A million-dollar regional franchise has beaten almost 100 other stores to the title of Signarama's leading business.
Signarama Tuggerah received the Most Valuable Player Award ahead of 96 other franchises, six years after being founded as a greenfield site by Tim Andersen.
[Photos: Drinks and awards]
Andersen said the nine-staff signage shop had achieved $1 million in sales for the first time in 2012 and had also passed that mark this calendar year.
"I think the thing we've been lucky with is that we've had continued steady growth. We've grown about 20% per year and that has helped to be able to plan and put staff on at appropriate times," he told ProPrint.
The New South Wales franchise, which is located just north of Gosford, was also named Signarama's Regional Store of the Year in 2011.
Andersen said his success had been driven by hard work, an "absolute determination that I wasn't going to fail", adherence to Signarama's systems and a strong focus on sales.
He said he'd had to work especially hard in the early days when he did a mix of sales, production, installation and office work, but had since been able to reduce his workload because he was now mainly involved with sales.
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He added that he would probably take on a more strategic role in the future.
"I'm at a crossroads at the moment. The business is probably at a stage where I need to let go of some of the sales," he said.
"I'm probably getting to the stage where I need to put on another salesperson, and concentrate on the top-ten customers and concentrate on fixing up workplace practices that I can see dipping because I haven't had the time to focus on them."
Andersen told ProPrint he had no print or signage experience when he founded the business.
The franchise spent its first five years at a 285sqm leased shop and then moved into its own 360sqm site in 2012. It runs a Roland DG wide-format device, HP latex printer, Summa plotter and Royal Sovereign laminator, he said.
Andersen received his award at Signarama's biennial conference in Adelaide. Regional franchises claimed 10 of the 18 awards.
WINNERS LIST
Most valuable player
Tuggerah, New South Wales
Marketing achievement
Burleigh Heads, Queensland
Team player
Casino, New South Wales
Customer service
Boronia, Victoria
Mentor of the year
Peter Reading, Bendigo, Victoria
Regional store of the year
Wollongong, New South Wales
Management award
Bankstown, New South Wales
Overall improvement
Osborne Park, Western Australia
Rookie of the year
Albury-Wodonga, New South Wales
Vehicle graphics – vinyl only
Wollongong, New South Wales
Vehicle wraps – full digital
North Manly, New South Wales
Vehicle wraps – combination digital & vinyl
Casino, New South Wales
3D/router output
Gympie, Queensland
Electrical – neon & illuminated
City North, New South Wales
In-house design concept
Joondalup, Western Australia
Statutory & directional
Bendigo, New South Wales
Self-promotion
Bankstown, New South Wales
Digital printing
Bankstown, New South Wales
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