Congratulations to Ryan Carmichael and Darren Schuback, Co-Founders of The Whiskey Project Group who have won our peak award for defence members and their families!
Ryan and Darren have been named The King’s Trust Australia Commonwealth Bank of Australia Business of the Year and the New Mission Award winners.
They are joined by sector winners:
- Dylan Conway, Army Veteran and Founder of Brothers and Books, winner of the Rising Star Award
- Garry Harding, CEO and Co-Founder Founder of EnergyFlex, winner of the Community Impact Award
- Christine Gilchrist, CEO and Co-Founder of Spouse Force, winner of the Defence Family Business Award.
Now in their third year, the Beyond Service Awards recognise the depth and breadth of skills and experience veterans and defence families bring to Australia’s small business landscape.
“Each year we are so impressed with the high calibre of nominations we receive, which speaks to the entrepreneurial spirit within the Australian Defence Force (ADF) community. The introduction of the Rising Star Award highlights the brilliance of young entrepreneurs in the ADF community, who demonstrate remarkable initiative, innovation, and resilience,” said Michelle Endacott, Chief Executive of The King’s Trust Australia.
“We wish to recognise all of our Award nominees for their exemplary efforts in business and as champions for the skills and experiences the Defence community bring to small business.”
Congratulations to the 2024 Beyond Service Award winners
Darren Schuback and Ryan Carmichael, Co-Founders of The Whiskey Project Group, received both the peak award – The Commonwealth Bank of Australia Business of the Year Award and the New Mission Award, which recognises the best application of military skills and experience applied to a civilian business. The New Mission Award is sponsored by Saab Australia.
Named after the call sign for special forces water operators, The Whiskey Project Group was founded just over five years ago by Ryan and Darren, former Australian Navy Clearance Divers. Their mission was to develop the next generation of tactical watercraft that provide optimal performance and protection to those that serve on the front line.
“Transitioning from the military, its one of those journeys where you take of the uniform and you underestimate your skills and experiences” said Ryan, when accepting the award.
“When you’re growing a business your head is often down, you often forget to look up”.
After much research, the Whiskey Multi Mission Reconnaissance Craft, a carbon fibre combat craft with a technically-advanced powerboat hull that reduces the slamming load on the water by 40 per cent to help protect the craft operators was born.
And within five years of launching The Whiskey Project Group, Ryan and Darren had inked a $40m deal with the US Marine Corps.
Today, The Whiskey Project Group is recognised as global leader in Combatant Craft Innovation and Excellence.
Ryan and Darren’s business: https://www.thewhiskeyproject.com.au/
Dylan Conway, Army Veteran and Founder of Brothers and Books, is the winner of the inaugural Rising Star Award. This new category recognises the entrepreneurial excellence of an ADF veteran or spouse aged 35 years or under. It is supported by the Worldwide Support for Development, founded by Dr. Haruhisa Handa.
Dylan was an active, successful infantry officer in the Australian Army when a little-known disease left him bedridden and ate away at his mental health. But one book was all it took to begin to heal mentally and to spark the idea for Brothers and Books, a charity that promotes bibliotherapy – the practice of reading to improve mental health and wellbeing.
Brothers and Books has now set up 100 community libraries, distributed up to 18,000 books throughout Australia and has a social media reach of 150,000 people a month.
“Changing your life could be just one book away and thanks to all of our amazing supporters, community and partner organisations, we’ve donated thousands of them”, said Dylan.
When accepting his Award, Dylan referred to the advice of his mentor, fellow Beyond Service Award nominee Grant Joy, sharing: “If you have a vision or a mission, stay true to it. If you have a vision that’s bigger than money, you can truly do anything.”
Dylan’s business: https://brothersnbooks.com/
Christine Gilchrist, Founder of Spouse Force, is the winner of The Defence Family Business Award, which recognises ADF partners and spouses in business. This award is supported by Adecco Australia.
Spouse Force is a pioneering social enterprise dedicated to transforming the lives of military spouses by providing fully-remote employment opportunities.
“This is the first business I have run. I want to thank King’s Trust Australia, their programmes have made such a difference” Christine shared in her acceptance speech.
Recognising the unique employment challenges that military spouses face due to frequent relocations and the transient nature of military life, Spouse Force was founded to offer flexible, stable, and meaningful employment that can move with them, wherever they are posted.
In their first year of operations, they have provided over 1,000 hours of fully-remote employment to military spouses, and that number continues to grow day-by-day.
But Spouse Force is more than just a service provider, it is also a social enterprise.
“Our business is centred around a social mission: to empower Australian military spouses with stable, fully remote employment,” Christine said.
“By supporting military families, we help maintain workforce continuity and stability in a unique demographic that faces frequent relocations and other challenges associated with military life.
“This commitment extends to how we reinvest our profits, prioritising social impact over profit.”
Christine’s Business: https://spouseforce.com.au/
Garry Harding, Co-Founder of EnergyFlex, is the winner of the Community Impact Award which recognises a veteran or Australian Defence Force partner making a positive impact in the community through business.
This award is supported by the Australian Government Department of Veterans’ Affairs.
EnergyFlex is an Australian-Made, veteran-owned company that is revolutionising how Australians use energy.
The free EnergyFlex app provides a unique rating that measures how well customers use renewable energy sources. This rating, combined with personalised insights and actionable suggestions, helps them shift their energy use towards cheap, clean renewables and calculates the money and carbon emissions they could save in doing so.
“I wouldn’t have been here if it wasn’t for my airforce career and my family. The friends I have made in my career are with me to the end”.
“This award is a career topper to me, it’s an amazing outcome…and I truly appreciate King’s Trust Australia and everything it does for veterans”.
By empowering Australians to embrace energy awareness and flexibility, EnergyFlex is leading the country towards net zero emissions by 2050.
Garry’s business: https://www.energyflex.com.au/
For a full list of the Beyond Service Awards finalists, visit here.
The 2024 Beyond Service Awards are proudly sponsored by Gold Sponsor The
Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Silver Sponsors Saab Australia, Adecco Australia and the Worldwide Support for Development, founded by Dr. Haruhisa Handa; and supported by the Australian Government Department of Veterans’ Affairs.
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ABOUT THE KING’S TRUST AUSTRALIA
The King’s Trust Australia is a national charity that helps young people prepare for the rapidly changing world of work, inspires veterans and their families into entrepreneurship and self-employment, and champions resilient sustainable communities.
Our work is inspired by our Founding President, His Majesty The King, and is driven by his vision for a more sustainable future.
We also work in partnership with our colleagues across The King’s Trust Group, a global network of charities transforming lives and building sustainable communities in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and across the Commonwealth. Together, we promote, support, and inspire people and their communities to flourish.
Since 2015, The King’s Trust Australia has been inspiring veterans and their families with the confidence, skills and networks they need to explore self-employment through the Enterprise Programme.
The programme is guided by an Advisory Council, chaired by General The Honourable David Hurley AC CVO DSC (Ret’d) and attended by Major General Wade Stothart, Head of Military Personnel.
Visit: www.kingstrust.org.au
Celebrating the entrepreneurial achievements of Australia’s veteran and family business community, The King’s Trust Australia is delighted to announce the 2024 Beyond Service Awards winners.
