QUEANBEYAN shoppers have voted, and the team at Home Hardware Karabar has won this year's 'Customer Service Business of the Year' award at this year's Queanbeyan Business Awards.
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The family-owned business won the lion's share of the 1200 recorded entries in this hotly contested category, narrowly edging out first and second runners up Suzanne Patterson Podiatry and Main Street Shoes.
Co-owners of the store, brothers Adrian and Justin Devenish, have helped run the business for the last 24 years, taking it over from their father Allen.
Justin said it was great recognition for the small team of around 10 employees.
"It's a great pat on the back for us from the people that really count," he said.
And his brother Adrian said the store was seeing Queanbeyan customers staying loyal to the local store despite an increased presence in the Capital region from big corporates.
"It's a growth segment. That's why the large corporates have been so active in it. We're the last locally-owned, independent [hardware] store in the Queanbeyan area," Adrian said.
"A lot of our customers have been coming here since we opened, and we're now seeing their kids become regular customers."
Both brothers praised their staff for the work that led to the award.
"It's an excellent result," Adrian said. "It's really good for the staff, because they put a lot of effort into this. It's good for them to get some feedback that's not just from us."
The Queanbeyan Business Awards were presented at a showcase dinner at the Royal Hotel last Friday night, and Awards chair, Councillor Sue Whelan, said the customer service category had again proved popular in the community.
"Due to the closeness of the count, the judges elected to award a first and second runner up prize to Suzanne Patterson Podiatry and Main Street Shoes," Cr Whelan said.
And for the second year, the Awards committee recognised a lifetime contributor to Queanbeyan's business community. The 2014 Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Jim Woods, a former owner of The Queanbeyan Age.
"Jim has been a fantastic contributor to the Queanbeyan community, and specifically the business community, through his time with The Queanbeyan Age and participation in several community groups," Mrs Whelan said.
"Jim has made a significant contribution to Queanbeyan's business community and I congratulate him on this honour."
And Spotlight store manager Glen Givens said the Spotlight team were "surprised and delighted" to have won the Queanbeyan Business Excellence Award for Disability Employer.
"Too often retailers can't see past a person's disability to find the strengths that person can bring to the business.
"Offering work experience opportunities to people with a disability is something we really enjoy," he said.
Queanbeyan Business Excellence Community Awards winners
-Work Placement Employer of the Year: Capital Veneering
-Disability Inclusion Employer of the Year: Spotlight Queanbeyan
-Customer Service Business of the Year: Home Hardware Karabar
-Customer Service First Runner Up: Suzanne Patterson Podiatry
-Customer Service Second Runner Up: Main Street Shoes
-Lifetime Achievement Award: Jim Woods