Tenterfield businesses encouraged to nominate for Innovation Awards

Tenterfield Shire Council (TSC) Business Services Officer, Harry Bolton; RDANI Project Officer, Kim-Trieste Hastings; and Tenterfield Shire Councillor, Nick De Stefani discuss the Prime Super Northern Inland Innovation Awards.

Tenterfield district businesses are being encouraged to nominate for regional recognition. If your business has been innovative, diversified, or expanded to captured niche markets, or better meet customer or community needs through new approaches, then your time to shine is now. The Prime Super Northern Inland Innovation Awards are run by Regional Development Australia Northern Inland (RDANI). Due to strong interest, the deadline for nominations has been extended to Thursday 30 September, 2010.

Harry Bolton is the Business Services Officer with Tenterfield Shire Council and has called on local businesses to nominate. “These regional awards are very important opportunities for our small businesses to promote themselves and showcase to the community what they are actually doing.”

Innovation is all about getting an edge. We do have people who are producing things in Tenterfield and other regional Australian communities. Awards like this really help with your marketing. Getting your name out there, being recognised, networking with your peers and competitors in the region – it’s all important,” Mr. Bolton said. “If you’ve got an innovative product or you’re doing something a bit different, then you need to be part of this. Taking the time to let people know what you are doing will make Tenterfield look good across Northern Inland NSW. Locally, it’s good for people to see that where they’re living is being productive.”

The Prime Super Northern Inland Innovation Award Categories are:

• Agriculture / Horticulture and associated services
• Tourism / Leisure and services
• Professional and Retail services
• Manufacturing and Engineering
• Research and Education

The 2010 Innovation of the Year Award will be presented to the leading innovator across all categories. Innovation is not necessarily invention. The RDANI Innovation Awards Committee will select the finalists, who will be invited to attend the gala awards evening on Saturday, 13 November at the Inverell RSM Club.

RDANI Executive Officer, Nathan Axelsson said the holistic development of northern inland communities needs innovative businesses. “Importantly, people nominating their business stand to inspire others in the region. Make your region proud of what you are doing and how you are doing it,” he said.

RDANI Project Officer Kim-Trieste Hastings said that from Quirindi to Moree, and across to Tenterfield, the Prime Super Northern Inland Innovation Awards should see strong nominations from across the 13 Local Government Areas of New England North West NSW. “There are many businesses in this region, large and small, which are innovative, growing and succeeding. Their innovative efforts are important (often critical) to the economic and social development of their local communities and the region, as a whole,” she said.

For a nomination form, contact RDANI: 02 6771 2790 or download the nomination form via: www.niia.com.au