“I'm still basking in my glory!” employee of the year, Grant Walker from Dieselequip joked. 

“What a shock. A real surprise. I certainly didn't expect it,” he admitted. 

Grant said it was an honour to be chosen out of so many other good nominees, and it was nice for the community to acknowledge his work as a motor mechanic and in diesel fuel injection repairs. 

He said his job was technical, and he enjoyed running the workshop, looking after the business and training an apprentice. Grant said working with your employer was key to being a good employee.

“Having respect for your employer and be willing to help them grow your business. You need to enjoy your job,” he said.

Debbie and David Traynor of Regional Finance Solutions were blown away by their win of both the business with 7+ employees category and the best business overall. 

Nominated by an anonymous member of the community, Debbie said the couple were astounded by the nomination.

“Thank you to whoever did,” added David. He described the win as “a shock to the system” and attributed it to the company’s focus on the customer’s needs first.

“For us it's a matter of having a lot of probably old fashioned values,” he said.

Business owners in Inverell for eight years, Debbie and David appreciated the community’s support and were pleased to see so many of their business partners and friends recognised.

“I think everyone enjoyed themselves,” Chamber of Commerce president Courtney Pay said. With Tom Sanderson and Emma Muggleton’s band performing, she said the more comfortable format allowed guests to let their hair down, and get to know each other after the presentations. 

Two independent judges with business backgrounds were assigned to each category, and looked for innovation, customer service, the workplace atmosphere and business structure.

“A lot of comments we had from the judges this year was that it was very difficult to judge, especially in the not for profit business section,” she said. 

Rural Outreach and Support Services eventually took the prize, with Brighter Access and Northaven highly commended.

“It really opens your eyes up to just how great our community is and the different services available to us locally, which a lot of people don’t know about,” Courtney said.