Winner: Owen Guns
Thank you to the Chamber of Commerce for this award. At Owen Guns, we’re proud to manufacture our very own spring-return bolt action rifles in various calibres. In simple terms, these rifles offer rapid firing and are designed for both reliability and durability. Our flagship model, the Genesis, is often described as being ‘built like a tank’.
The Genesis has undergone all the standard tests you’d expect—firing with every type of ammunition—but we took it even further. To truly test its durability, we subjected it to some extreme conditions: we threw it down a staircase, submerged it in mud, and even drove over it with Ron’s truck. It’s safe to say it passed with flying colors.
I’d also like to take a moment to acknowledge the incredible people sitting with us tonight. My parents and I often reflect on how fortunate we are to have such a dedicated and skilled team. Each one of them has contributed their blood, sweat, and tears to bring the Genesis to life. For Ron, this firearm was a long-held dream, and we couldn’t have achieved it without the hard work and passion of our staff.
But this is just the beginning. We’re far from finished. We have ambitious plans to continue developing and expanding our product line, and we’re committed to growing our team. One of our key goals is to train and mentor more young people in the specialized skills of fitting and turning, so that we can continue to build not just exceptional firearms, but also a skilled workforce for the future.
Thank you again for this honor, and for supporting our journey as we continue to grow and innovate.
Gympie Chamber of Commerce Business Awards
The Gympie community is built on the hard work and dedication of its local businesses, which play a vital role in shaping our vibrant community and driving our thriving economy. Hosted by the Gympie Chamber of Commerce, the Gympie Business Awards is an annual event that recognizes and celebrates the outstanding contributions made by our local businesses.
Participating in the Business Awards provides local businesses an incomparable opportunity to:
- Build your reputation of excellence inside and outside of your industry
- Elevate your brand through these awards
- Reflect on your business via the judging process, and hone your competitive edge
- Set yourself apart from your competition
- Celebrate your hard work and achievements with your staff
Describe how you have you been innovative in business?
We have designed and developed and tested our firearm products, whichhave improved processes in design in computer modellings, 3 D printings,(Resin) and taken rifle prototypes that were built on conventional machine tools to full production on CNC machines.
Owen Guns have mademolds for plastic parts production and manufactured a deep hole boring machine and a machine to rifle the barrels the bore for our rifles. Owen Guns designed and manufactured the tools that were needed tomanufacture the machines that we make all the parts to produce our rifles. We have produced a shop that heat treats and hardens steel, wehave special hardness testing machines to ensure that the correcthardness is in each part for our rifles. We have a process that laserengraved logos and serial numbers on to the steel receiver. We also havea Cerekoting booth so that our rifles have a ceramic finish on the partsprotecting them from corrosion and wear. Besides the purchase of thelarger CNC machines all the jigs and tools had to be innovated, conceived, developed, drawn, modelled, prototyped and eventually manufactured under the one roof in Gympie.
This development has beenproceeding for the last 5 years and is still ongoing.Genesis One.We have designed a revolutionary firearm system that can use cartridgesin all calibres that utilise modern propellents, that create higherinternal pressures, that provide greater performance, Safely. The rifle permits, higher velocities, more power and longer ranges from shorterbarrels.This new design gives the shooter/operator a higher standard ofaccuracy, with shorter, stiffer, heavier barrels that are free floatingwithin the forearm.
The relationship and design of the forearm dispersesheat faster and in a direction that protects the optic sights forsuffering from heat mirage. The optical sight base which is attached with four threaded screws tothe steel receiver secures and aligns the optical sights to the riflesreceiver much more steadfastly. As the rifled barrel has two inches ofthread securing it within the steel receiver it provides a greatadvantage in accuracy for the shooter/operator. The Butt stock is adjustable in length so that it can fit theshooter/operator perfectly.
The “Genesis One”, can be disassembled for cleaning and assembled inseconds.These improvements in one rifle will make it a world leader in firearmtechnology. Competitors who have not been keeping up with manufacturing developmentsand not had 50 years of experience in the firearm business would findit impossible to marry the ‘demand’ to the ‘possible’. Fortunately wehave the front of house and the manufacturing abilities in the same siteand entity. So we can manufacture Rifles, Firearm Cleaning equipment, high speed homogenous (Bullets) Projectiles, Magazines, Rifle barrels.We manufacture firearms in three configurations, in seven calibres from 22LR to 300 Norma Magnum.
Specific to your innovation implementation
Government interference, affects everything from Electricity Prices, importing cutting tools, the lack of basic materials, lack of tradeskills, the poor telephone and communication, the woke treatment of our advertising on facebook, licence restriction, that make it difficult forour industry to deal (just take money not loans) with banks andinsurance companies. We have to patiently put up with huge discrimination against our industry that is fuelled by government intervention, media hype, and officer workers (insurance and Bankers) who think that they should all be leaching on the tax payers blood.
Opposed their fraudulent philosophy, survived the tribulations andlearnt the hard way to step over all of the snares that they set for us. We believe that what ever they do to us, “if it does not kill us itstrengthens us.”Do not trust the government. They are not here to help us, they would much rather see us all on welfare so that we depend on their ability to steal tax with one hand and hold it with the other, just allowing some of the crumbs to drop to keep the real people hopeful that some will eventually come back to them. We know we have to succeed without anyone’s help.
Outline your approach to leadership in the organisation
In every facet of our operation we stand above from all our competition due to having had 50 years of experience. Yes, we are still learning how to do it ‘all’, even better, however the experience of our staff is ourrichest commodity. We also have six staff that are Gunmakers, they understand every aspect of firearm manufacture and performance.
Our competitors do not have the technical resources to be able to compete with Owen Guns. In past years printed and radio advertising has always asked a question and offered a reward to the customer. We have monitored and recorded the response and found that very little printed advertising actually is read.
There may be some value in publishing the brand or name on the topof the advert but very few people read the detail out of the advert. We have had much more success with Facebook until their anti gun team closed our page. Our new website is currently our best advertising format, until we find a replacement for facebook. We have had limited success with short video’s on our Youtube site which is a format that wewill be expanding on next month.
Locally designed and built here in Gympie
The Genesis One is a locally designed and built rifle available at Owen Guns in Gympie, Queensland. This rifle represents the beginning of a new generation of straight pull, spring-assisted rifles. The Genesis One is designed with precision and durability in mind, making it a reliable choice for firearm enthusiasts. If you have any more questions or need further details, feel free to ask!
