We had a chat to Allan Shackleton from nabbusiness Nowra in celebration of their generosity – supporting the 2018 Shoalhaven Business Awards as our Excellence in Small Business sponsor. The 2018 Shoalhaven Business Awards Committee is proud and incredibly grateful to welcome these guys back on board for yet another successful year. The conversation we shared is a great example of how local businesses are connecting and collaborating in support of the Shoalhaven Community.
Why did you choose to sponsor your award category?
All things business is something ‘nabbusiness’ does well and has done so for a long time. The Nowra team have been extensively involved with the Awards in the past and for me personally, this will be the 10th year of involvement – and when I say involvement, it’s not just writing a cheque and turning up.
Being the sponsor of Excellence in Small Business is a category close to our heart. It’s our ‘bread n butter’ so to speak. Small business is the heart of the Shoalhaven, NSW and Australia. As one of the major 4 banks, we have a responsibility to foster and support our local business community. This is what sponsoring the Awards means to us as a local business and why we continue to do what we do.
Our theme this year is Connect, Communicating & Collaborating to create meaningful relationships for a sustainable, vibrant & profitable business community. How does your business work to connect the Shoalhaven Community?
Our relationship model centres around our clients. We directly support our clients with a sound banking relationship and provide access to funding as a means of helping our clients achieve their goals. This fosters economic growth within the region and works to connect the local community.
How does your business differ from its competitors?
In a couple of words – ‘Our people.’ Our team here in Nowra are local, experienced, committed and caring. Collectively, we have 244 years of experience!
What are your business’ core values and how do you uphold these?
Passion for customers – Putting ourselves in our customers’ shoes, finding and delivering the right solutions for them and fixing things quickly if we get them wrong.
Win together – Going the extra mile for our customers and people and never losing sight of our goals.
Be bold – We aren’t afraid to ask the tough questions and try something different. We back ourselves and are accountable for our actions.
Respect for people – We have real conversations with people, always showing respect and courage. We embrace the things that make us all different and encourage an inclusive culture.
Do the right thing – We make good decisions for our customers, people and communities, even when it’s difficult.
What value do you think the Business Awards brings to the region?
The fact that the Shoalhaven Awards are aligned with both the Illawarra and State Awards assists in promoting our local area without doubt. The actions the Business Chamber itself has undertaken on behalf of the local community in the past also supports this. I think with an ever growing world of technological advancements and multiple road improvements closing the gap between us and Sydney, I see the Shoalhaven as an area which is only going to improve both socially and economically.
Why do you believe it is important for people to enter the Awards?
Reflection and time spent looking within the business is a process I encourage my clients to do. The Awards allow this to be done in a way where this occurs with the benefit of additional exposure. I believe acknowledging our local businesses is critical to the overall success of the community.
Thanks for the chat, Al! And on behalf of the Shoalhaven Business Awards Committee, thank you for your continued support.
