Winning the top prize at this year’s Tauranga Business Awards has given the team at Kids Ride Shotgun “more fuel in the tank and fire in the belly” to make an impact in the lives of families around the world.
The mountain bike accessory design and manufacturing company was founded in 2017 with the aim of getting kids off screens and onto bikes.
The business has encouraged more than 250,000 kids onto mountain bikes and makes 95 per cent of its profits from international sales.
Kids Ride Shotgun not only took home the award for Tauranga Business of the Year, but also won the top prize in two other categories: Marketing and Communication, and Excellence in International Trade.
Kids Ride Shotgun co-founder and general manager Tom Hayward said he hadn’t expected to win.
“It was surreal, amazing,” Hayward told the Bay of Plenty Times.
“Six of us went along to the awards. We thought it would be a bit of fun and bring our team closer together.
“Then we went from never having been at an awards night and wondering how it all worked, to standing on the stage at the end. It was pretty special.”
Hayward described the last five years as a “rollercoaster journey”, and said he believed the Kids Ride Shotgun team had “lots to be proud of”.
“We entered into three categories and won them all,” Hayward said.
“It tells us we’re doing the right thing. We’re just going to double down and keep going.”
Hayward said the company was grateful for the support of the Tauranga business community.
“It doesn’t feel like we’re out there competing. Everyone has helped us.”
Hayward said Kids Ride Shotgun’s proudest achievement, however, was not in profit or prizes, but in impact.
“We’re on a mission to raise the next generation of mountain bikers - to really drive that connection between family in a world that doesn’t always need to be digital.
“The team has raised over a quarter of a million mountain bikers in four years. That’s a huge impact. This is just the start.”
Whare PR won the Excellence in Māori Business Award, and owner Bridgette Tapsell said it was “wonderful” to see the team recognised for their hard work.
“The award can only help further advance all the impact mahi our partners carry out to make Aotearoa a better place for our future generations to live in.”
Tauranga business Kale Print took out the awards for Customer Experience, People and Culture and Service Excellence. General manager Peter Lloyd said the night was “wonderful recognition” for the hard work his team does every day.
“We’re over the moon,” Lloyd said.
“We were keen to win the Customer and Service Excellence awards. It was what we were hoping for.”
It was Lloyd’s first time to the awards as an entrant.
“I was nervous. You have no idea how it was going to go. We took 20 of our team along.
“It was great to gather together after a challenging few years.”
Tauranga Business Chamber chief executive Matt Cowley said 2022 saw an incredibly high calibre of entrants who all rose to the occasion and took the opportunity to enter their businesses.
“This year, the entrants were all very strong businesses, which made for a robust and challenging selection process for our judges,” Cowley said.
“Through the pandemic, most businesses have had to adapt, and for the Chamber, it was important that we really highlight that at this year’s awards.
“We wanted to celebrate those businesses who have come out of the pandemic stronger because they adapted and innovated.”
The business awards’ head facilitator Jamie Lunam, speaking on behalf of the judges, said this year’s entrants included “teenagers who were accidentally turning over millions, [and] operators driven first by impact and then by profit”.
“The extraordinary thing about the polarity that we always see in our entrants is that the judging process levels the playing field right out. Having deep pockets is not one of the criteria for winning.”