Warm reception for IMPACT Hall of Fame inductee Frank Seeley
The man who revolutionised air-conditioning, Frank Seeley, received the warmest of receptions when he was last night inducted into the inaugural IMPACT Awards Hall of Fame.
More than 300 of South Australia’s brightest and most innovative minds paid tribute to Seeley International’s founder and chairman, who turned a small cooling business into a global powerhouse.
Thanking his friends and supporters, Seeley acknowledged his wife Kathy and the partnership they created from the beginning as a key ingredient of the company’s success.
“It is with great pleasure that I accept being the inaugural Hall of Famer, and share this amazing accolade with the entire Seeley International team and in particular my wife Kathy, because success can only be achieved through dedicated teamwork and unwavering tenacity over many, many years,” he said.
“There has been a great deal of focus and debate about Australia’s future, and as head of the nation’s largest manufacturer of heating and cooling products which also exports locally-designed and manufactured products to more than 120 countries, I can say that local manufacturers can still enjoy a bright and prosperous future.”
Conversely, Seeley warned South Australian business and government needed to change to adapt to shifts in the business environment.
“However, as an urgent priority, we need to have a different mindset about the way we do business, and in particular, and we must do two things: we must innovate like there is no tomorrow, and we must automate, automate, automate – and then we will have a sustainable manufacturing base that can deliver market-leading products to the rest of the world.
Awards organiser Kimon Lycos said Seeley was a worthy inaugural recipient.
“Frank is an inspirational role model for the South Australian business community, because his ambition and drive has continually led to innovations of global importance.
“He has blazed a trail which has enhanced South Australia’s international reputation for world-class solutions.
“It’s never easy, but Frank has taught us all, that continually producing world-firsts as a standard, means that you can create a global enterprise with its head office right here in South Australia.”
Seeley’s induction into the Hall of Fame capped off a successful debut for the IMPACT Awards, which have placed a spotlight on South Australian companies that have the capability and the ambition to take on the world.
The 2015 IMPACT Award winners are:
Kelly Engineering
More than 80 per cent of Kelly Engineering’s soil tiling machines are exported to North America, Europe, Africa and Asia. Kelly Engineering is providing solutions for broad-acre farms, with a unique disc chain technology to prepare seedbeds and control weeds. Typically, farmers see large gains in efficiencies, with faster and more precise capability to prepare seedbeds. This finalist also provides value by helping farmers to reduce their reliance on herbicides which improves the yield and value of crops. The company has grown from strength to strength with record international sales by providing a mechanical means to deliver operational improvements and control weeds.
Alcidion
This finalist created MIYA, a Realtime Intelligent Decision Support system for clinicians, to prevent death and harm in hospitals. Generating new levels of efficiency and productivity enables clinicians and hospitals to meet the increasing demands on health services world-wide. With systems being installed nationally and internationally, Alcidion is directly affecting how health care is run and providing new capabilities to help stressed healthcare services. The global trend is a rising demand, which is also becoming more complex in nature, with an increase of chronic diseases linked to issues such as ageing populations and obesity.
SpectraQEST
International construction materials companies and construction testing laboratories benefit from implementing SpectraQEST’s platform because it turns data into usable, decision-driving information assets. For the first time in road construction history there is one complete solution that manages quality information for the owner (government), the designer (engineering firm), the construction materials producer and the builder (road builder/head contractor). This solution is becoming the common platform of choice around the world for construction materials handling and testing.
IMPACT Award Hall of Fame inductee 2015
Frank Seeley
