V-KOOL Franchise Owners Win “Entrepreneur of the Year 2004 – a Rotary-ASME Award”

SINGAPORE – (ROOF & FAÇADE ASIA) – December 2004 - Mr. Andrew Kwan and Colonel (NS) Wee Hian Woon, Directors of Globamatrix Holdings Singapore (GMX), received the “Entrepreneur of the Year 2004 – A Rotary-ASME Award” from Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, Singapore's Senior Minister of State (Trade and Industry), at a presentation ceremony held on 22 October 2004.

Mr. Kwan and Col Wee were picked from a list of 15 finalists for the annual award.

The Entrepreneur of the Year Award was instituted in 1989 by the Rotary Club of Singapore (RCS) to recognize the contributions that entrepreneurs have made to Singapore. In 1992, The Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (ASME) became a co-organizer of the event, along with RCS, and accordingly, the award was renamed “Rotary-ASME Entrepreneur of the Year Award”.

The Rotary-ASME Entrepreneur of the Year Award rewards and encourages local entrepreneurs who have demonstrated entrepreneurial excellence in their fields of expertise, and who have contributed significantly to the Singapore's economy and to society. In 2002, the award was renamed “Entrepreneur of the Year – A Rotary-ASME Award”.

Mr. Kwan and Col Wee started GMX in 1992 with a capital investment of S$25,000, supplying and installing solar films in automobiles and buildings.

In 1993, GMX started marketing clear, solar control window films, under the brand name V-KOOL, and since 1997, the company acquired the worldwide marketing rights for the brand, from the manufacturers, Southwall Technologies, a NASDAQ-listed American company. Subsequently, other brands were included, such as Huper Optik and Nanolux.

Globamatrix now has 600 franchise outlets and authorized dealers worldwide, for its window-film business.

In 2002, GMX entered the food and beverage (F&B) industry. Today, the company's business includes the successful Pasta Mania franchise.

For 2003, the company posted a turnover of S$34 million, with about one-third of it coming from the F&B business.