Earlier this year, I was asked to enter EBOSS in the AUT Business School Excellence in Business Support Awards. A robust process, the application required a thorough review of EBOSS's operating principles, ethos and approach in running a business that provides support and services to different sectors of the building industry.

Now in its 12th year, the Excellence in Business Support Awards is the only national performance measure for business support organisations. It recognises and celebrates organisations and individuals that deliver quality products and services to help small, medium and large businesses maximise their potential. The AUT Business School believes that providing excellence in business support is pivotal in enhancing business excellence in New Zealand. With such support, organisations are able to become more competitive and more sustainable, improving their key points of difference — an important consideration in today’s ever-competitive business market — and the building industry is no exception.

Applications were assessed on Criteria for Performance Excellence as used by the NZ Business Excellence Foundation. The finalists were chosen after a rigorous and objective evaluation by the New Zealand Business Excellence Foundation (NZBEF) which manages the awards evaluation process.

The building industry was well represented across the individual categories, with MasterSpec, BCITO, Chancellor Construction and EBOSS all listed as finalists. Previous winners have included Jasmax (2016) and AJ Park (2015).

I'm proud to announce that EBOSS won its category — Sales and Marketing Support (<$5m T/O). Read the full press release here.

As an organisation offering quality B2B support to other organisations, it was an honour to have EBOSS recognised as a true market leader in business support for the industry. Evaluator's comments included:

“A key strength of this business is the position in the marketplace being a preferred supplier by a large proportion of the industry the business serves. Coupled with this is the place of respect that the business has in the market. The business owners are thoughtful and creative, bringing to the market services that are needed both by the specifiers and the product suppliers. EBOSS adds significant value by providing online services and events for sharing of product knowledge.

The number of web site sessions, and the amount of web content viewed has increased significantly year on year for the last four years, as has revenue per employee and profits. These performances are above industry averages.

The construction industry being served is in growth and increasingly dealing with growing international product supply chains. EBOSS is repositioning itself as a specifier marketing channel and increasing opportunities across different segments in the market. Service offerings are being extended to connect with a wider spectrum of specifiers.”

EBOSS is very privileged to receive such strong industry support and remains committed to continue working with the wider industry to support the design and construction of quality buildings in today's challenging environment.