ACCOUNTING firm Ernst & Young has revealed its list of WA finalists for the 2004 Entrepreneur of the Year awards, with regional business leaders well represented among the achievers selected.
The finalists, who are to be recognised at a formal event on June 3, are from the full spectrum of WA industry, from technology to resources and property to finance, with family businesses also featuring strongly as a theme.
There is also a strong showing of previous recipients of WA Business News 40under40 award, as well as those recognised by the Family Business Awards, Rising Stars and the Industry and Export Awards.
The 19 finalists named will compete for various categories. The winners, as well as an overall WA winner, will go to the national finals and, if successful, compete at the global level.
Regional business leaders include Bunbury-based engineering services group Geographe Enterprises managing director Clayton Hyder, perfume ingredient supplier Mr Romance founder Stephen Birkbeck and ISP WestNet Internet Services which was started in Geraldton by Peter Brown.
Mr Brown is one of the 40under40 winning contingent among the finalists, which include Justin Miller and Gavin Burnett from IT group Empired and Sean Gavin from Gavin Construction.
WestNet was the first ISP to provide local call Internet access in Geraldton and has since relocated to Perth from where it reaches 99 per cent of WA’s population and is considered to be among the top 10 ISPs in Australia.
Started in Busselton three decades ago by Mr Hyder’s father Neville, Geographe provides world class engineered products and services to the resources industry with the help of robotic technology.
Geographe later transferred its operations to Bunbury, coinciding with the development of the mining and processing industries in Collie, Worsley and Bunbury.
Albany-based Mt Romance develops indigenous plant-based extracts, sandalwood oil and other products for tourism, luxury perfume, cosmetic and alternative health markets.
The company has developed strategic relationships with key perfume houses around the world and their associated technical perfume arms.
Finalists
- Lew Beale, Aquatic Leisure Technologies
- Steve Birkbeck, Mt Romance
- Peter Brown, WestNet Internet Services
- Gavin Burnett and Justin Miller, Empired Limited
- Clive Denholm, Worldwide Online Printing
- Dominic Di Latte, Diploma Construction
- Michael Doust and Jake Minear, Force Technology International
- Sean Gavin, Gavin Construction
- Brad Giles and Damian Hegarty, Total Cabling Solutions and Exabit Communication
- Rick Hart, Rick Hart
- Clayton Hyder, Geographe
- Frank Koentgen, Ozgene
- Brett McKeon, AFG
- Robert Moltoni, Moltoni Group
- Pankaj Oswal, Burrup Fertilisers
- Anthony Ridolfo, Ridolfo Group
- Rod Stead, Rojan Advanced Ceramics