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    Proudly South African Homegrown Awards winners

    Fifteen member companies were honoured for their achievement in proactively embracing the challenges presented by the rainbow nation at the Proudly South African Homegrown Awards 2004. The very first ceremony, held in Johannesburg, was fittingly opened by President Thabo Mbeki whose speech focused on building a sense of national pride amongst businesses.

    The President stressed that while there are many companies of all types and sizes in our country who all understandably share the desire for profit, some distinguish themselves by consciously also caring about creating other types of wealth: creating and improving opportunities for women; mentoring and empowering informal and early stage businesses; improving and encouraging job creation, as well as the involvement of employees.

    The Homegrown Awards were created to showcase the achievements of Proudly South African members and the diverse spectrum of South African companies, large and small, whose dynamism and innovation display a positive contribution to local sustainable growth. Adjudicated by a representative panel of Proudly South African leaders from business, government and the community, the competition attracted an impressive 368 submissions from 198 SME companies and 25 corporates, and included a multitude of resourceful innovations with a rousing sense of entrepreneurship.

    From this list, 38 finalists were chosen before the judges went on to select nine winners from the corporate category (150 employees or more) and 10 from the SME (of less than 150 employees) category.

    The winners of the Homegrown Awards 2004 (see attached profiles for contact details):

    CORPORATE WINNERS

    Company of the YearNational Brands
    Retailer of the YearGalaxy & Co. Jewellery
    Pick 'n Pay
    Employer of the YearNational Brands Limited
    Service of the YearKaran Beef (Pty) Ltd
    Product of the YearG.U.D Filters
    Exporter of the YearNo Award
    Innovator of the YearMustek
    Marketer of the YearIrvin & Johnson Ltd
    Bridging the Divide AwardPick 'n Pay
    Employee of the YearNo Award

    SME WINNERS

    Company of the YearDe Wetshof Estate
    Retailer of the YearNo Award
    Employer of the YearNo Award
    Service of the YearBenefit Recovery Services
    Product of the YearRoth Medical
    Exporter of the YearEnviron
    Innovator of the YearRoth Medical Components
    Marketer of the YearFirst Pharm Pharmaceuticals
    Bridging the Divide AwardStreetwires Artists Collective
    Cora's Costumes
    Lusi Express Service
    Employee of the YearAlthea Williams,
    First Pharm Pharmaceuticals

    Guests at the awards included President Thabo Mbeki, Minister Mandisi Mpahlwa, Minister of Trade and Industry, Tim Modise, Chairman of Proudly South African, Board members of Proudly South African and founder sponsors, representatives from NEDLAC, Ronnie Watson, CEO of WesBank a major Homegrown Awards sponsor, finalists in the Proudly South African Homegrown Awards as well as representatives of business, government, labour and the broader community amongst others.

    "The Homegrown Awards is a unique opportunity for Proudly South African members to be recognised and profiled as Proudly South African achievers," said Phillip Dexter, acting Executive Director of Proudly South African.

    Dexter added that the judges had to work hard to ensure the entrants' products and activities truly supported the mission and values of Proudly South African. "It's one thing to be innovative and successful as a local company, but we wanted to see how the companies were using Proudly South African to 'flag' their achievements," he said.

    He noted that the qualities that singled out the winners from the rest of the high calibre entries were their creative use of the Proudly South African brand, and their emphasis on local content and promoting a Proudly South African mindset. "The Homegrown Awards winners have been singled out for the contribution they have made to the promotion of South African innovation, employment, exports and consumer choice," he said in conclusion.

    Homegrown Awards 2004 winners were presented with handcrafted wire creations made by Cape-based wire and sculpture company, Streetwires Artists Collective. Each trophy is a unique work of art modelled on a three-dimensional rendition of the Homegrown logo. As one of the first members of the Proudly South African campaign, it is fitting that the trophies were made by Streetwires. Each trophy is special in its own way - it has its own personality and a unique story to tell - just like the person or team it has been awarded to. The trophies were presented by WesBank CEO Ronnie Watson and Proudly South African founders sponsors: SA Airways, Telkom, Eskom, PetroSA, Barloworld and Old Mutual.

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