Cool Company Awards 2012

After 16 years as a police officer, Randall Smith, co-founder of Churchill Education, was forced to leave his former career due to post-traumatic stress disorder. He and his wife/co-founder Tricia Velthuizen. Forged a pact to get well at all costs. The positive outgrowth of the life-altering situation is manifested in Churchill Education, Australia's number one authority in the field of Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL).

CQ Nurse was borne out of the idea of filling deficits in remote, rural, and regional nursing facilities across Australia. Since its initial launch in 2002, the company has met with that goal and expanded into the areas of workplace health, immunisation, community, and in-home care. Other offerings from CQ Nurse include online education, both free and paid, aimed at community and workplace wellness.

ReSource Environmental Solutions began because founder Chris O'Brien wanted to tackle the problem of waste accumulation before it arrived at the landfill. Think of RES as a 'waste broker': it manufactures smart machines that break down materials and sort disposable from reusable, organic from non, to boost recycling and contain carbon output.

Inventium does more than instruct other businesses on how to be creative -- it gives them the tools to detect and predict creative thinking in their employees and recruits. The sharpest tool in the box is the Inventium Creative Aptitude Test (ICAT), the world's first developed psychometric test.

Fillim is an on-demand video-streaming service for independent filmmakers and film lovers. If you're a wannabe auteur, it only takes a few minutes to upload your film and distribute it, free of charge. Meanwhile, audiences have access to film festivals around the world.

The Messenger Group was started in 2001 by (drum roll please!) Lisa Messenger. The fatefully named CEO had decided to write a book and donate the proceeds. Realising a shortcoming in the Australian publishing offerings, Messenger found a way to fuse corporate sponsorship and publishing, ultimately getting her book funded.

Vinomofo has an ambitious mission: to create a new generation of wine consumers far removed from the effete, bourgeois, oloroso –sipping Frasier Cranes with whom the pastime has long been associated. Since its initial launch in 2007, Vinomofo has endeavoured to bring people and wine together as a source of good wines and engaging customer service practices.

Awesomely Australian are the words that spring to mind when it comes to qualify the coolness of Bay & Fyfe. The company takes the artwork of Aussie artist Daimon Downey and applies it to lush silk scarves. The result? An artistic statement to wear round your neck that is basically an Australian exclusive. Cool points? Cha-ching!