By CASEY NEILL
Robert Moretti and Anthony Belmuda merged their surnames and opened the doors to Beletti in Dandenong in 2009.
The families had run The Grand International on Thomas Street for more than 20 years until Vic Urban acquired the site through Revitalising Central Dandenong.
“We had three to four years of advanced bookings,” Mr Moretti said.
“It was very tough. We probably would have still been there today.”
Beletti brought in just $300 on its first day, but seven years down the track has 30 staff, a manufacturing plant and a mobile kitchen dubbed Beletti Express.
The restaurant, cafe and bar, TanGold Pastry and RJ Sanderson and Associates were nominated for the Greater Dandenong Chamber Business Awards at Greyhounds Entertainment in Springvale on Wednesday 6 July.
Winners will be announced in November.
Briony Santamaria and Charly Scott were the morning’s Youth Enterprise Award nominees.
Make-up student Briony from Boronia has her own business, helps other students and shows initiative in her learning.
The 19-year-old said Australia was becoming more internationally recognised in theatrical make-up and prosthetics.
“This is going to increase the jobs and opportunities for upcoming artists like myself,” she said.
Fabrication apprentice Charly from Rye is completing a certificate three and four in engineering.
The 20-year-old said: “There’s nothing better than being able to build or make something you can be proud of.
“In five years I see myself being well on my way to being a good tradesman that’s respected and wanted in my field,” he said.
In 1993, Roy Sanderson was working in construction and doing tax returns from home.
His wife was pregnant with their third child and told him to sell his 300 or so clients or open a practice.
They mortgaged their house to the limit and he opened the first public accountants in Australia to offer on-the-spot refunds.
Mr Sanderson now has nine offices around Victoria and said staff selection and innovation were the keys to his success.
The business gives clients stress balls stamped with “take the stress out of tax” and business card shaped USB drives containing a rental property analysis program.
Paperless tax returns are now a reality as clients can sign their forms on a tablet.
Brothers Tee, Tian and Cliff Tan and their sister Anita sold their Melton bakery and started TanGold Pastry in 2000.
“We’d expanded the bakery to a maximum. It was time to move onto something bigger,” Tian said.
TanGold employs 20 full-time staff at its purpose-built plant in Dandenong South and each day produces 90,000 croissants, pastries, tart shells and more for 200 clients Australia-wide.
The Cambodian-born siblings came to Australia via a Thailand refugee camp in 1983 and attribute their success to hard work, commitment and respect.
“Be sincere and honest. People can read each other. If you are trying to be clever it might backfire,” Tian said.
