Paradise Resort wins Tourism Hospitality and Events Award in Gold Coast Business Excellence Awards for August

A Surfers Paradise resort which is a long-time family favourite has been recognised in the Gold Coast Business Excellence Awards for August. FULL LIST OF WINNERS >>>

Kathleen Skene

5 min read

August 5, 2021 - 1:26PM

Gold Coast Bulletin

Paradise Resort Gold Coast.

Business

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Paradise Resort Gold Coast has been named the winner of the Tourism Hospitality and Events Award at the Gold Coast Business Excellence Awards for August.

The 409-room resort, which features a waterpark, ice-skating rink and a kids club, has consistently been a favourite with families visiting Surfers Paradise.

Paradise Resort Gold Coast general manager David Brook was both elated and philosophical about the award.

“It has provided a fantastic lift for the team because the month before we went from thrive to dive in just a few weeks as lockdown and border closures turned what was going to be a really strong winter into a blizzard of cancellations,” he said.

“It wasn’t easy for anyone at the hotel, but what the team does brilliantly is survive.

“We used the Covid border-closures in 2020 to totally revamp and upgrade the hotel, including refurbished rooms, a new lobby and reception area, upgraded water park and ice rink, and even a new ride-on miniature train that showcases the resort’s extensive grounds.

“We had a very good summer holiday season and we were adding even more facilities in the first half of 2021 when the NSW border closures hit in June, then Queensland lockdown happened in July, and now the team is completely rebuilding our marketing strategies in August. Who would resort to running a resort?”

The resort was purchased by Australia’s largest private hotel owner, Jerry Schwartz, in 2019.Dr Schwartz, who also owns the nearby Hilton, has refreshed the resort, meaning even better facilities and entertainment value for families.

Other August winners in the Gold Coast Business Excellence Awards were:

* Mayor’s Innovation GC Award: Enviroswim

* Student Engagement Award: FurTastic Friends by Bocchetta

* Family Business Award: Petway Petcare

* Health and Wellbeing Award: Medical Rescue* Professions and Services Award: Burchills Engineering Solutions

* Retail, Wholesale and Distribution Award: Totally WorkWear Gold Coast

* Construction and Trades Award: Skyline Landscape Services

* Manufacturing Award: Granddad Jack’s Craft Distillery

* IT and Digital Business Award: Clarity IT for Business

* Emerging and Micro Business Award: Axon Property Group

August 5:

A ferry service whose passenger numbers have defied the Covid catastrophe is among the winners of Gold Coast Business Excellence Awards for July.

The privately owned ferry service, which was launched in December 2019, has won the Gold Coast Business Excellence Award for Tourism, Events and Hospitality for July.

The Hopo Ferry business is owned by The Tour Collective, the company behind the well-known whale watching and sightseeing operation Sea World Cruises.

Hopo has ferried 5000 passengers a month.

Company director Anthony Ardern said Hopo’s passenger numbers had grown from strength to strength, even though the company had launched only months before the Covid-19 crisis struck.

“Since August 2020 the ferry service has been carrying an average of 5000 passengers per month,’’ said Mr Ardern.

“The target market is a combination of locals and visitors to the city with approximately 60 per cent passengers being locals and 40 per cent visitors.

“It is important that the Ferry service is attractive to both markets as it operates seven days a week from 9am to 6pm.”

Marques Flooring, run by Josh and Alberto Marques, also won an award. Photo by Richard Gosling

Mr Ardern said the company had ferried more than 75,000 passengers along the Nerang River and across the Broadwater since its launch.

The company spent more than $1.2 million on custom designed vessels, a ticketing kiosk in Surfers Paradise and upgrades to terminals to ensure they are fully accessible to all Gold Coast residents.

Gilmour Space Technologies, run by Adam and James Gilmour, also won an award this month. Supplied

Hopo has also invested heavily into training employees, having trained 15 skippers to operate the Ferry service safely.

Its training efforts also helped the company to recently collect the Queensland Department of Small Business’s Medium Employer of the Year Award.

Other July winners in the Gold Coast Business Excellence Awards were:

* Construction and Trades Award: Surf City Cranes

* Mayor’s Innovation GC Award: Gilmour Space Technologies

* Student Engagement Award: Dan the Sparky Man

* Family Business Award: Marques Flooring

* Health and Wellbeing Award: Weight Loss Solutions Australia

* Professions and Services Award: MWM Advisory

* Retail, Wholesale and Distribution Award: VERVE Fitness Equipment

* Manufacturing Award: Shepherd Filters

* IT and Digital Business Award: Opmantek

* Emerging and Micro Business Award: HomeGuardian.ai

The awards, now in their 26th year, aim to foster pride in the city’s business community and highlight its important as a business hub.

JULY 16:

A NERANG company whose marine products have made waves in the United States has picked up the Mayor’s Innovation Award at the Gold Coast Business Excellence Awards for June.

Dockpro was set up in 2004 after engineer Allan Barber started selling his innovative dry-docking solution call SeaPen, which protects vessels from barnacles without lifting it out of the water.

Sea Pen

The company, which is now managed by Allan’s son Mark Barber, now builds, and sells dry-docking solutions throughout the world.

Mark Barber said the company, after having dominated the Australia and New Zealand markets, had decided in 2019 to expand to the USA, which represents 50 per cent of the global market.

“Our SeaPen product range is ideal for centre-console vessels between 45ft and 55ft in length and this matches a big percentage of the recreational boat market in the United States,’’ he said.

“We fortunately found a great partner in the US and we have sold more than 200 SeaPen products in our first two-and-a-half years in the US market.”

Mark and Sandra Barber of Dockpro. Photo: Marshall Hall

The company’s push into the US market was boosted when SeaPen won the Miami International Boat Show Award for Innovation in 2019.

Mr Barber said the US growth had initially posed supply issues for the company and it had been looking at establishing a US-based factory.

“When we first started recording sales in the US, we could only ship three to four units in a shipping container,’’ he said.

“The costs associated with transport meant that unless we could improve the number of units in a container, we would have to set up an assembly plant in the US as well in Australia.

“So, we IKEA’ed our product range. Through a lot of effort and redesign, we are now able to ship up to 19 SeaPen units in a single shipping container.

“This means, for the time being, we no longer need to open a US-based assembly plant.”

As well as the Gold Coast and the US market, DockPro also has a network of warehouses and installer teams in Melbourne, Sydney, Perth and Auckland.