZ Business Forums; and Phillip Broughton, Polson Higgs (chartered accountants and business advisers).

Local government finalists are Waitakere Enterprise and North Shore, Hutt and Auckland City Councils while government is represented by Statistics NZ, the Ministry of Social Development, Austrade, NZ Trade and Enterprise and the Department of Labour.

In the larger business sector ($10 million plus) the finalists are CourierPost, Kelly Services and MYOB from Christchurch, 2007 award winner Wotif, and CardLink. Three organisations are finalists in the $5-10 million business group: Orb Communications, Global Career Link and Kinetic121. The less than $5 million one to many offering will be contested by Xero, CAD Partners, Brian R Richards and Trans Tasman Business Circle while the less than $5 million companies one on one offering includes The Results Group, WHK Gosling Chapman Business Growth Team, Quest and Franchize Consultants.

ENDS

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