Small New Zealand business turns up the heat

Small New Zealand business turns up the heat

A small Christchurch business which installs heat pumps is this year’s Supreme Winner in The David Awards: heroes in small business.

Heat Pumps NOW not only won the Supreme Award, but also took out the Most Outstanding Fledgling Business category and the Most Community-Minded Business categories.

Speaking on behalf of the judges, Pam Martin calls Heat Pumps NOW “a true David business”. “Heat Pumps Now began with a vision to make a difference for people in Christchurch who needed heating,” she says. “They provide a personal and reliable service to residents worn out from fighting to be heard by large organisations. Their excellent customer service has ensured their growth through word of mouth and referrals. They also contribute to their community in practical and measureable ways. They are succeeding where larger companies in their area have failed.”

“To be a finalist was an honour in and of itself,” says Heat Pumps NOW Director Blair Ashdowne. “To win Most Outstanding Fledgling Business and Most Community-Minded Business is so humbling. To win the Supreme Award as well… I’m almost at a loss for words.”

Blair recommends going through the award process. “Just entering The David Awards was an opportunity to reflect on what our team has done in our short time as a company, and celebrate many small achievements where we have helped people,” he adds. “It’s brought our team closer together and reminded me personally why I started this business.”

For the past eight years, The David Awards have been recognising the unsung heroes in home and small businesses throughout New Zealand – the Kiwi Davids taking on the Goliaths of the New Zealand business landscape.

For more information see www.thedavidawards.co.nz .

The David Awards winners for 2015 are:

SUPREME WINNER 2015:

Heat Pumps NOW

Most outstanding fledgling business
A young or start-up business which is under two years old. The owner will be passionate about their business, and the business itself will be smart, quirky, or just very professionally set up.

Winner:

Heat Pumps NOW Limited

Finalists:

MyTuition

Paint 'n' Sip Studio

Peak for Life

Most outstanding established business
A business which has moved beyond the start-up phase and is two or more years old, which has a proven track record and some or all of the plans/people/systems/processes in place to make a long-term or well-above-average future a reality. This Award seeks to recognise a business planning for and/or coping with the changes required to take a business through expansion and significant growth, or which has achieved a level of security and maturity. This business will be able to demonstrate proven financial success.

Winner:

Heart Saver NZ Limited

Finalists:

Easyforms

GoFi8ure

Recruit NZ Limited

Most outstanding triumph over adversity
A business which has succeeded in spite of challenges beyond the usual. This may be due to due to personal issues the owner has had to deal with, circumstances beyond their control, or unexpected setbacks.

Winner:

Look After Me Ltd - Accommodation on-line

Finalists:

Adaptive Technology Solutions Ltd

Brandwagon Ltd

OKU - NZ Native Herbal Products Ltd

Most outstanding lifestyle business
A business which epitomises the ability to integrate business and lifestyle, with the owner(s) taking advantage of its flexibility to fit income generation around spending time on family or leisure activities or other pursuits. While lifestyle is an important judging criterion, this business must still demonstrate its economic viability.

Winner:

Physiofamily

Finalists:

Morshead Law

Recruit NZ Limited

YummyMummy Fitness

The NZBusiness Most innovative business
This is a business which demonstrates a new or clever way of going about things, or which is conceptually innovative, or a business which develops and harnesses technology to help it punch above its weight. A new product or service developed by the business owner may be the prime focus of an entry in this category, or something like enhanced mobility or efficiency gained through bespoke software development or the entry may revolve around a new or different use for existing technology. This category also suits and entry which demonstrates the inspired use of readily-available technology at a level above and beyond what most other businesses in their field are doing.

Joint Winners:

HoneyLab

Sorbet

Finalists:

200 Square Limited

Easyforms

MyTuition

The .nz Most inspired use of marketing

A business which punches above its weight in terms of getting the word out, achieving profile and attracting business. Typically, this Award recognises a business which knows how to find potential customers using a variety of media effectively and which understands how to communicate with members of its target audience and get them to take the next step towards a purchase.

Winner:

The judges have chosen not to name any winner in this category this year.

Highly Commended:

Urban Dogs

The Bizbuzz Most community-minded business

A business which gives back to its community, e.g. local, regional or industry sector, in ways, shapes or forms which benefit the community significantly. This Award is intended to highlight a business where the community involvement is not what the business is about, but part of how it goes about doing whatever its core business is. Businesses whose main objective is to benefit the community should consider entering other categories, and if they enter this one, will need to clarify what part of what they do is not their core business in order to meet the criteria for this Award.

Winner:

Heat Pumps NOW Limited

Finalists:

Sorbet

The Solo Meo Award
This Award celebrates a solo business owner who runs their business single-handedly. It recognises all-round business excellence, from concept through to execution. Entrants in this category must be sole owners of their business, and cannot employ anyone else in a dedicated, ongoing capacity for over 10 hours a week (e.g. virtual assistant, sales rep) but can employ others to undertake specific tasks for the business from time to time (e.g. an accountant, web designer, copywriter or product demonstrators). Distributor-type relationships are excluded provided they work from independent premises.

Winner:

Martygirl Skinfood

Finalists:

Biz Support Solutions Ltd

doggytreats

Isatrin Limited

Look After Me Ltd - Accommodation on-line

The People's Choice Award
This category is based on votes. All entries in this category submit a publicly-available profile. Businesses entering this Award will be provided with banners and links, and encouraged to persuade customers, staff, colleagues, family, friends and others to vote for them. This category is intended to be a bit of fun, and to provide a way for businesses to draw attention to themselves, their brand and their product, and to leverage their networks.

Winner:

doggytreats

ENDS

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