Regal Quality Products was named the overall winner and most outstanding business from hundreds of entries at the Eskom Business Investment Competition Awards held yesterday in Kyalami, north of Johannesburg.
Now in its fifth year, the annual competition looks to honour registered small and medium black-owned businesses in the agriculture, manufacturing and trade/services sector.
As the overall winner, Regal Quality Products, a Cape Town-based company which produces a range of household cleaning products walked away with R200 000 worth of prizes. There was a total R1.7 million worth of prizes that businesses can invest to take their company to the next level.
“We launched a competition that rewards small businesses to help them thrive and in turn create jobs and drive economic growth”
Rewarding small businesses
Haylene Liberty-Nel, Eskom Development Foundation CEO said the awards seek to give recognition to new businesses who often face the daunting task of surviving in the current economic climate.
“We know that one of South Africa’s greatest challenges is economic growth and the lack of skills and jobs; so we launched a competition that rewards small businesses to help them thrive and in turn create jobs and drive economic growth,” explains Haylene Liberty-Nel, Eskom Development Foundation CEO.
She also said that this year adjudicators were particularly impressed by the companies in the trade and services and manufacturing sector.
Growth opportunity
Following the win the owner Allie Parker, a chartered accountant by training, said: “This is a fantastic achievement and it probably means I can buy more equipment and in turn create five more jobs.”
But their commitment to staff development is what really makes Regal Quality Products stand out.The team of five have grown with the business and staff who started out as juniors have worked their way up, the general labourer is now a production assistant and the receptionist has moved up to be the administrative assistant.
Full list of the winners:
Agriculture
Winner: Cape Trotters Trading
First runner-up: Kroutz Family Co-operative LimitedSecond runner-up: Greenland Landscaping
Manufacturing
Winner: Strato Couture
First runner-up: Nambitha Nutritional Products
Joint second runner-ups: Maano-A-Basadi Dairy Co-operative and Nometha Trading Enterprise
Trade and services
Winner: Washtub Industrial Laundry Services
First runner-up: Collins Sebola Incorporated
Second runner-up: Nyembe Waste Management (Pty) Ltd
