Elle Cecil
Accessibility and Inclusion Award – Winner: Outlook Environmental
The Accessibility and Inclusion Award recognises work that achieves a more inclusive environment for both staff and customers, taking into account factors such as age, gender and cultural background. The winner of this award has taken extensive action to reduce barriers, enhance participation and ensure information, services and facilities are accessible and inclusive to everyone in the Melton community.
The winner of the Melton Business Excellence Awards’ 2021 Accessibility and Inclusion Award is Outlook Environmental. Operating the Melton Resource Recovery Centre, Outlook Environmental is one of the largest social enterprises in Victoria and has been working in the waste management sector for over 25 years.
With approximately 45 percent of received waste being recycled, Outlook Environmental works to reduce landfill and negative impacts on the environment. Profits are then reinvested into the business which focuses on creating an inclusive workforce for people that are facing disadvantage.
As a not for profit public company, Outlook Environmental was established as and continues to be a charity enterprise, engaging and supporting people in award wage productivity-based positions including the long term unemployed, people with physical and mental health conditions and disabilities, those experiencing ageism as well as people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
Outlook Environmental maintains a workforce comprising of 65 percent representing one or more of the following groups: women (underrepresented in the waste industry), those with a mental illness or disability (24 percent), refugees or asylum seekers, culturally and linguistically diverse people, ex-offenders, mature age workers (45 and above) and long term unemployed/displaced workers.
The site has physical access modifications to ensure inclusivity for all, while induction, training, communications and signage are provided in easy English with pictorial versions for people with limited English, disability or low literacy.
Providing customers with transfer station services for the disposal of household waste, a Resource Recovery Shed to drop off items for resale or reuse at no cost, a resale shop to donate goods and browse for bargains to buy, and an e-waste facility for the deconstruction of electrical items for reuse.
Conscientious Employer Award – Winner: Tabcorp Park
The Conscientious Employer Award recognises workplaces that strive to maximise the full potential of the workforce. Businesses nominated for this award have established policies and practices which prioritise staff development and workplace adaptability, resulting in high levels of employee recruitment, engagement and retention.
The winner of the Melton Business Excellence Awards 2021 Conscientious Employer Award is Tabcorp Park. Situated alongside a state of the art harness racing track, Tabcorp Park is a unique entertainment complex offering various chef-prepared dining options, modern hotel facilities and expansive event spaces.
Established in 2009, Tabcorp Park conducts weekly race meets and a variety of events, while keeping visitors fed and quenched at its spacious bistro, sports bar and various conference and function rooms. The business provides a positive hospitality experience, delivering fantastic customer service and an excellent variety of products.
Prior to the pandemic, Tabcorp Park was also operating as a full hotel and entertainment complex that employed a mix of over 100 full time, part time and casual employees. Mantra Melbourne Melton provided accommodation for racing guests and conference attendees prior to the pandemic.
The effects of the pandemic took a huge toll on Tabcorp Park’s revenue, events and staffing. Forced to adapt quickly to the changing circumstances and increased restrictions at the time, the business reallocated staff to different roles around the site to ensure that as many employees could be retained as possible. Wait staff were cleaning hotel rooms, duty managers were delivering meals to the public, functions staff were doing reception and administration staff were doing housekeeping. Tabcorp Park also used its salaried team to phone regular customers and conduct welfare checks throughout lockdowns in 2020 and 2021.
Now with a team of 33 full time employees, Tabcorp Park is looking forward to introducing new events and activities despite lingering post-COVID uncertainty.
Creativity Award – Winner: Jaslar Pearl
Recognising businesses that have used new and original ideas to create solutions, pushing the boundaries in ways that inspire and challenge, the Melton Business Excellence Awards’ 2021 Creativity Award has been taken out by Jaslar Pearl.
Selling garments and accessories designed in Australia, with a heavy focus on delivering an inclusive genderfluid, urban and street aesthetic, Jaslar Pearl was started in 2017 and saw its first collection drop in November 2019.
Created by Jaslar-Ki Pearl at age 17, following a lifelong passion for clothing and accessories. Now controlling every aspect of the business from design to delivery, Jaslar-Ki started sewing at the tender age of eight and has formed the business with the aim of creating clothes with an inspiring message: to help others believe that they can achieve their dreams and challenge societal issues in the process.
