Business at its best

By Lia Bichel
BUSINESSMEN and women from the City of Greater Dandenong gathered at Sandhurst club Wednesday morning to celebrate the successes of local businesses.
The Greater Dandenong Chamber of Commerce 2010 Premier Regional Business Awards business breakfast highlighted award-winning businesses from 2005 to 2007 including All Staff Air Conditioning, Gemini Catering Equipment and Uniforms, Hermitage Homes, Hilton, Hygain, INC Engineered Materials and Lumen.
All Staff Air Conditioning has gone from strength to strength since winning an award in 2007.
Gemini also continued to succeed, taking home the state award shortly after winning the chamber’s 2006 Retail Award was nominated for a national award.
Since winning an award in 2007, Hermitage Homes has tripled its sales, and has increased the number of employees from 20 to 35. The company has also relocated from Hallam to Rowville to keep up with its growing demand.
Thriving business Hilton was the 2005 Manufacturing Award winner. In the past five years, the company has doubled the size of its factory, opened a plant in Brisbane, developed a senior management team and has expanded its services beyond the truck, bus and caravan industries.
Hygain, the 2005/06 Export Award winner has also expanded. It was exporting horse feed to 17 countries when it received the chamber award, but now exports feed to 21 countries including India. The company hopes to export to China in the near future.
The 2006 Environmental Award winner INC Engineered Materials has invested in new technology since the big win. Management has a strong focus on environmentally-friendly production and products and is expecting to launch a new environmentally-friendly product soon.
Lumen received the big gong in 2006, winning the Premier Regional Business Award.
It continues to boom by expanding its services and employees, going from 50 employees to 110 in the past four years.
Sharing the limelight with the highly successful businesses was Youth Enterprise nominee Felix Arena.
Felix attended Mount Erin Secondary College in Frankston South where he completed Year 10. He was then employed as an apprentice chef and worked in that field for a few years.
But currently, he is a husband, father and farmer with his employment as an electrical apprentice at WPJ Electrical Contractors.
He was awarded the Pre-Apprentice of the year at Chisholm Institute of TAFE and was given a team leader role at work.
The event concluded with an inspirational speech from guest speaker Susan Alberti AO who is the national president for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation of Australia, chairwoman of the St Vincent’s Institute for Medical Research Foundation and a director of the Western Bulldogs Football Club.
She shared her heart-wrenching experiences of losing her husband to a driver affected by drugs, holding her daughter in her arms when she died from a heart attack brought on by diabetes and her determination to advocate for a role for women in the AFL.
The business breakfast was held in preparation for the chamber’s Platinum celebration at Crown Casino in March.
Anyone wanting information or to purchase tickets for the event can call 9794 8881 or visit greaterdandychamber@bigpond.com.