Lord Mayor’s Business Award winners revealed

Brisbane’s best businesses during this chaotic year have been named in a glitzy ceremony at City Hall.

An entrepreneur whose failed dreams of playing cricket for Australia led him to a new love of hospitality has been named The Courier Mail’s Business Person of the Year.

Tyron Simon won the top gong at Thursday’s glitzy Lord Mayor’s Business Awards at City Hall.

Mr Simon has opened some of the most iconic restaurants in South East Queensland including, Long Time, Rick Shores, Hôntô, sAme sAme, Agnes and the soon to open Italian Restaurant, Alice.

Acting Mayor Krista Adams, filling in for quarantined Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner, said stories of adaptation and success in the face of adversity were the highlights of the 15th annual awards.

“I want to a thank the winners of the 2020 Lord Mayor’s Business Awards, and all Brisbane

businesses for their ongoing contribution to our economy,” she said.

“The strength and resilience these businesses have shown throughout the pandemic, gives

Brisbane high hopes for the future.”

FULL LIST OF WINNERS

Yurika Award for Environmental Sustainability in Business: Enviro Sand

Enviro Sand is an Australian owned company providing quality manufactured glass sands and

powder to the market. Enviro Sand produces a range of high-quality glass sand and powders from recycled dirty glass, replacing products which have historically been mined from our natural environment or imported from overseas.

Special mention: Howard Smith Wharves

ISPT Award for Outstanding Social Enterprise: The Common Good – an initiative of The Prince Charles Hospital Foundation

The cafe for The Common Good is a charitable organisation funding life-changing medical research into chronic diseases that will affect 90 per cent of people in their lifetime.

Now encompassing six cafe outlets and a catering business, this social enterprise allows The Common Good to do charity differently.

The cafe for The Common Good is currently powering research projects into COVID 19, dementia, heart disease and silicosis.

Special mention: eWaste Connection

Mary Stickley wears swimwear by designer UNE PIECE – the most outstanding small business. Pic: Adam Head

CCIQ Award for Outstanding Small Business: UNE PIECE

UNE PIECE is home of the world’s most beautiful (and sun-conscious) swimwear.

After 500 people joined the waitlist to buy before the website launched, UNE PIECE has rapidly grown to be a global brand, with sales in 60 countries around the world and a retail partnership with David Jones in Australia.

Urban Utilities Award for Product Innovation: Enviro Sand

Special mention: Seipel Group

ANZ Award for High-Growth Business Start Up: CitrusAd

CitrusAd powers retail media with personalised sponsored products and display ads for the world’s biggest retailers across 25 countries.

CitrusAd streamlines media sales and ad serving for retailers of any size.

Special mention: UNE PIECE

Xero Award for Outstanding Micro Business: World of Drones & Robotics Congress

World of Drones held the inaugural World of Drones Congress in 2017 and it has been held in

Brisbane annually ever since.

In just two years, World of Drones became one of the world’s leading forums for the drone industry, and negotiated links with other international drone groups which has lead to international trade partnerships with China, Japan, Canada and the United Kingdom

Special mention: Charlton Innovation

HSBC Award for Excellence in Business Adaptation: Street Science

Street Science’s innovation, flexibility and forward thinking through one of the most challenging events in history is truly remarkable. 

Street Science has been widely recognised as the first in Australia to commence free schooling at home broadcasts from the very initial phases of COVID-19 when uncertainty was rife and no plan had yet been executed.

Reaching up to 20,000 people per week from six different countries, Street Science has been leaders in showcasing how to educate at home and innovate as a small business to not just survive, but to thrive.

Special mention: The Little Red Company

Australia Pacific LNG Award for Business Innovation: Seipel Group

Seipel Group is a research and development focused nutraceutical company. 

They identified an unmet need for an effective natural product to improve bladder control and invented Urox, the only clinically proven herbal solution for this huge global program.

And in doing so, grew a multimillion-dollar export business.

Seipel Group was first to market in nutraceuticals for bladder health and are the only Australian company to have cracked the highly competitive US nutraceuticals market.

Special mention: Aria Property Group

Port of Brisbane Award for Young Business Person of the Year: Ashleigh Morris – Coreo

Ashleigh is bold in her pursuit of systemic change.

Acknowledged as a future leader, Ashleigh was recently recognised as a global Top 100 Corporate Social Responsibility Influential Leader, is a Prime Minister’s Scholar, an Australian ASEAN Emerging Leader, an invitee to the 73rd United Nations General Assembly and an Ellen MacArthur Foundation Circular Economy Champion, a title granted to only a handful of people worldwide.

Sisters Ashleigh and Jaine Morris from Coreo. Picture: Mark Cranitch.

The Courier-Mail Award for Business Person of the Year: Tyron Simon – Agnes and sAme sAme

Tyron once had dreams of playing cricket for Australia.

Sadly, a damaged knee and the realisation that he may not have the necessary talent put an end to these dreams.

As his sporting ambitions faded, a new love of hospitality was realised and the serial restaurateur was born.

Since his very humbled beginnings, Tyron has opened some of the most iconic restaurant in South East Queensland including, LONgTIME, Rick Shores, Hôntô, sAme sAme, Agnes and the soon to open Italian Restaurant, Alice.