The city's businesses shone at the 21st Hunter Region Business Excellence Awards presentations at Maitland Town Hall on Friday night.
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Businesses from throughout the Hunter competed for top honours with written submissions and site judging.
The winner of the highest award - Business of the Year - was Hummingbird Electronics, based at Taylors Beach. The business also won the Excellence in Innovation award and its principal, Norman Ballard, was named Business Leader of the Year.
Hummingbird Electronics makes specialist electronic devices and ships them world-wide.
And Mr Ballard is known for employing young people with Asperger's syndrome, who often have difficulty finding meaningful employment.
Award winners:
Arts Craft Giveware - Sue Linton Artist
Hospital & Tourism - Cups 'N' Crepes, Morpeth
Internet Based - Jezz Web
Hairdressing - winner - Bare Knuckle Barber, Newcastle; highly commended - Inspirations Hair Design, Maitland
Retail - MV Solar, Denman
Business Services - winner - Gascoigne Consulting, East Maitland; highly commended - Riskology, Telarah
Health Services - Kirkwood's Institute of Karate, Rutherford
Construction Home Improvement - winner - Newcastle Security; highly commended - Valley Electrical, Thornton
Financial & Real Estate - LJ Hooker, Cessnock
Not-for-Profit - Newcastle MBA Training & Personnel
Homebased - Body & Mind 2000
Excellence in Innovation - Hummingbird Electronics, Taylors Beach
Newstart Business under 2 years - two winners - Cristen Cable, Kiss Marketing and Katrina Pridmore, Learning For Life Child Care and Preschool, Maitland
Environmental Excellence - Banjo's Bushland Retreat, Vacy
NEIS Business of the Year - Lamb's Electrical, Aberglasslyn
Customer Service - Bliss Beauty & Body, New Lambton
Young Entrepreneur - Courtney Turton of Oxygen All Stars, Rutherford
Business Woman of the Year - Amanda Gascoigne, Gasgoigne Consulting, East Maitland
Business Leader of the Year - Norman Ballard, Hummingbird Electronics
Business of the Year - Hummingbird Electronics