THE Star Business Awards (SOBA) 2014 has been launched and as part of the publicity campaign, the first Learning Series workshop will kick off at the Star Northern Hub in Penang on Tuesday.

This is the perfect opportunity to find out about the entry procedures and also gain useful lessons from entrepreneurs.

And the bonus for this Penang workshop is that there will also be a session on the Goods and Services Tax (GST), an issue which is of concern to every one including business people as the GST is set to be implemented on April 1.

The main speaker at the workshop is PKT Logistics Group Sdn Bhd chief executive officer Datuk Michael Tio (pic) whose presentation promises to be interesting and inspirational.

In an interview with StarBizWeek earlier this year, Michael spoke about how PKT was established by his father Datuk Tio Sook Keo in 1974. At the time, the company was known as Port Klang Trading and operated out of a terrace house in Port Klang.

Michael took over the company in 1996 after returning from his studies in the UK. The company at the time was operating from a shoplot with an annual turnover of RM2mil.

Today, PKT Logistics sits on a sprawling RM160mil state-of-the art centre known as the ‘one logistics hub’ which spans over 27 acres in Shah Alam. The company currently generates an annual turnover of RM500mil.

PKT Logistics won the most prestigious Malaysian Business of the Year award at SOBA 2012 while Tio also won the Entrepreneur of the Year Award.

The second session will see a presentation by auditing firm BDO (tax) executive director Lee Boon Hooi. The topic is titled ‘GST: Common Challenges and Pitfalls’ and workshop participants will get the chance to clear their doubts on what GST is about.

The workshop is open to the public from various organisations, mainly from up-and-coming non-listed local companies and small-and-medium enterprises, who are keen to pick up tips to take their business to the next level.

The SOBA Learning Series aims to drive excellence and success among entrepreneurs, enrich the knowledge and sharpen the business acumen of the working force, and offer participants the opportunity for business and social networking.

Then, he has the annual company’s management trip to faraway places (such as Alaska, the Rocky Mountains last year and Kenya and Tanzania, the year before).