Utilising unique styles, high quality fabrics and finishes, modern prints, advanced silhouettes and an exceptional level of detail, Jaslar Pearl has been involved in the Melbourne Fashion Festival and Melbourne Fashion Week.
With a focus on organic natural figures with zero chemicals, fabric made of recycled water bottles, the use of biodegradable packaging and carbon neutral couriers, Jaslar Pearl aims to be a part of the solution rather than the problem. Sustainability, equality, inclusion and innovation are all vital aspects of the business and young people such as Jaslar-Ki are the shining future of Melton.
Disability Inclusion Award – Winner: Specialist Hoops Basketball
Open to businesses that promote an inclusive workplace culture supporting all abilities, that have taken action to reduce barriers, enhance participation, and ensure information, services and facilities are accessible and inclusive for people with a disability, the Disability Inclusion Award at the 2021 Melton Business Excellence Awards has been bestowed to Specialist Hoops Basketball.
Specialist Hoops engages people within the community through sport and recreation to deliver a basketball program that enhances the lives of those with a disability.
Starting in September 2017 as a one day camp, Specialist Hoops progressed into weekly sessions in July 2018, with the July 2020 move to bi-weekly Zoom sessions courtesy of the COVID pandemic. The program now has a second location in Bacchus Marsh for basketball, and also runs weekly ten pin bowling sessions at Xplosions Bar and Bowl in Bakery Square, Melton.
Priding themselves on listening to the public and working to deliver participants an increased quality of life, Specialist Hoops is run entirely by a team of nine volunteers. With the aim of providing the same opportunities to people of all abilities to participate in sport, Specialist Hoops has adapted in the face of the pandemic.
While maintaining the focus on getting people involved with sport in a safe and controlled environment, Specialist Hoops also recognised the importance of social wellbeing for each individual so creating more opportunities for participants to see each other and be social within the community was a big focus during the pandemic.
Families of the kids and young adults in the program are full of praise every day that their loved ones have a safe growing environment to build confidence.
Innovation Award – Winner: ProTech IT Solutions
The Innovation Award is open to businesses that have created and implemented a new process, product or service which has made the complex far more simple, the expensive more affordable or the seemingly impossible possible. The winner of this year’s Melton Business Excellence Awards’ Innovation Award is ProTech IT Solutions.
Selling ex display, preowned, refurbished and used laptops, computers and mobile phones, ProTech IT Solutions was established to provide customers with a higher standard of service and better quality products, especially for customers that aren’t very technologically inclined, to prevent them from getting unfairly treated by other computer shop retailers and repairers.
Having opened in 2019, ProTech IT Solutions has a strong community focus, providing concession and student discounts as well as single or struggling parent support, where laptops are provided for home education or work from home, starting from very low prices.
With business peaking during the pandemic, ProTech IT Solutions was forced to streamline business processes with work and schooling from home at an all-time high.
Implementing a rigorous sanitation standard, ProTech IT Solutions also took a strong focus on moving business online and delivering to customers, providing customers with delivery within three hours of purchase to metropolitan Melbourne.
By delivering refurbished second hand electronics to Melton residents, ProTech IT Solutions can help those in the region to save money while also receiving their desired device with the same warranty as if it were purchased new.
Sustainability Leadership Award – Winner: Lady and the Hair
Leaders in sustainability actively identify ways to minimise the environmental footprint of the operation of their businesses, their supply chains and waste production.
This year, the winner of the Sustainability Leadership Award is hair and beauty business, Lady and the Hair.
Known for their cut, colour, bridal and hair extension services, Lady and the Hair is not only a leader in their industry but also a leader in sustainability in Melton.
Taking great pride in recycling 95 percent of all salon waste, the business utilises special bins to separate paper, plastic, metal, hair and colour. These bins are then collected by Sustainable Salons Australia on a fortnightly basis. The hair that is cut from clients’ heads is made into hair booms that help clean up oil spills, the foil is recycled again into foil, and the profits made from these products are used to feed the homeless through OzHarvest.
Prudence Tonkinson from Lady and the Hair opened the salon in 2010 from her garage at home. Since then, it has grown to a 22-strong team with locations in both Melton and Sunbury.
With many customers that attended Prudence’s home salon still visiting Lady and the Hair today, customer service is paramount to staff at the salon.
With a strong involvement in the Uniting Church’s food bank drive and donating to local schools for raffles, Lady and the Hair is a community-focused business with a great sense of pride to be working in the region.
