Business leaders from around Otago gathered in Dunedin last night for one of the business community’s biggest meetings of the year.
About 120 of the local business who’s who attended the 2020 Westpac Otago Business Awards at the Edgar Centre, where the finalists of each award category were officially announced.
Otago Chamber of Commerce chief executive Dougal McGowan said rather than being a serious boardroom meeting-type event, it was an informal networking event.
The connections made in the room could well lead to more business opportunities and help the local economy grow even further, he said.
The winning finalists would be named at a dinner at the Dunedin Town Hall on November 13.
Awards 2020 finalists:
Service: Contego Systems Ltd, Groom Laser & Skin Clinic, Mercy Hospital Dunedin Ltd.
Retail: Gilbert's Fine Food, Night 'n Day Foodstores, University Book Shop (Otago) Ltd.
Primary Industry: Silver Fern Farms, Southern Clams Ltd, Topflite Ltd.
Not-for-profit: Central Cinema Incorporated, Otago Museum, Volunteer South.
Tourism and Hospitality: Hair Raiser Tours, Pembroke Patisserie, Speight's Brewery.
International: Education Perfect, Farra Engineering, Runaway Play, Tuapeka Gold Print.
Emerging Business: Ezifish Charters Ltd, Flock Consulting, Reno Masters Ltd.
Sustainability and Resilience: Edgewater (Lake Wanaka), Pure New Zealand Ice Cream, Southern Clams Ltd.
Innovation: Animation Research Ltd, Firebrand, Pure Services.
Integrity: Firebrand, Kainic Medical Communications, Mercy Hospital Dunedin Ltd.
Future Business Leader: Contego Systems Ltd, Gilbert's Fine Food, University Book Shop (Otago) Ltd.
Manufacturing and Technology: Education Perfect, The Print Room, Tuapeka Gold Print.
Essential Service Safety: Mercy Hospital Dunedin Ltd, Night 'n Day Foodstores, Pact, Harbour Fish Ltd.
Distribution and Logistics: Mainfreight Ltd, DHL Global Forwarding NZ Ltd, Southern Furniture Movers Ltd.