SJD Homes is the Casey Cardinia Business of the Year.
SJD director Simon Dunstan accepted the award on behalf of his team at a gala dinner at the Cardinia Cultural Centre on Friday 26 October.
In his acceptance speech Mr Dunstan said the doors of his Officer business were open to other business owners in the area wanting to collaborate and share what they had learnt through the awards process.
Mr Dunstan said he started SJD Homes 10 years ago searching for a better work life balance.
“I was working seven days a week and I wanted to spend more time with my children. The kids are now part of the company which has become like an extended family,“ Mr Dunstan said.
“We put people first and that has come back to us in spades.“
Mr Dunstan said SJD had grown significantly in recent years and 85 per cent of the revenue generated by the company was spent in the local area.
“We are proud to live and work in the area.“
He said SJD liked to give back on “many different levels“ and was building two houses for the homeless, the first in Ashwood and the second in the Casey Cardinia Region.
“This is a really big deal for us. There are so many brilliant businesses out there, we didn’t think we’d win.
“I open my door to anyone in the room so see what we do. We can benefit each other and grow the region.“
Host for the evening, Channel 9 weather presenter Lavinia Nixon, said the judges had a difficult time deciding on the Business of the Year with three firms in the running for the top accolade – SJD Homes, Waverley Industries and Davey Marine.
This year’s awards attracted 84 applicants across 10 categories.
During the evening Ms Nixon spoke to 2017 Business of the Year winner Greg Plant, director of Powerplant Project Services.
Mr Plant spoke of the boost winning the award gave his business, which had 50 employees this time last year but has now grown to employ 85.
After winning the award last year, Mr Plant drove to Big W, filled his car with balloons and “floated into work“.
“We thought we had a pretty good business, but it was really satisfying to know that someone else thought the same thing,“ Mr Plant said.
“Staff really appreciated the recognition. Winning the award took the business up a step. It gave us a new view of what was possible.
“(Since then) we have really developed at all levels of the business.“
Mr Plant said Powerplant had recently launched a graduate program to employ local engineering graduates.
“We have defined and redefined what success means to us. We have put in place strategic initiatives, accessed new markets and are thinking about what is next and how to plan for it.“
He said Powerplant’s success was based on its values of people, performance and pride.
He encouraged other business owners to follow their dreams.
“If you’ve got an idea, back yourself and work hard. You can do anything.“
