PACK & SEND Canning Vale is in a state of celebration after being awarded Franchisee of the Year in the Franchise Council of Australia's (FCA) Excellence in Franchising Awards for Western Australia.
PACK & SEND Canning Vale franchisee Brad Witheridge and partner Natalie Silvay were crowned Franchisee of the Year in the category 'Single Unit Franchisee of the Year - Less than Two Staff' at the black tie event on Friday 14 August at the Parmelia Hilton in Perth.
Brad and Natalie were surprised and humbled to have received the award, which makes them eligible for the national award, and after five years working as part of the PACK & SEND network said the award was encouraging and incredibly motivating for them.
"We definitely didn't go into the awards expecting to come out with a trophy - for us, it was just rewarding to have been nominated. The fact that we've been named a WA Franchisee of the Year is still sinking in a little bit," Brad said. "It's really motivating to win an award of this calibre. It's given Natalie and myself another reason to continue striving to be the best we possibly can be and give our customers the best possible service."
After spending five years working in juvenile corrections, Brad had a hunger to pursue a different career path that was both rewarding and allowed him to work for himself. PACK & SEND appealed to Brad and his partner, Natalie, as an established business with a strong track record. Brad and Natalie have been with the network for five years now, and in the 2014/15 financial year, their sales grew 8.5% on the previous year, elevating them into the top 10 PACK & SEND stores in Australia.
"What I love about working with PACK & SEND, aside from being able to run our own business, is being able to solve problems and help people achieve things they wouldn't be able to otherwise. Being able to use the skills I've developed over the past five years and use PACK & SEND's wide logistics network in order to help our customers is the reason we get up and come to work every day - it's very rewarding," Brad said.
The award was judged on highly selective criteria, including business planning and performance, systems management, franchise citizenship, openness to learning and change, and community contribution.
PACK & SEND CEO, Michael Paul, said he was incredibly proud of PACK & SEND Canning Vale for being nominated for the award. "We're always very excited when one of our franchisees takes out an award. It's estimated there are more than 6,000 franchise business units operating in Western Australia, so it just shows how remarkable Brad and Natalie are at running a successful and profitable local business," Paul said.
"From everyone at PACK & SEND, we'd like to extend our congratulations to Brad and Natalie at PACK & SEND Canning Vale on taking home such a prestigious award, and wish them the best of luck for the National Award."
PACK & SEND Canning Vale will now compete for the title of National Franchisee of the Year at the MYOB FCA Excellence in Franchising National Awards Gala Dinner, held in Surfers Paradise at the RACV Royal Pines Resort on October 13, 2015.