Russell Bell: Awards revive community spirit

Russell Bell

IT IS always good for businesses to give back to the community. There are many ways to do this and a number of businesses are giving time and money to some really important causes. I give my time to a social services organisation in another centre and, at Balance, we have recently decided to support the Cancer Society.

One of the organisations that I also give my time to is the Whanganui Chamber of Commerce. During the past few months, the group has been laying the foundations to re-establish a relevant advocate to the local business community. This comes after breaking away from Business Central; after the value of that previous merger wasn't realised.

The chamber has a board of diverse experience and expertise and is led by our chairwoman Raewyn Overton Stuart, who built a national business network from Whanganui. We have representatives of diverse business groups on the board spanning hospitality, retail, Maori businesses and organisations and the business heart at Heads Rd.

One of the secrets to developing a relevant position in a market is to deliver to expectations and to undertake initiatives that build the brand. One such initiative that was a staple of previous chamber calendars was the annual awards ceremony.

A few weeks ago, the chamber launched the 2016 Whanganui Business Awards. It will be held at Whanganui Racecourse on Saturday, October 15. This is but one of a number of initiatives that will be launched in the next few months. These are exciting times for the chamber. We are in the process of appointing a CEO to turn the strategies of the board into reality, marking an important phase in the chamber's development.

With regard to the awards, as well as being a great opportunity to network, the awards are also an opportunity to showcase your business to the community. Entry forms are available from the chamber board and from PAUA. In keeping with the formats of previous awards dinners categories include:

�Hospitality Award.

�Tourism Award.

�Retail Award.

�Manufacturing and Distribution Award.

�Professional Services Award.

�Small Business Award.

�Trade Services and Suppliers.

�Digital Award.

The overall winner will be selected from the category winners, and will be awarded the Aotearoa Credit Union (ACU) Supreme Award. ACU are the prime sponsors of the evening, and the support they have shown for the Whanganui region is significant.

Whanganui has an outstanding business community, with people doing some innovative things to build new businesses or to take long-established businesses to higher levels of excellence. The awards evaluation process has been streamlined and the board has listened to feedback on previous events to ensure the evening is both enjoyable and relevant.

If you would like your business to be considered for an award, or if you would like to nominate a business that you recognise for excellence, feel free to contact me or the chamber team.

�Balance Consulting is a Whanganui consultancy specialising in business strategy, process excellence and leadership mentoring -- contact Russell on 021 2442421 or John Taylor on 027 4995872.