Teresa Gambaro (Brisbane, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

The 2014 Telstra Queensland Business Award finalists were announced on 23 May, and it gives me great pleasure to share with the House that six of the finalists are located in the Brisbane electorate. One business has been nominated in the start-up category. That was Cornerstone Recruitment in the valley, which specialises in long-term health recruitment, growing from inception in a home spare room in 2012 to eight full-time staff.

Three businesses were selected for the small business award category. One was Carbon Media, another valley business. It launched in 2006 and is an Indigenous owned company that was commissioned by Sesame Street to produce a film for the show's 'letters and numbers' segment. One was Conexus Consulting. It is Brisbane based and provides safety and leadership solutions for large Australian and international organisations. And one was Elysium Hair and Beauty. It has been transformed from a struggling salon in 2008 to one regarded by its peers as the best in Queensland.

Two local businesses were selected in the medium business award category. One was Di Bella Coffee, which is located at Bowen Hills. It began in 2002 and now employs 70 people and produces 2.6 million cups of coffee every single week. The other was Reload Media, based in Milton. It began in 2008 and is now one of Australia's fastest growing digital marketing agencies. I want to congratulate these inspiring new businesses and wish them all the very best in the final deliberations in the days ahead.

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