Two Illawarra businesses named national champions in one week

Illawarra waste management company Tiny Tins has claimed the top gong in the Environmental Business category of the 2024 Australian Women’s Small Business Champion Awards – the country’s biggest celebration of women in small business.

The prestigious accolade was handed over at the glittering National Presentation Evening Gala on Saturday (24 August) to local Karlie Zec – a well-known figure in the Wollongong community and no stranger to accolades, having won both Business Woman of the Year and Outstanding Commitment to the Community at the Illawarra Women in Business Awards earlier this year.

This latest award recognised Tiny Tins nationally as an environmental business leader.

“We have won a few local awards recently, but to be recognised on that national level is really exciting,” Karlie said.

Beyond taking measures to improve the sustainability of its own operations, Tiny Tins has made numerous contributions to environmental awareness on a community level, including fundraising and giving preschool talks about sustainability.

Karlie said winning the award for environmental sustainability in particular had special meaning for Tiny Tins.

“Being a waste management company, I think it’s natural that this became a passion for us,” she said. “We are always looking for ways to improve the outlook for the next generations.”

Billed as the “Logies of Australian small business”, the Australian Women’s Small Business Champion Awards shines a spotlight on the rising economic, cultural and social contributions of female-run small businesses spanning all capital cities as well as rural, regional and suburban towns.

This year’s awards attracted thousands of entrants across more than 65 categories in the retail, services and manufacturing industries. Tiny Tins scored the highest result in the Environmental Business category, comprehensively judged by an independent expert panel that considered various aspects of small business operations, including each entrant’s strategies, growth plans, financial performance, eco-friendliness, innovation, customer service quality and community support, to name but some of the judging criteria.

Steve Loe, the awards founder and managing director of Precedent Productions, which coordinates the awards, said the accolade was a testament to the values of Karlie, her team and the business.

“Being selected as a champion of this major event from a national entrant pool of thousands speaks volumes of the tenacity and leadership at Tiny Tins,” he said.

“The awards honour the nation’s most exceptional female leaders today who are making an indelible mark on the small business sector. Karlie is now among a highly esteemed group of recognised champions and as such, she ought to feel immensely proud of her achievements and her team.

“The successes of our 2024 Australian Women’s Small Business Champions are not just personal milestones but also powerful statements of what women can achieve and the excellence that defines Australian small businesswomen today. It is truly a pleasure to spotlight Karlie and her team at Tiny Tins.”

In another win for the region, Unanderra-based IT business Propel Technologies was named Champion of the Data Technician category of the 2024 Australian Trades Small Business Champion Awards, held last Friday (23 August), also at The Star.

Propel Technologies business operations manager Natalie Rachlewicz said her team was ecstatic over the win.

“It’s beyond epic for us, especially because it’s our first award. It was wonderful to have something to bring back to the team.”

Natalie said it was Propel Technologies’ mindset with clients that ultimately won them the award.

“Every staff member behaves like a director of the business they’re working with. They’ve been through plenty of projects and have seen what the impact is to businesses, so they take it personally, as we do,” she said.

“We’re not about providing solutions to customers that aren’t right or leading them down the road of spending money that won’t bring value.

“The ethos doesn’t just come from me or the director – no matter who picks up the phone, everybody gets the same service.”

For more information, including full lists of the 2024 winners, visit the Australian Women’s Small Business Champion Awards or the Australian Trades Small Business Champion Awards.