Business at its Best at Sunshine Coast Business Awards
The 2023 Sunshine Coast Business Awards (SCBA) was a sold-out, record-breaking, glittering celebration of local businesses, as SCBA Chair Jennifer Swaine reports.
There are several words that come to mind when I think about the Sunshine Coast, like ‘community’, ‘collaboration’ and ‘connection’.
Those three words explain how we work together but they don’t define who we are. The words that define us (in my mind at least) are ‘entrepreneurial’, ‘innovative’, ‘adaptable’ and ‘resilient’.
We choose to live here because the Sunshine Coast is an incredible place to raise a family and pursue the dream of work/life balance.
For the entrepreneurial minded, they came, saw endless opportunities, created jobs for themselves and in doing so created jobs for others.
Others came with jobs secured, then drank from the entrepreneurial well that dares people to follow their passion and become one of the 43,600 small business owners that call our region home.
There is something about our community that inspires you to dream big, have a go and make a difference – and when you decide to take that journey you know you are supported by others who are cheering you on.
On Saturday 11 November, many of those outstanding businesses were in the room, waiting to hear who had taken out each of the industry categories at the Sunshine Coast Business Awards 2023.
The awards are now more hotly contested than ever and the calibre of the applications we received this year was outstanding. Impressively, every year the bar is lifted on the previous year in terms of the quality of entries.
In 2023, we smashed all previous records with 504 business nominated, a total of 405 people starting applications and 250 applications submitted and resulting in 137 Finalists who went through to the second and final round of judging.
This year there were 32 category winners including large and small businesses announced across 17 categories, three Hall of Fame inductees and the overall Business of the Year.
This year’s Sunshine Coast Business of the Year was Amaze World in Tanawha which has undergone an incredible transformation over the past few years.
They demonstrated how they have been innovative, solved problems, what they do for the environment and the impact they have on the Sunshine Coast economy and each of the six judges scores determined they would take out this highly coveted title.
For the first time ever, we also inducted five businesses into the prestigious Hall of Fame.
To earn this title, businesses must have won their category every year for the past three years.
The Hall of Fame inductees included Becker Constructions, Coast2Bay Housing Group, Travis Schultz & Partners, Waste Free Systems, and Wildlings Forest School.
Being inducted into our Hall of Fame, acknowledges the hard work, dedication and resilience of the businesses involved and recognises the continuing advancements of the businesses from year-to-year as well as the efforts of those who put their awards applications together and participated in the process – sometimes for many more years than just those they won.
A heartfelt thanks goes out to the Sunshine Coast Business Awards board and committee, the judges and volunteers and the businesses who help bring this program to life every year.
A special mention is reserved for our sponsors because the awards would not be possible without their support.
Their ongoing commitment to the Sunshine Coast Business Awards allows us to continue to grow these awards with passion, commitment, transparency and integrity for the benefit of all Sunshine Coast based businesses.
Congratulations to this year’s finalists and winners.
Your contribution to our region, the people and the economy is significant and the reason we have rightfully taken the title as the ‘Entrepreneurial Capital
of Australia’.
Hall of Fame Inductees
– Becker Constructions, Landsborough
– Coast2Bay Housing Group, Maroochydore
– Travis Schultz & Partners, Mooloolaba
– Waste Free Systems, Kunda Park
– Wildlings Forest School, Burnside
Hall of Fame inductees have won their category for the previous three years.
2023 WINNERS
Sunshine Coast 2023 Business of the Year – Amaze World, Tanawha
Accommodation (Tourism)
Large: Mercure Sunshine Coast Kawana Waters, Birtinya
Small: Narrows Escape Rainforest Retreat, Montville
Advanced Technology
Large: GreaseBoss, Birtinya
Small: Dr App, Sippy Downs
Building and Construction
Advanced Aquarium Technologies, Kunda Park
Business Services
Large: Henzells Agency, Caloundra
Small: Kaizen Marketing, Maroochydore
Clean Technology
Large: Aussie Tiny Houses, Coolum
Small: Mineral Fox, Coolum Beach
Creative Industries
Large: Your Brand Crew, Buderim
Small: Ignite & Write by Roxanne McCarty-O’Kane, Beerwah
Education and Training
Large: The Eighth Mile Consulting, Caloundra
Small: Nikki Fogden Moore The Mojo Maker, Doonan
Experiences (Tourism)
Large: Amaze World, Tanawha
Small: Creative Tours, Minyama
Export
Advanced Aquarium Technologies, Kunda Park
Food and Agribusiness
Large: Maleny Dairies, Maleny
Small: Beachtree Distilling Co., Caloundra West
Health and Wellness
Large: Sunshine Coast Orthopaedic Group, Birtinya
Small: Body & Mind by Leon, Warana
Hospitality
Large: Alex Surf Club, Alexandra Headland
Small:Sunny Rays Catering, Mountain Creek
Manufacturing
Large: The Mattress Company, Yandina
Small: First Light Fabrications, Bells Creek
Professional Services
Large: Catton & Tondelstrand Lawyers, Maroochydore
Small: Habitance Architects, Mapleton
Retail
Large: White’s IGA, Bli Bli
Small: Hooper Ruff, Mountain Creek
Social Impact
Large: SunnyKids, Maroochydore
Small: Stymie, Buderim
Trades and Services
Large: Laguna Pest Control, Noosaville
Small: Chuck’s Electrical, Mountain Creek
