Canowindra businesses and community services are well represented among the near record nominations received for this year’s event.

Voting opened on Friday August 11 and can be completed online at a dedicated website www.daroobusinessawards.com.au until 5pm Friday September 15, 2017.

This year’s event promises to be one of the best in the Daroos’ 18-year history after 230 individual nominations were received across 17 categories. Many businesses received multiple nominations in each category, bringing the total number of nominations to 654.

Winners in 14 categories will be decided by popular vote, with three awards – Best Business in Cabonne, Employee of the Year and Apprentice/Trainee of the Year – to be determined by a panel of independent judges.

A new category was added this year to recognise businesses fostering disability inclusion.

Central West Business HQ Chief Executive and Daroo Awards Committee Chairman Bruce Buchanan was delighted with the response from customers and clients who nominated businesses they believed should be recognised.

Mr Buchanan said the Daroos were acknowledged as one of the major events on the regional business calendar and a model for business awards in rural Australia.

“These awards recognise the achievements and contributions of Cabonne businesses and their employees,” he said.

“I urge all those people who nominated businesses to go to the website now, check out the finalists in each category and vote for their preferred businesses or organisations.”

People without computer or internet access should contact the Central NSW HQ on 6362 0448 or Cabonne Council on 6392 3200 and a voting form will be mailed to them with a replay paid envelope.

The finalists are:

Best New Business (under 3 years) – Frock On, B & C Roberts Rural Contracting, Sweetness Your Lolly Shop, Delice Coffee, Booful Gifts & Homeware, On The Grime Cleaning, Canowindra Creative Centre, Country Designs, MBC Molong, QT Beauty, Capped Cakes - Cumnock, Timber Tales Coffee, Studio 1991.

Best Ongoing Business (4+ years) – taste Canowindra, PCW Construction, Fencing 1, Molong Ready-Mix Concrete,Balloon Joy Flights, Magic's Meats, IGA Canowindra, Hillside Harvest, Freemasons Hotel, Porchs Preg Testing, Leanne Pearce Dogwash, Minna-Murra Building Supplies, Robert Radburn Mobile Mechanical Repairs, MSM Milling, Eugowra Newsagency & Supermarket, Manildra Store, Cumnock General Store, John's Fruitful Pruning, Molong Tyre & Mechanical, Cargo Store, Canowindra Phoenix, Molong Bakery, Molong Newsagency, YBM.

Best Home-Based Business – B&C Roberts Rural Contracting, Scrapbox Designs, Meeraboo Candles, Flowers by Kerry, Capped Cakes, Louie Lee, Greenwood Designs, Robert Radburn Mobile Mechanical Repairs, Country Designs, Beauty by Andrea, Balloon Joy Flights, Leanne Pearce Dogwash.

Excellence in Hospitality – Molong Bakery, Manildra Bowling Club, Delice Coffee, Cargo Inn, Freemasons Hotel, Capped Cakes - Cumnock, Timber Tales Coffee, Molong BP, Sweetness Your Lolly Shop, Soldiers on Riddell Bistro, Be Tempted, Old Vic Inn, Grantham House, Cargo Store.

Excellence in Accommodation – Montrose House, The Old School House Molong, Old Redbank Cottage, Molong Caravan Park, Old Vic Inn, Grantham House.

Excellence in Marketing, Advertising & Communications –  Adloyalty, First National Real Estate, Cumnock Progress Review, Kirsten Holman, MSM Milling, Molong Online, Canowindra Phoenix, Manildra Matters, Cargo Store.

Excellence in Tourism Business –  MSM Milling, Hillside Harvest, Heifer Station Wine, The Old School House Molong, Balloon Joy Flights, Age of Fishes Museum - Canowindra, Coco Harvest, Adloyalty Discover The Riches Campaign, Sweetness Your Lolly Shop, Cargo Store, AMUSU Theatre.

Excellence in Environmental Enhancement – Caldwell Molong, DoLittle Farm, Little River Landcare Group, MSM Milling.

Excellence in Sustainable Agriculture – Hillside Harvest, Jones Bros GJ Gibson Fencing, Agwise Cudal, BRALCA, Carbeen Pastured Produce, Wallington Wines, Little River Landcare, Rural Centre Molong, Rosnay Organics, Heifer Station Wine, JAD Agriculture, Ag N Vet - Cumnock, MSM Milling, Cumulus Vineyard.

Excellence in Service Operations - Small Entity (0-5 employees) – Manildra First Responders, Molong Massage, Coco Harvest, Hillside Harvest, John's Fruitful Pruning, Cumnock General Store, Gaskill Greens, Porchs Preg Testing, Molong Post Office, Eugowra Newsagency and Supermarket, Clearwater Tanks, Fencing 1, Flowers by Kerry, Country Designs, Sweetness Your Lolly Shop, Molong Newsagency, Cargo General Store, Magic's Meats.

Excellence in Service Operations Large Entity (6+ employees) – Canowindra Phoenix, Molong Health One, Cargo Inn, Molong Pharmacy, Molong Bakery, GJ Gibson Fencing, MSM Milling, YBM, Molong Early Learning Centre, Canowindra Pre-School & Kindergarten, Lawrence's IGA, Fencing 1.

Contribution to Cabonne - Community Organisation – Manildra First Responders, Canowindra Golf Club, Molong Hospital Auxiliary, Canowindra Pre-School & Kindergarten, Long White Lunch, Molong Advancement Group, CWA Canowindra, Tractor Trek Group, Molong Hockey Club, Molong Swim Club, Cargo Men's Shed, Cumnock Progress Association, HACC Canowindra, Canowindra Creative Centre, Canowindra Challenge Inc, Manildra Men's Shed, Molong CWA, MADIA.

Contribution to Cabonne - Business –  Age of Fishes Museum, Canowindra Balloon Challenge, MSM Milling, John's Fruitful Pruning, Hillside Harvest, Adloyalty, Balloon Joy Flights, Cargo Store, Acacia Lodge, Cumnock General Store.

Business Fostering Disability Inclusion – Canowindra Creative Centre, Delice Coffee, Fencing One, First National Real Estate.