Here's all the businesses we met during the Canberra Business Challenge
The building industry has no shortage of sustainability ambitions. What it tends to be short on is materials that can meet them, commercially, practically, at scale.
Crafted Hardwoods works with timber resources the industry typically overlooks. Lower-grade material that usually gets redirected toward pulp, fibre or export. Their process transforms those resources into specification-grade hardwood, ready to be used in a wide range of applications for both commercial and residential projects.
It's not recycled, it's not reclaimed. It's upcycled. Recycled timber waits for buildings to come down. Crafted Hardwoods doesn't wait. They take the part of the harvest the industry consistently undervalues and turn it into material that's ready for architecture and design. In a sector facing real supply constraints, that's not a small thing.
Their material is now specified on projects nationwide.
Business Review Group (BRG) is a 100% Veteran-owned Australian SME with 25+ years’ experience delivering specialist consulting, project delivery, and workforce solutions to Defence, Federal Government, and commercial clients nationwide.
Headquartered in Canberra, they provide rapid access to highly skilled, security-cleared professionals (Baseline, NV1, NV2, TSPV) who integrate seamlessly into client environments, delivering immediate capability uplift in complex, high-stakes programs. Their expertise spans program and project management, commercial and procurement advisory, strategic costing and pricing, risk and governance, business transformation, change, and security-cleared workforce deployment.
Recruitment Hive is a specialist federal government ICT recruitment company. While they are based in Canberra and consider it home, they have security Cleared, ICT Contractors delivering services to more than 45 federal government clients in ACT, NSW, Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia, Queensland, Tasmania and the United Kingdom.
It was a pleasure to learn more about how they put great emphasis on transparency, ethical practices, and compliance with legislative mandates and how they are committed to being market-leaders and driving positive change through their unique brand of Canberrability™, to move people and businesses into new and innovative avenues for growth.
Xtreme Protection Group is a 100% Australian-owned company, founded with the vision of providing high-performance, customer-centric services in a safe and fair environment.
Company of Xtremely High standards with a staff and management team with years of Security, Hospitality, Customer Service, and management industry experience. This is what separates Xtreme Protection Group from the competition. Place your most valuable possessions - your peace of mind and sense of security - in the hands of a company that goes out of its way to set and meet high standards of operational excellence.
One of the advantages of operating a smaller more focused business is that you can really focus your efforts and a deliver a quality result in a timely manner. Jayden from Wamarra Homes takes that to a whole new level. He and his team are able to devote their full attention to the build and provide a number of services including carpentry, cladding, metal fencing, roofing and general exterior maintenance as well as handling the behind the scenes admin of councils, permits and the like under a single process.
A reliable partner for a cleaner, greener Australia
Since 1997, Gecko Cleantech® has been a family-owned Australian business renowned for supplying innovative environmental solutions from its warehouse in Goulburn. Offering same-day dispatch and next-day delivery to most of Australia's eastern seaboard. This rapid service is particularly valuable for minimising downtime in civil construction and other time-critical operations.
Gecko's experienced team provides practical, tailored advice to help customers select the most effective products for their specific risks, reducing both costs and pollution
One of the best things about the Canberra Business Challenge is the opportunity to meet people that have an innovative and community focused approach in their work, such as Sarah Richards; a proud Ngiyampaa woman, Productivity Strategist, Creative Lead and Founder of Marrawuy Journeys.
Sarah's approach focuses on an innovative framework that blends evidence-based productivity and leadership practices with Aboriginal ways of knowing, being and doing that helps leaders and teams identify what's getting in the way of their impact, strengthens sustainable ways of working and builds high-performing, connected workplaces.