Telstra today named the finalists of the 2010 Telstra Northern Territory Business Awards, with the majority of the businesses focused on local market expansion.
The finalists consist of 11 small and medium businesses, over 90 percent of which identify local market expansion as key to their future growth, with a third setting their sights on national expansion.
Telstra Business Group Managing Director and Telstra Business Awards Ambassador, Deena Shiff, said the detailed assessment based on international benchmarking and developed in conjunction with the NSW Business Chamber confirmed that Northern Territory’s leading firms had solid business plans in place.
“All of the companies selected as finalists had thorough plans looking as far as a decade ahead and were primed and ready to seek out future growth opportunities. This is well above the national average, where less than half of all small and medium businesses have business plans.”
“The fact that the best businesses in the territory are meeting global best practice in business planning is a very positive sign for the Northern Territory economy going forward, adds Ms Shiff.
Companies shortlisted for prizes this year include an outdoor personal training business that introduced innovative pre and post natal fitness programs, a fancy dress store with 10,000 costumes in stock and a production company that supplies iconic images of remote Territory locations to international broadcasters.
The winners of the Northern Territory Awards will be announced at the Darwin Convention Centre on 16 July and will receive a share of the $400,000 in cash and prizes. They will then proceed to the National Awards in Sydney, where the overall winners will be announced on 20 August.
