Ephox

Winner Richard Joel Young Export Entrepreneur Award 2008, and finalist Small to Medium Services Award 2008

Ephox creates products to manage content for intranets, extranets, corporate websites and other web-based applications. While almost all of our software is developed locally, most of our sales are from outside our home state of Queensland, so we tend to keep a low profile locally. Winning a Premier of Queensland's Export Award is a great opportunity to boost our local profile and help recruit staff, find business partners and create new opportunities. It is also a great motivator and morale booster for our Queensland team.

The Export Awards gala dinner provided a great forum for networking with key figures in Queensland business and government. It also provided a great opportunity to celebrate the success of our Queensland team with a fun evening.

My advice to those entering the Export Awards would be to use the opportunity to reflect on your success and your business' success. Winning awards is a great way to validate your team's efforts and encourage them to reach greater heights.

Andrew Roberts, CEO

Peanut Company of Australia

Finalist Agribusiness Award 2008

One of the main benefits of being a finalist in the 2008 Premier of Queensland's Export Awards that PCA has experienced is exposure to other companies who are working in the same market. The contacts developed really helps to share and expand the knowledge base of our company - knowledge which otherwise would cost a significant amount of time and money to obtain.

Being recognised at a government level is also a great introduction point to foreign customers, and helps them build an immediate level of trust with our company. Queensland Government recognition in a foreign country, especially where our Government has foreign offices, is a big headstart.

The Export Awards gala dinner provided PCA with a chance to meet with people in companies we would never have met normally in the course of business.

Spending time on preparing your application is definitely worth it. Take a few days to consider what you have been doing in the market and internally - perhaps make it part of a formal report you circulate around the company. In a medium-sized business like PCA it can be a good way to generate a report for management on what is being done in the export department.

The online entry system is very simple, but also helps to be an integral part of reflecting internally to see "what have we done different this year?" or "Yes, that process or change has paid off in the market place". Some questions are often overlooked in the fast pace of business, but the Export Awards Program is a good reminder.

Daniel Cook, Market Development Manager

Urban Arts Projects (UAP)

Winner Emerging Exporter Award 2008, and finalist Arts and Entertainment Award 2008

Winning a Premier of Queensland's Export Award is valuable to UAP in a number of ways. UAP will be able to use the award as a marketing tool to add confidence in the international marketplace and show that we are an innovative and dynamic business capable of delivering international projects. The award also allows us to reinforce our credentials within the domestic marketplace.

Just as importantly, the award allows our entire team of 65 staff to reflect on their achievements and congratulate themselves on a job well done - a great boost to staff morale and satisfaction levels.

The gala dinner was an excellent opportunity to take some of the staff who have contributed to the development of our export markets out to dinner to be recognised for their achievements. The dhinner also gave us the chance to network with various Trade Commissioners and other exporters - a fantastic event.

My advice to potential entrants would be to not put your Export Awards application at the bottom of the to-do list! Clearly and briefly outline the capabilities of your company, your reasons for developing an export market, your achievements and your vision for the future.

Matthew Tobin, Principal

Xstrata Technology

Winner Queensland Exporter of the Year 2008, and winner Large Services 2008

Xstrata Technology is delighted and honoured to win the Queensland Exporter of the Year award. It was a humbling experience to win the Award against such an impressive field of businesses.

These Awards are a wonderful way to recognise the efforts of our exporters. Business success is hard work for any company, and exporters face an additional set of challenges. Like many other exporters, Xstrata Technology is a relatively small team managing a large number of clients and projects around the world. This means a lot of time travelling away from home and dealing with different cultures and in different time zones. We know our work is important to our clients, to the environment, and to Australia. It is rewarding to see those efforts recognized through these Export Awards.

Winning the Award means more than just recognition for our people. Xstrata Technology develops, markets and supports technologies for the global mineral processing and metal smelting and refining industries, in a very competitive environment. The official recognition of being a finalist or an Award winner establishes credibility in the marketplace. It will be a feature in our promotional and marketing material and will definitely enhance our image and help open doors.

While it is great to win an Award, there are a lot of other benefits from entering the Export Awards. Firstly, you form useful contacts with Trade Queensland, and find just how helpful they can be and the range of services they can provide. Secondly, just completing the application form helps you think about how you approach the export market, and where you might improve. And finally, I find the Awards ceremony each year an inspiring chance to meet a wide range of impressive and successful export businesses, and to see the level of Government support.

Xstrata Technology is proud to be part of the Queensland Export Awards, and will continue to support it in the future.

Joe Pease, Xstrata Technology Pty Ltd

NPM Group Pty Ltd

Winner Regional Exporter Award 2008, and finalist Large Services Award 2008

NPM Group specialises in constructing large projects, principally for government and major corporate bodies requiring overall town development, specific construction or project upgrades. Our success at the Premier of Queensland's Export Awards will give us national exposure and give other businesses an awareness of the skills and services NPM Group Pty Ltd offer.

The Export Awards gala dinner gave us the opportunity to network with other exporting companies, which was immensely beneficial. We were able to find out more about what's happening amongst our competitors and other big players in export markets.

I would encourage anyone considering entering the Export Awards to submit an application. It's a fantastic opportunity to gain recognition for your efforts and give other companies the chance to learn more about you.

Thomas Cummins, Managing Director