Blackwoods Mount Isa manager Lee Potini said she was "speechless" when their name was called out as the Northern Outback Business Awards Business of the Year.
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"I was in shock, I was just speechless and didn't expect that," she said.
"That was very humbling and we're so appreciative of that."
The team had already claimed the Medium Mover award earlier in the night, and Ms Potini said she was stunned when presenters called their name again for the top award.
Commerce North West president Emma Harman said last week the awards would be a reflection of those businesses who had shown creativity and resilience given the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Ms Potini believes it was probably their customer-first approach that got them over the line.
"We listened to the customers and what their needs were - I just brought in a lot more stock to cover myself and cover our customers."
She said some customers would come in and want an item to find it on a four or six-week back order, so Ms Potini took it on herself to order masses of the essentials so they wouldn't come up short again.
"A lot of the critical PPE items like face-masks and earplugs, we made sure we had a lot of that, and when we were ordering we were just putting more into our inventory and our warehouse to cover the demand."
However, she also praised the efforts of her staff team-wide, she said team members were answering calls even outside work hours, while the account manager was even driving stock out to the mine sites when they needed it to keep things moving.
Ms Potini said the award was terrific recognition for her team's efforts over the past 18 months, but more broadly as they have rebuilt in the past four years since she came on board.
"I took over four years ago and we were in a world of pain then - we weren't listening and stocking the correct stuff - but I have lived in the region for 10 years so I just listened to the customers and we spent tireless hours sorting the warehouse."
She has maintained the same team since and also built a strong and diverse team, saying it was something she was proud of.
"We worked extremely hard, for me and my original team we've been on a journey of rebuilding the Blackwoods and its reputation," Ms Potini said.
She has presented to the broader company her approach to diversity and inclusion, saying the Mount Isa Blackwoods now has a family environment within the team and people are happier on the job.
She said it was this "care-factor" from her team and being genuine about looking after their clients that she feels helped the team to the Business of the Year win.
Northern Outback Business Award winners
Rising Star - 5 or less employees - Sunset Tourist Park
Rising Star - more than 5 employees - Sedley Koschel - MCB
Small and Successful - Moselle Meats
Medium Mover - Blackwoods
Social Change Maker - Matter Property
Workplace of Choice - Superior Machinery Maintenance
People's Choice - Moselle Meats
Hall of Fame - NO INDUCTEE
Business of the Year - Blackwoods
Customer Service Hero - Community Sector - Sherrie Tuppurainen
Customer Service Hero - Trades and Skilled Sector - Qi Wei
Customer Service Hero - Retail and Service Sector - Bree Kleinman
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Jacob McMaster
I am passionate about amplifying people's stories and trying to do them justice in the written word. I find pressure washing videos soothing. email me jacob.mcmaster@austcommunitymedia.com.au or 0406 212 845.
I am passionate about amplifying people's stories and trying to do them justice in the written word. I find pressure washing videos soothing. email me jacob.mcmaster@austcommunitymedia.com.au or 0406 212 845.
