Donovan Group is the parent company of Coresteel, which has a mass of franchisees throughout New Zealand designing and constructing rural, commercial and industrial buildings through its steel building solutions.
The IT and intellectual property of Vertebeam would remain in New Zealand, with manufacturing in Australia. It would, hopefully, yield a lucrative slice of the multimillion-dollar Australian market for Donovans.
The company also has an application before Callaghan Innovation for a grant to help it upgrade its software platform, amid plans to extend its residential brand in 2016.
The judges said the company impressed them with its "strong leadership and foresight" and its commitment to "take itself and the industry to the next level". They also praised Donovan's "efficient workshop manufacture and supply", which was aided by its national Coresteel franchise system and bespoke IT planning and management system. The "strong governance within the organisation, bringing in directors with specific skills to enable the development and growth of the business" was also praised.
Kyle Donovan comes from a banking background, while brother and fellow director Brett has a strong engineering background. With director Tim Williams and investor Jonny Hendriksen, the now 38-strong team in Whangarei was first started by Sue and Graham Donovan in 1969.
Kyle said the company had its staff to thank, from factory to office, for its success. Accepting the award, he said Donovans were "proud Northlanders" who were just "toiling away".
Getting it right
Opening the ceremony at Forum North on Friday night, Westpac's Rod Parkinson, the award sponsors' regional manager, said business excellence was all about "getting a thousand little things right", from leadership and team culture to strong process and products.
The excellence of the Ohaeawai Community Education Trust was celebrated on the night as it was presented with the Northland Regional Council Sustainable Business Award. There were some emotional speeches from winners this year too.
In accepting the Top Energy Best Not-For-Profit Organisation Award, Richard Storey from Northland Kindergarten Association said he and his team had to "do right by our tamariki".
The team from Far North REAP Society Incorporated was also spirited in accepting its award for the Golden Bay Cement Excellence in Business Medium Business Award. It was the culture of the 21-strong team that impressed the judges.
Coming up to Northland to take on the glass studio might have seemed like a crazy thing for Grinter Glass Ltd to do, according to Keith Grinter, but it was worth it as he scooped the Creative Northland Excellence in Arts Business Award.
Jess Rule of fitness team Results Rule Ltd, which won the NZ Chambers of Commerce Judges' Choice Award, said the success was "for girls in business".
Also taking a top win for women in business was the team at Pure Day Spa, which won the Business Coaching New Zealand Best Emerging Business Award. Business owner Karen Le Heron thanked her all-female team for their work and judges praised the respect the team had for Le Heron.
Meanwhile, ACC Workplace Safety Award winners, Ian Hendrikse and Mairi Lauchland of Whangarei Engineering, said a zero harm approach to work had to come from the top.
"If leaders don't believe in it, it won't happen," said Hendrikse, whose team recently started on the new Countdown supermarket job on Waiheke Island.
In presenting the Henderson Reeves Connell Rishworth Excellence in Business Small Business Awards to Building & Fire Services Ltd, one of the legal firm's directors, Thomas Biss, said small businesses meant local business and a "real passion for what they do".
Another small business that is working is Derrick Barber's New Zealand Honey Traders, which got a taste of sweet success with the Ricoh Excellence in Micro Business Award.
The Northern Advocate Hall of Fame Award was presented to tourism champion Jeroen Jongejans from Tutukaka. The people of Northland also had their favourites. Kerikeri's Hone Heke Lodge was voted More FM Customer's Choice Service Provider, while Whangarei's Cuppacakes Northland scooped the More FM Customers' Choice Retail Award.
