We are excited to announce that the Bendigo Bank and Be.Bendigo Business Excellence Awards 2024 Program has been officially launched by Be.Bendigo Awards Committee Chair Hayley Tibbett and CEO Rob Herbert. This year’s program promises to be nothing short of spectacular.
Marking its 29th year, the Bendigo Business Excellence Awards stand as Bendigo’s most respected business awards program, recognising remarkable local businesses and the dedicated entrepreneurs and staff behind them. These awards not only recognise achievements but also celebrate the pursuit of success that drives the prosperity of our local business community.
Building upon the success of the previous year, the 2024 program introduces an exciting addition – the Climate Leader award category, sponsored by the Greater Bendigo Climate Collaboration. With this inclusion, the program now displays 21 awards including Business of The Year.
Save the date! The Awards presentations will grace the stage at Red Energy Arena on Thursday, August 15th, promising an evening of glamour and celebration.
Reflecting on the anticipation, Hayley Tibbett remarked, “After a hugely successful 2023 Awards program, we are thrilled to be back at Red Energy Arena for 2024.” She emphasises the Awards’ significance in spotlighting the region’s exceptional businesses, urging everyone to participate in the nomination process. “Now is your chance to show a local business how much you value them,” she encourages, highlighting the ease and importance of nominations.
Rob Herbert expressed gratitude for the overwhelming response received last year and anticipates another remarkable year of participation from the Greater Bendigo business community. “We are again grateful to have the wonderful support from our Gala Event and Category Sponsors,” he noted, highlighting the importance of staying connected throughout the Awards Program.
The door to recognition is open to all businesses within the Greater Bendigo local government area, subject to the terms and conditions of the chosen category. Nominations open at 9 am tomorrow, March 27th, inviting individuals to nominate deserving businesses (including themselves).
Mark your calendars for the Official Nominee Celebration Event on Thursday, May 2nd, as we come together to celebrate the outstanding achievements of our local businesses (details to be announced).
Bendigo Bank and Be.Bendigo Bendigo Business Excellence Awards 2024 promises to be a celebration of resilience, innovation, and success. Stay tuned for updates, and let’s make this year’s Awards Program a testament to the vibrancy and excellence of the Greater Bendigo business landscape.
More information on www.bbea.com.au
Excitement is high as the Bendigo Business Stories Podcast launched its much-anticipated second season, titled “Women Driving Positive Change“. Hosted by the dynamic Kimberley Furness, seasoned content creator and advocate for gender equality, this season promises to be a celebration of the remarkable women shaping our business community.
Produced by Be.Bendigo and proudly sponsored by McKern Steel, a leading supplier of high-quality structural steel for residential projects across Victoria, the Bendigo Business Stories Podcast Season 2 is set to illuminate the journeys of women who are breaking barriers and inspiring others with their passion and determination.
At the heart of this season lies a dedication to showcasing the stories of women who have navigated challenges, learned invaluable lessons, and achieved remarkable success in their careers. Through intimate conversations, listeners will delve into the triumphs of these inspiring women, gaining insights into their resilience, creativity, and unwavering commitment to excellence.
But this season is about more than just storytelling; it’s a tribute to the invaluable contributions that women make to our community and local economy every single day.
Kimberley Furness, our host on Season 1, returns with her signature flair for crafting compelling narratives. With years of experience as a content creator for both print and digital platforms, Kimberley has made it her mission to challenge the status quo and address the underrepresentation of women in the media, particularly those in rural Australia.
The official launch of Season 2 took place on Wednesday, March 20th, 2024, in the lively atmosphere of our Be.Bendigo After 5 Networking event. Held at The Terrace, a new addition at Red Energy Arena, this indoor/outdoor space provided the perfect backdrop for the occasion.
