MULTIPLE small businesses located across the Western Plains and the people running them have been recognised for their excellent business acumen at a regional scale.

Last week, Business NSW announced the finalists of the 2022 Western NSW Business Awards, which included nominees from Cobar, Lightning Ridge and Coonamble.

Now in its 10th year, the Western NSW Business Awards recognise growth, entrepreneurship, and celebrates business success and resilience across a dozen categories.

While the majority of the finalists are located in larger regional towns, Regional Manager - Western NSW at Business NSW Vicki Seccombe said it was great to see a large cross section of businesses located across the region.

"Whilst we generally expect to see finalists from our main centres in Western NSW, we are excited to see finalists from our smaller communities including Cobar, Lightning Ridge, Canowindra, Tomingley, Oberon and Grenfell," Ms Seccombe said.

"Based on the calibre of this year’s finalists, I expect that our regional winners will again do very well at the State Business Awards."

One of the youngest finalists in this year's awards is 18-year-old Bree Martin from Cobar who's business Envy Beauty By Bree has been nominated in the 'Outstanding Young Business Leader' category.

Ms Martin said her beauty salon business has been around for just over a year after spotting a gap in the market in her area which has meant her work is more or less non-stop.

"I actually had one night where I spent 14 hours doing book work and paper work, it's definitely a big job, especially for someone who's still in high school," Ms Martin said with a laugh.

"However, I definitely wouldn't change anything. I love it and I have a strong connection with my clients."

ABOVE: High school student/beauty entrepreneur Bree Martin from Cobar is one of the youngest regional business owners to have made the finals. Image supplied.

Ms Martin said she had no idea who would have nominated her for the business awards, and was even more shocked when she found out she was a finalist.

"I'd had a pretty bad week at the time so when I found out, it made me feel like it was all worth it, like I was actually doing something," she said.

Another Cobar business owner nominated is Anni van der Westhuizen, who's business Anni's Arts & Crafts is up for the 'Excellence in Micro Business' award.

Ms van der Westhuizen's shop offers a wide range of products, from homewares, to DIY hardware, to imported clothes.

She said she first set up her business at the end of 2016 after moving to Cobar with her husband from Perth, where she had previously set up three shops.

"Not long after I moved here, I moved into a block of four shops on the main street. I started in one and then started to expand into others as they came up until I took over the last one when the chemist left last year," she said.

"I think we've grown as far as we have because we have a lot of local support and we also support local. When I first started, I was on my own but now have staff so it's also good to provide work for local people."

Ms van der Westhuizen considers supporting local the key to her success in business.

She employs several locals to work in her stores and just last year purchased the local newsagent when it was in danger of closing down.

While her business has previously been recognised at her own local business awards, Ms van der Westhuizen said she was very excited to find out she had been named as a finalist in the region.

ABOVE: Cobar business owner Anni van der Westhuizen was so proud to be named as a finalist, she made up a special badge for herself and her staff to wear in the shop. Image supplied.

Further east, similarly excited to hear they have made the finals are Vicki Bokros and Andrew Kemeny, who own and operate Down to Earth Opals in Lightning Ridge which is nominated for the 'Excellence in Small Business' award.

Down to Earth Opals was first established by Mrs Bokros in 1991 while she was working full time in the mines with her first husband after she learnt how to cut opals from a local expert.

"I'm originally from the Gold Coast so I'm first generation in the gem industry but after 30 years, I now have a lot of experience in reading raw materials for a lot of different fields in Lightning Ridge," Mrs Bokros said.

"The thing about the business as it's evolved over the years is that Vicki has always had an aspiration to create the best of the best," Mr Kemeny added.

"It's very easy to move to a country town and accept being mediocre but Vicki has always strived for perfection even when she was early in her opal career."

Due to the application process for their category, Mr Kemeny and Mrs Bokros actually applied for the Western NSW Business Awards themselves. However, they said finding out they were finalists was still a surreal experience.

"It was really one of those things when you hit the submit button to put your best foot forward and then don't really think about it, so when the email came into our inbox, we were absolutely stoked," Mr Kemeny said.

For Mrs Bokros, however, she said she takes just as much pride in the fact that her business has survived through COVID and is one of multiple attractions which will help bring visitors back to the Ridge.

"Based on the feedback we've been getting locally, just based on what we've achieved and delivered in Lightning Ridge, regardless of the outcome, we've won," she said.

The Coonamble Chamber of Commerce has also been named as one of two finalists in the 'Outstanding Local Chamber of Commerce' category.

Winners of the 2022 Western NSW Business Awards will be announced at a Gala Dinner and Award Celebration on Friday 22 July in Dubbo.

They will then represent the region at the State Business Awards which will be held in November.