Countdown Te Puke win the retail award at the Te Puke Business Excellence Awards.
Countdown Te Puke win the retail award at the Te Puke Business Excellence Awards.
Last week Te Puke Times ran a story on the Te Puke Business Excellence Awards and its supreme winner Anann Pineapple Pub. This week we hear from the category winners
Te Puke paid homage to its ''world-class business community'' at the Te Puke Business Excellence Awards earlier this month.
The night of glamour culminated in awards given out to Anann Pineapple Pub (food and beverage and supreme award winner), Countdown Te Puke (retail), Te Puke Veterinary Centre (service) and EHCOrchard Management (agriculture/horticulture/industrial).
First equal employees of the year were Nicole Hapi and Bruce Stuart.
There were 104 businesses and individuals nominated and 300 nominations submitted at the 13th awards.
Te Puke EDGE director Mark Boyle says this was a record number of nominations and of final contestants.
He said entries ranged from "small sole traders to large corporates who had a very high standard of business skills" and the awards were probably the best business awards so far.
The awards were held at the Te Puke Memorial Hall and MC'd by Te Radar.
Countdown Te Puke The Bupa Te Puke Country Lodge Retirement Village and Care Home retail category winner was Countdown Te Puke.
Their service during the Covid-19 lockdown was acknowledged by judges who say staff went ''above and beyond'' ensuring high risk customers receive their groceries.
Countdown Te Puke's store manager Dave Ritchie says they knew some of their customers were unable to shop online or utilise the click and collect option so their team picked, packed, and even paid and delivered to those customers.
Dave thinks the win comes down to the team's engagement they have with their customers.
''It's one of our mottos, we want to insure that all our customers walk out having a great experience.''
Judges also mentioned the store is also the Bay of Plenty training centre for new Countdown department managers and is ''overall a well organised store with a genuine focus on staff wellbeing and customer satisfaction''.
Te Puke Veterinary Centre took the service award.
Te Puke Veterinary Centre Te Puke Veterinary Centre took the Trevelyans service category award.
Practice manager Kate Gloyn is still beaming from the win and say it's down to her staff, ''they truly deserve it".
''I'm so proud of our team, they're such genuine, caring, loving people — they really care about the animals and clients and they make such an effort to get to know them. They love and respect the animals as much as their clients do.''
Kate says there's a culture of recruiting people in their practice who care and love what they do — which brings about excellent customer service.
Judges praised them for them ''exceptional service, a professional well laid out clinic/premises, easy access, good opening hours for working people, caring staff, empathy to their patients (animals) and an overall good culture that management strive to provide to all their staff which flows on to their customers''.
EHC Orchard Management win the agricultural/horticulture/industrial award.
EHC Orchard Management EHC Orchard Management were the Zespri Kiwifruit agriculture/horticulture and industrial category winner.
Judges said the company was ''highly regarded company with excellent systems, absolute customer focus, vision for continuing development, strong values and commitment to their industry and community''.
A company spokesperson says they are thrilled at their win.
''Our team work very hard in all aspects of the business, and it is awesome to have received this acknowledgement from our community. Our entire team from the administration team, our orchard managers and orchard staff and our machinery division are all part of one big family that works hard together to succeed and achieve great results for our growers.''
Employees were also acknowledged, employee of the year award first equals were Nicole Hapi and Bruce Stuart.
Te Puke Economic Development Group employees of the year first equals were Nicole Hapi (Nga Kakano Health) and Bruce Stewart (New World). Bruce ''sets the benchmark for customer service'' and Nicole was described as an ''agent of change'' improving health outcomes through dietary changes and cooking food for staff and clients.
