Business of the Year win fires up team to help domestic violence victims

WINNING Moreton Bay Business of the Year stoked a fire in Sonia Sonia’s belly to ramp up her efforts to help vulnerable people in the community.

Kallangur Dental owner Sonia Sonia. Photo: Dominika Lis.

WINNING Moreton Bay Business of the Year stoked a fire in Sonia Sonia’s belly to ramp up her efforts to help vulnerable people in the community.

Her business, Kallangur Dental, won the top gong at the 2017 Moreton Bay Region Business Excellence and Innovation Awards and the award for Customer Service Excellence.

For four years, Sonia has set aside one day a month to treat victims of domestic violence and sexual abuse for free at her three dental practices.

Since winning the award, she has founded a not-for-profit organisation — a network of other dental surgeries willing to do the same.

Called Restored, it will launch in the coming month with tens of thousands of dollars worth of free treatment already pledged. “The award fired it up. It put the fire back in me and I thought this year I had to do something,” Sonia says.

Sonia Sonia of Kallangur Dental with a patient. The business won the Customer Service Excellence Award and Business of the Year. Photo: Dominika Lis

The award win has also motivated her team, filling them with pride, and is likely to inspire other businesses in Kallangur to enter this year. “They have seen us win, seen how proud we are and the love from the customers and they want that for their teams as well,” Sonia says.

Nominations for the 2018 Moreton Bay Region Business Excellence and Innovation Awards are now open.

The awards support commercialisation, business development, innovation and collaboration in the Moreton Bay Region.

Sonia says being named the best business in the region does not mean Kallangur Dental is doing everything right and there is always room for improvement.

“It’s one thing to win the award but it’s another thing to keep up our reputation as well,” she says. “We can’t drop the bar, we have to raise the bar.”

She has invested in more training for her staff and new technology.

“You do your best. I’m still human, I still make mistakes,” she says.

“I’m not a five-star, I’m a 4.9-star but I’m doing all I can to be a five star.”

To nominate a business in this year’s Moreton Bay Region Business Excellence and Innovation Awards, visit businessawards moretonbayregion.com.au

The awards will be presented at a gala dinner on November 30.

AWARD CATEGORIES

Community Group of the Year

Business of the Year

Employee of the Year

Other categories: Successful Start-Up; Customer Service Excellence; Exporting Excellence; Environment and Sustainability Excellence; Innovation Excellence; Youth Innovation Excellence; Business Marketing Excellence; Young Entrepreneur Excellence; Building a Stronger Community Excellence; and Visitor Experience Excellence Award.