PETALING JAYA: Perseverance, hard work and thinking out of the box are some of the hallmarks of success, said top winners of the coveted The Star Outstanding Business Awards 2011 (SOBA 2011).
“Our company’s motto is to think differently from our competitors and persevere during tough times. Besides being different, we do not give up easily and always strive to do better. We also adopt some of the best practices in the industry and provide attractive benefits to our employees,” said Vista Laser Eye Center Sdn Bhd CEO Lim Boon Siong.
A total of 27 awards in 11 categories were presented at the SOBA 2011 ceremony held at the Royale Chulan Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday. Eight were platinum awards, 10 gold and nine silver. There were a total of 115 entries from 83 companies this year.
Vista Laser, which offers eye correction procedures, clinched the premier Business of the Year Platinum Award. It also won a platinum for Best Employer. Last year, the company won the gold award in the Best Employer category.
The platinum awards for Environment and Rising Star categories were won by Thumbprints Utd Sdn Bhd and KK Supermart & Superstore Sdn Bhd respectively, while Westports Malaysia Sdn Bhd clinched platinum awards for the Technology/ICT and Community categories.
Thumbprints Utd managing director Tam Wah Fiong said it was making the environment a priority in its business practices, adding that it had plans to expand into other countries, especially India and Indochina.
KK Supermart & Superstore Sdn Bhd chairman Datuk Dr Douglas KK Chai said: “Winning this award carries a lot of weight. In terms of expansion, the sky is the limit in terms of how far we want to go,” adding that the company aimed to expand locally and overseas.
For the Entrepreneur of the Year category, Nehemiah Reinforced Soil Sdn Bhd won the platinum. Its managing director Dr Nehemiah Lee Chee Hai said: “I am humbled and honoured with this win. I will like to thank my management team as this proves that our hard work has paid off. It’s because of them that I have won this award.
“Currently, we have set up businesses in India, Bangladesh and Singapore. We have just ventured into Indonesia and hope to take our business to Australia next year,” he added.
SOBA 2011, which is into its second year, is organised by The Star with Exim Bank as presenter and BMW Malaysia as gold sponsor. It is supported by Bursa Malaysia and audited by BDO.
The Royale Chulan Kuala Lumpur is the official hotel partner and Bernama TV the official TV news partner. Shang Hai is the official business magazine while 988FM is the official radio station.