Top Honours In Franchise Awards

National Electrical Contracting Company and Hamilton Childcare Business take Supreme Honours in 2006 Westpac New Zealand Franchise Awards.

Electrical and plumbing company Laser Group Ltd scored a double repeat at the annual Westpac New Zealand Franchise Awards last night,( Saturday 18 November, 2006) taking out the Supreme Award for Franchise System of the Year for the second year running, after again claiming top honours as Franchise System of the Year in the Business Services Category of the Awards.

And taking the Supreme Award for Franchisee of the Year was Hamilton educator and businesswoman, Karleen Hennessey and her specialist In-Home childcare business, PORSE Hamilton

Judges said Laser Group continued its superlative growth this year, with an innovative business model which was well thought out and exceptionally well executed.

They said the company had invested huge resources into building a dedicated IT solution to take their franchisees right through from first enquiry to invoicing and have strategically pursued additional revenue opportunities both in new industries and new territories as evidenced by their enormous growth in Australia within a very short space of time.

Laser Group is a 100 % New Zealand grown and owned company and after just 6 years of franchising now boasts operations in all major towns and cities across New Zealand, with 57 member companies employing over 580 people.

In Australia Laser Group has already achieved significant penetration and has established operations in Victoria, Queensland and New South Wales, involving 38 companies employing 450 staff.

In recent times, the company has begun replicating its electrical contracting success in the plumbing trade, building a national-wide and in fact, Australasian, capability in both the electrical and plumbing trades.

The original company, Laser Electrical Ltd was founded in Auckland in 1982 by David Clemmett and Peter Bassett. It is now a major force in the electrical contracting industry in this country and has plans to expand its Australian operations to 250 member companies over the next four years.

Judges commented that while Laser could well have rested on its laurels after winning the Supreme Award last year, it seems simply to have lent steam to their already-robust and fast-growing franchise, with continued innovation at one end of the scale and refinement of systems and careful franchisee support at the other appearing to be their trademark approach to whatever next project they undertake.
Supreme Award franchisee winner, Hamilton businesswoman Karleen Hennessey established her PORSE In Home Childcare operation some six years ago and in that time has grown her network to nearly 700 families. She operates in one of the oldest home-based childcare markets in New Zealand – and in one which is arguably the most competitive of these markets per capita across the country.

There are 195 childcare options for parents in Hamilton and despite the odds, PORSE Hamilton has been able to capture and grow its market and reputation consistently over the years.

In fact Karleen continues to be instrumental in the development of the PORSE Franchise System generally, with several innovations and new initiatives created by her Hamilton business considered at that Franchise System level. She is also seen by her PORSE Franchise peers as a knowledgeable and approachable mentor and is an active member of the National Marketing Advisory Board.

Karleen’s company was one of four PORSE franchises selected as finalists in the Franchisee Lifestyle Services category of this year’s Awards and while all were rated highly, she was singled out for honours for her personal leadership and business development planning and developing additional values to expand on or enhance the Franchisor values set.

Selection as the winner of the 2006 Westpac Franchisee of the Year Award, followed her naming as the winner of the Franchise of the Year in the Award’s Lifestyle Services category.

Now in their twelfth year, the annual Westpac New Zealand Franchise Awards attracted a record number of entries this year, nearly double that of previous years.

Franchise Association of New Zealand chairman, Miles Agmen Smith considered the increased level of interest in the awards reflected both the growth of the sector and the real market value of actually being named a category finalist or winner.

He said again this year, the management and operational standards achieved by a number of entrants had reached a new level, lifting the bar for best practice right across the sector.

Convener of judges, Prof. Gael McDonald, professor of Business Ethics at Unitec said judging this year had in fact uncovered some outstanding examples of business practice excellence.

She said the growing acknowledgement and maturity of franchising in New Zealand meant the sector was now fostering the development of some truly world class enterprises.

“These are enterprises that while they benchmark themselves against like systems and process here, could well rate at least as highly against international best practice standards across number of industry sectors,” she said.

The Franchise Awards recognise and celebrate the highest performers in franchising, a sector now worth more than $10 billion to the New Zealand economy, and the proliferators of some of the country’s best known brands.

The full list of winners and finalists in all categories is:

Supreme Awards

Westpac Franchise System of the Year
Laser Group

Westpac Franchisee of the Year
PORSE- Hamilton

Home Services:

Franchise System of the Year:
Winner: V.I.P. Home Services NZ
Finalists: Tasman Insulation New Zealand Ltd

Franchisee of the Year:
Winner: Murray Potts V.I.P. Home Service NZ

Business Services:

Franchise System of the Year:
Winner:Laser Group Ltd
Finalists: Crest Commercial Cleaning
Paramount Services Ltd
Speedy Signs

Franchisee of the Year:
Winner: Fastway Mt. Maunganui
Finalists: Drale Cleaning Services Ltd
Speedy Signs (Dunedin)
Laser Electrical (Wairarapa)
Topline

Lifestyle Services:

Franchise System of the Year:
Winner: PORSE In-Home Childcare Network
Finalists: Roost Mortgage Brokers
Adam Parore Financial Services

Franchisee of the Year:
Winner: PORSE Hamilton
Finalists: PORSE Howick East
PORSE Lower Hutt
PORSE Palmerston North / Fielding

Food & Beverage:

Franchise System of the Year
Winner: Esquires Coffee Houses
Finalist: Jesters

Westpac Service Provider of the Year:
Winner: Franchize Consultants
Finalists: Mark Chan Realty
Stewart Germann Law Office
Franchise New Zealand magazine and website

Regional Master Franchisee of the Year:
Fastway Wanganui

Ends…

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