Chief Executive Officer, Rob Herbert, opened the evening, extending gratitude to our partners, members and sponsors, highlighting the importance of supporting initiatives like the Bendigo Business Stories Podcast. Kimberley Furness gave us some takeaways from the first two episodes, shining a light on Julie Sheahan’s journey in “Building a Team” at 3D Physio Health Group and Alissa Van Soest’s inspiring efforts in promoting women in STEM at Bendigo Discovery Centre. Kimberley also provided a few clues about upcoming guests. These captivating narratives set the stage for an inspiring exploration of resilience, innovation, and success in the episodes to come.
Stay tuned as we unveil a lineup of extraordinary guests and dive deep into their stories. Together, let’s celebrate the transformative power of women in our business community and amplify their voices for a brighter, more inclusive future.
Bendigo Business Stories Podcast Season 2: Women Driving Positive Change – because when women thrive, our entire community flourishes.
Photography by: Tom Bailey Photography
GROW Bendigo (Growing Regional Opportunities for Work) recently celebrated the success of a program – that brought together Loddon Campaspe Multicultural Services (LCMS) and Spotless – to create a pathway for 27 people from Bendigo’s culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) community to find employment, in just over a year since the program began.
GROW Bendigo is a program delivered under the guidance and support of Be.Bendigo and funded by the State Government.
Spotless, part of the Downer Group and the Bendigo Health Facilities Service Delivery Partner, employs over 500 people in the Bendigo community. Being a large employer in Bendigo, Spotless saw the opportunity to take a new and fresh approach to creating sustainable employment opportunities for the community.
Since May 2021, candidates of both Karen and South Sudanese backgrounds have undertaken a brand-new three-week pre-employment program, designed to engage with candidates within a culturally suitable framework, to effectively on-board and place them in long-term positions. This included a training and education program for applicants before they apply and a fresh approach to the traditional interview and recruitment processes.
“The LCMS/Spotless partnership is prime example of exactly what GROW Bendigo aims to achieve and it has been thrilling to see how bringing these two organisations together has delivered mutually beneficial results from both a social and business perspective ,” explained Petra McLoughlin, GROW Project Manager.
Ben Dillon, Spotless Operations and Environmental Services Manager, said: “Participating in GROW has been an extraordinary experience for Spotless and it is great to see so many given such a fabulous opportunity.
“Watching the confidence of the candidates grow through each stage of the program, and ultimately being able to welcome so many new team members, has been a great,” he said.
Deanna Neville, LCMS Operations Manager said, “Since starting the program, we have run four group recruitment sessions which have been warmly received. There’s no doubt that gaining employment with Spotless has helped our communities to establish themselves and their families within Bendigo. LCMS highly values this ongoing partnership, and we hope to see the growth of more opportunities such as these, to get multicultural communities into sustainable employment”.
The GROW Bendigo LCMS/Spotless Program was celebrated at a luncheon on Thursday 7 July which was jointly catered by Karen Lady Catering – a business started by Karen refugee, Paw Kee in 2019 – and Jas’s Indian Kitchen in Kangaroo Flat.
If you are interested in implementing a similar initiative for your business, please contact Petra McLoughlin.
Issues with staffing continue to be the largest challenge to Bendigo businesses building back from the Covid pandemic, according to a survey undertaken this week by Be.Bendigo, Bendigo’s Chamber of Commerce.
The survey responses came from a range of small, medium and larger businesses in the Bendigo area, and reflect various industry sectors, with a concentration from accommodation and food services, construction, health care and social assistance, and retail trade.
See media release here: BeBendigo 3 June 2022 – Staffing Issues MR
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We acknowledge that the Be.Bendigo is on Dja Dja Wurrung and Taungurung Country.
We would like to acknowledge and extend our appreciation for the Dja Dja Wurrung* People, the Traditional Owners of the land that we are standing on today.
Today, we pay our respects to leaders and Elders past, present and emerging for they hold the memories, the traditions, the culture and the hopes of all Dja Dja Wurrung* Peoples.
We express our gratitude in the sharing of this land, our sorrow for the personal, spiritual and cultural costs of that sharing and `our hope that we may walk forward together in harmony and in the spirit of healing.
