Companies win from excellent business support

Vero Excellence in Business Support Awards

19 December 2007

Companies win from excellent business support

Thousands of business owners have become more competitive and sustainable this year because of companies providing them with great support services. Finalists in the Vero Excellence in Business Support Awards 2008 reflect the energy, vitality and support that are at the heart of the business sector.

The finalists cover a wide range of organisations that include CourierPost, Xero (software), CAD Partners, NZ Institute of Management, Auckland Plus (a business unit of the ARC), Statistics NZ, NZ Business Forum, and Equal Employment Opportunities (EEO) Trust.

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 Business School.

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

Established in 2005, the Vero Excellence in Business Support Awards are held annually. Founded by small business sector specialist, Sarah Trotman, and sponsored by Vero, the awards are a key event during the annual 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 Minister for Small Business Hon Clayton Cosgrove extended his congratulations to the finalists, praising them for their innovation and drive in continuing to set new benchmarks for others to aspire to.

“These awards help to unlock that potential through the sharing of information, the celebration of business excellence and through allowing experienced operators to take on a valuable mentor role for smaller companies,” he says. “The importance of the small business sector to the New Zealand economy cannot be understated. As global competition and technology changes intensify, small firms matter more. They have the flexibility to move faster, they are innovative, and are generally closer to their customers.”

Now in their fourth year, the Vero Excellence in Business Support Awards are designed to recognise all the organisations and individuals that provide quality services and products to businesses.

Roger Bell, Chief Executive of Vero Insurance, the Foundation Sponsor of the awards, says “It is fantastic to see such a wide range of businesses entering the awards and providing business support in so many innovative ways to SME’s across New Zealand. This support has helped many companies become more competitive and sustainable.”

“Finalists in the Vero Excellence in Business Support Awards demonstrate quality across a range of business areas. The awards recognise the growing number of entrants who not only demonstrate international levels of best practice in their businesses but quality support as a key ‘point of difference’.”

The aAward finalists were from large, small, private, government sector and not-for-profit organisations – all with an interest in supporting business in New Zealand says small business sector specialist Sarah Trotman. “They included business advisers, educators, government departments, councils, product suppliers, information technology businesses and service industry companies; altogether the support services being offered by these companies are truly inspirational.”

The 45 finalists were selected by The New Zealand Business Excellence Foundation to provide an independent and robust evaluation process for the awards’ 11 categories.

“We were impressed by the commitment of this year’s entrants to business support and the enormous variety of services they are offering the business sector,” says Mike Watson from the New Zealand Business Excellence Foundation. “The breadth of the industries represented by the finalists reflects the strong skill base and expertise of these companies. In turn the rigorous evaluation process coupled with the valuable feedback that applicants receive ensures that the awards offer great value to applicants.”

ENDS

© Scoop Media