Looking for the best, brightest

It’s on again. WA Business News and its partners are seeking WA’s fastest-growing, private companies for the annual Rising Stars awards.

While the buoyant conditions of Western Australia’s public companies are often documented, the strong and consistent growth of the private sector is sometimes overlooked.

That’s why the Rising Stars Awards provides an annual platform to showcase enterprises that have sustained high rates of growth and can articulate the key drivers behind that growth. Past winners have been advertising agency Gatecrasher in 2003, software firm Empired in 2004, and engineering consulting firm Calibre Projects in 2005.

This year, a top panel of judges will assess the credentials of private companies with a turnover of $2 million or more that can show strong growth characteristics through profit, turnover or staffing.

The judges are WA Business News publisher Harry Kleyn, Patersons executive chairman Michael Manford, Deloitte partner Luke Martino, Lavan Legal deputy managing director Dean Hely, and Department of Industry and Resources director innovation Stephen Grocott.

The data provided by participants, together with their tips, tricks and anecdotes relating to growth, will be analysed to provide valuable insights for others seeking to take their performance to the next level.

Information from entrants will be compiled to form the benchmark 2006 Rising Stars Index.

This will highlight the value-creating strategies used by the 2006 Rising Stars.

Insights from this study will be confidentially available to private enterprises that enter the awards to help them develop and embed the strategy, capabilities and commitment required to sustain value-creating growth.

We also know that innovative leaders are always seeking ways to grow faster; in fact, fast is never quite fast enough.

Enter before October 16 and your company could be awarded as one of WA’s top 10 fast-growing companies. All winners will be profiled in a special Rising Stars edition of WA Business News on Thursday November 30 2006.

Visit www.rising-stars.com.au to find nomination forms, entry forms and other information on the awards.

We also recognise that high levels of growth create a unique set of challenges. In response to these challenges we are pleased to introduce Verne Harnish, the man who wrote the book on building a powerhouse business, Mastering the Rockefeller Habits – What You Must do to Increase the Value of Your Fast-Growth Firm, and worldwide founder of the Young Entrepreneurs Organisation.

Mr Harnish will be in Perth on March 2 2007 at an event that will both celebrate the achievements of the winners as well as provide information and motivation to keep on growing.

He will also become a regular contributor to our newspaper’s special advice columns.