E&Y names WA's entrepreneurs of the year

TSG Key Group's David Simmons and Message Group's Kym Illman are among the winners of this year's Western Region Entrepreneur Of The Year awards, founded and produced by Ernst & Young.

Mr Simmons, who was a finalist in this year's WA Business News 40 under 40, won in the Youth division for his work in establishing the Simmons Group, a multi-disciplined business covering the sphere of engineering and construction projects, to ship repair and specialised personnel recruitment, within TSG.

The full text of an announcement from Ernst & Young is pasted below

What do you get if you have two engineers, a telco specialist and a weighbridge expert? The winners of this year's Western Region Entrepreneur Of The Year awards, founded and produced by Ernst & Young.

Representing industries as diverse as building, hospitality, furniture and medicine, among others, 17 of the State's best entrepreneurs got together last night at the Hyatt Regency for the 'battle of the businesses', all hoping to take out the ultimate title of 2007 Australian Entrepreneur Of The Year, announced in Melbourne on November 29.

Of the following winners in their categories, Ernst & Young Regional Director for the EOY program in Western Australia, Lui Giuliani said: "Western Australia continues to offer up some of the nation's best and brightest entrepreneurs. The leadership, vision and business acumen we're seeing in this year's finalists is exciting and inspiring and we're looking forward to a great year ahead."

2007 Western Region winners:

Brenton Cunningham - The Accuweigh Group: Retail, Consumer & Industrial Products

Established in 1992, The Accuweigh Group is Australia's leading Weighing, Packing and Process Control company which according to founder Brenton Cunningham, "provides improved service in an old industry". This national enterprise is the largest industrial weighing company in Australia and turns over 24 million dollars a year. As the largest manufacturer and supplier of weighbridges in Australia, Accuweigh's exclusive agreements keep the business on a continued path of success.

Kym Illman - The Message Group: Technology, Communications, E-Commerce & Life-Sciences

With the success of the founding business, Message On Hold, in true entrepreneurial style founder Kym Illman has diversified and established 3 other successful entities. In addition to squeezing in Customer Service seminars highlighting the finer points of his best-selling book, The Future IS Customer Service', Kym recently launched Messagevision, a digital signage business and has also found time to successfully market his Gold Coast holiday homes to well heeled travellers.

Jim Giumelli - Ertech: Services including Financial, Business and Property

Established in 1981 by Jim Giumelli and a partner, Ertech is a Civil Engineering Construction company that carries out earthworks, roadworks, pipework, and basically anything on the ground or below it. Every year the business has experienced growth and in 2006 the company became an employee owned business with 40 plus staff shareholders. With its current rate of growth, over the next five years projected annual revenues are set to approach $500 million.

Dave Simmons - TSG Key Group: Young category

In 1999 and at just 24 years of age Dave Simmons came up with the idea of 'The Simmons Group' - a multi-disciplined business covering the sphere of engineering and construction projects, to ship repair and specialised personnel recruitment. TSG Key Group was an immediate success locally and within a few years it had received US Navy and American Bureau of Shipping approval to do work on US vessels.

Gerard Neesham - Clontarf Foundation: Social Entrepreneur Category

Mr Neesham is Chief Executive Officer of Clontarf Foundation which was established in 2000 as part of the Clontarf Aboriginal College. The academy is a not-for-profit organisation which supports young indigenous men in mainstream education until they reach Year 12 and then assisting them find employment.

Dr Patricia Kailis - geneticist, businesswoman: Champion of Entrepreneurship category

Dr Kailis is a well known and respected member of the Western Australian community, having been a medical researcher in the early days of genetic counselling, a businesswoman, as well as a philanthropist supporting many community and not-for-profit organisations. Patricia is also recognised as a pioneer in the modern fishing industry for her work with the MG Kailis Group, a privately owned marine operation with interests in rock lobsters, prawns and pearling.

Since Ernst & Young's global program started in Australia in 2001, over 500 leading Australian entrepreneurs have been recognised for their entrepreneurial spirit. Entrants are assessed by a leading panel of independent judges on their innovation, integrity, influence, strategic direction and national/global impact. Their relationships with their local communities are also taken into account.

"Ernst & Young is committed to identifying and fostering entrepreneurship which is so vital to the lifeblood of Australia," Mr Guiliani said.

Entrepreneur Of The Year is one of the leading business awards program in Australia and the only program of its kind with an international platform. Founded and produced by Ernst & Young, and launched in Australia in 2001, it celebrates entrepreneurs who build and lead successful businesses. The international recognition of the awards positions finalists and winners as world-class entrepreneurs and provides a benchmark for entrepreneurial excellence.

The Australian Entrepreneur Of The Year is invited to represent Australia at the Ernst & Young World Entrepreneur Of The Year held annually in June in Monte Carlo. Former Australian winners have included: Peter Farrell of ResMed Limited (2001), John Rothwell AO of Austal Limited (2002), David Bussau AM of Opportunity International (2003), Robert Gerard AO of Gerard Corporation (2004) and Tony D'Antonio and Peter Hosking of Global Machinery Company Worldwide (2005), and Mike Cannon-Brookes & Scott Farquhar of Atlassian (2006).

The program was first established in the US in 1986. Entrepreneur Of The Year winners outside of Australia have included Scott McNealy, Sun Microsystems (1987), Michael Dell, Dell Computer (1989); Howard Schultz, Starbucks (1991); Jeff Bezos, Amazon.com (1997); Eddie Jordan, Jordan Grand Prix (2000); and Narayana Murthy, Infosys Technologies (2003).

In Australia the Entrepreneur Of The Year program is sponsored by the Westpac Business Bank, Qantas and supported by Austrade and AusIndustry.