By CASEY NEILL
A NEW café, single-serve wine and smash repairs were in the spotlight at the Greater Dandenong Chamber of Commerce Premier Regional Business Awards breakfast on 7 August.
Ginger Jones, Lupe Wines and Victorian Smash Repairs were the morning’s three nominees for the awards, to be presented in March next year.
“Ginger Jones is what Revitalising Central Dandenong was all about,” awards committee member James Sturgess said.
The eatery opened on Lonsdale Street, Dandenong, in November last year after long renovations.
Owner Rob Jones has worked in hospitality for more than 20 years.
“Dandenong deserved a slice of the city,” he said.
His in-laws needed to renovate a shop in Lonsdale Street and he was looking to open a business.
“The timing was perfect,” Mr Jones said.
He aims to run a modern café serving classy food and brilliant coffee, and see the city trend of people dropping in for coffee and brekky before work migrate to Dandenong.
Ginger Jones is also available for functions and uses meat, bread and fruits and vegies from Dandenong.
“I’m doing it because it’s the best in the area, and I want to support local businesses as much as I can,” Mr Jones said.
It’s nominee for the small business, retail, service excellence and premier regional business awards.
Lupe Wines CEO Georgia Beattie started the business after reaching the bar at a Melbourne music festival in 2009 and finding “beer or lolly water” as her only options.
The bar manager told her serving wine was “too hard at outdoor events”.
Her family has a history in wine, and she’d just returned from studying entrepreneurship in Boston, USA, so she sought a solution.
“It’s a very traditional industry, so you had to tread carefully,” she said.
After considering cans and pouches as an alternative, Ms Beattie ran with a single-serve, recyclable PET glass with a robust but easy to remove seal and the first rolled off the production line last year.
Lupe Wines has grown from zero turnover 18 months ago to more than $1 million and is nominated for the innovation, manufacturing, small business, service excellence and premier regional business awards.
Bryan Carlsen and John Fitzpatrick sold a car to get the cash to set up Victorian Smash Repairs in 1989.
The company seeks corporate and fleet clients rather than relying on insurance work and offers on-site quoting, lifetime guarantees, pick-ups and deliveries, and loan cars.
It has two Dandenong locations, in Gladstone Road and Bungaleen Court, within easy reach of parts and other supplies.
The business has grown from two employees to 22, and more than half have been with the company for more than 10 years.
The business is nominated for the employment, small business, service excellence, corporate and social responsibility and premier regional business awards.
Youth Enterprise nominee Cameron McDonald is completing an Advanced Diploma of Electronics and Communications Engineering at Chisholm TAFE and working at SP AusNet.
His teachers said his attitude to study was of a high level and his results reflected this.
The 20-year-old applied for an apprentice linesperson position, but after aptitude tests was offered a communications power technician role.
“I immediately grew to love what I do, and this only increases as my understanding increases,” he said.
