Brisbane-based startup Plungie has capped off a phenomenal year, named a finalist in the Emerging Exporter category at the 2022 Australian Export Awards.
While Plungie did not take home the award, announced at Canberra’s Parliament House on Thursday 24 November, the national honour has trained a global spotlight on the pioneering pool company and delivered exciting new opportunities.
Plungie CEO Cameron Levick congratulated MyVenue for winning the Emerging Exporter category which was hotly contested by eight state and territory finalists including Australian Cattle Enterprises (NT), Bitwise Agronomy (TAS), BixeLab (ACT), MyVenue (SA), Premier Metal Recyclers (WA), The Natural Patch Co. (VIC) and Twisted Healthy Treats (NSW).
Mr Levick said the breadth of the industries represented spoke both to Australia’s strong export market and the creativity and tenacity of Australian businesses making a name for themselves on the world stage.
“What’s remarkable about these finalists is the diversity among them – everybody has a unique product and a unique way of exporting their goods and services to the world,” Mr Levick said.
“The Australian Export Awards really highlights the changing face of Australian exports. There’s a complexity to this sector and it’s exciting for us to be exporting to the world during such a pivotal time.
“I commend MyVenue for the incredible work it is doing strengthening the Australian export sector and the economic contributions it has made.
“I can’t wait to see what the future holds for MyVenue and the other finalists and I look forward to celebrating their respective successes.”
Recognition as a national finalist follows the company’s category win at the 2022 Premier of Queensland’s Export Awards and a boom in operations across the US and New Zealand.
“Our global success is a credit to the Plungie team, from the inventors who created the initial concept to the team who evolved the brand and kept us moving along to those who developed our innovative – and now award-winning – approach to exporting,” Mr Levick said.
Plungie’s pioneering precast concrete plunge pools – available in four designs – are the first of their kind in the world and combine award-winning design with world-class technology.
Since the company was established in Brisbane in 2018, it has grown to become the largest manufacturer of concrete pools in Australia with factories in Brisbane and Kilmore, Victoria.
It exports Australian-made pools directly to New Zealand and in 2020 began exporting its IP, designs and manufacturing knowledge and processes to the USA, establishing a facility in Texas to produce pools for the local market.
With significant growth across Australia, New Zealand and the USA, Plungie is on track to become the largest concrete pool manufacturer in the world.
“We are providing a solution, developed here in Brisbane, to a universal problem faced by builders and homeowners across the world – the cost, time and additional labour involved in installing a pool,” Mr Levick said.
“We’ve spent the past four years developing a smart, sustainable design and streamlining our manufacturing and installation processes to deliver a revolutionary product that is fast, cheap and easy to install by any qualified builder.”
He said the networks Plungie built through its involvement with the Australian Export Awards program and its ongoing relationship with Trade and Investment Queensland (TIQ) would help the company grow and diversify its markets nationally and internationally.
For more information and to view Plungie’s range, visit au.plungie.com