Chic and Antique has won the overall Business Excellence Award in the annual Dungog and District Chamber of Commerce 2018 Business Awards.
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A sell out crowd attended the annual gala awards night on Saturday at the Dungog Memorial RSL Club.
The top award, along with a joint win in the Outstanding New Business category (with Chic Clothing Company) has put a huge smile on Chic and Antique owners Chris and Greg Ahearn’s faces after a tough year in a new business.
The couple lost Chris’s mother Wendy in February after a long illness.
“I stopped painting for a little while and my wonderful husband Greg kept slogging away,” she said of the Dowling Street store’s up-cycled furniture creations.
Mrs Ahearn thanked the Chamber for the event and her friend Jo-Ann Thomas who helps with her vignettes.
Mrs Ahearn’s foray into business started when she needed extra money to clear a large vet bill she accrued while caring for abandoned horses which also earned her Dungog Shire Citizen of the Year for 2015.
Jim Olsen was inducted into the Chamber’s Hall of Fame and Norris IT won the Chamber Members’ Award.
Izaac Cook from Lovey’s Grocers IGA Clarence Town was named Outstanding Employee aged under 25 with two runners up – Tiffany Bailey from NAB Dungog and Ruby Lynch from The Boutique on Grey Street.
Amanda Gilmour from Barrington Bakery was named Outstanding Employee over 25 with runners up Len Argent from Lovey’s Grocers IGA Dungog and Shaun Gordon from Clarence Town Bowling Sport and Recreation Club Ltd.
Other catergory winners were:
Tourism and Hospitality Award – Flying Duck Cafe with runner up Bluegums Cabins.
Rural Producers and Manufacturing and Industry Award – Just Been Laid with runner up William's Dairy Pty Ltd
Professional Services Award – Perception Planning Pty Ltd with runner up Joeys Pre-School and Early Learning Centre.
Trades and Construction Award – Hannan Build Pty Ltd. and runner up Wayne Smedley Plumbing.
Retail Award – Paterson Service Station, Automotive Repairs & River Café. Runner up Dungog by Design.
Customer Service Award – Dungog Pizza with the runners up – Dungog Veterinary Hospital and Vacy General Store, Café Gifts and LPO.
Environment and Sustainability (Golden Axe) Award – Boomerang Bags with runners up Clarence Town Pre-School and Dungog Waste Management Facility- Dungog Shire Council.
Outstanding New Business Award – Chic and Antique and Chic Clothing Co. Runner up – Abby Rose The Label.
Community Sector Award – Clarence Town and District Progress Association Inc with runner up Dungog Shire Palliative Care Volunteers Inc.