Omantel presents excellence award to Ibri businessman

Muscat: Omantel, the Sultanate’s telecom operator pioneered the concept of business excellence awards for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) as a celebration of the nation’s top performing SMEs and to increase awareness on the importance of SME development throughout Oman.
In the fourth edition of the Business Excellence SME Awards, Omantel is proud to present Ibri-based Younis Al Majrafi Trading Company with the recognition for ‘Best Community Contribution’ in Oman.
Younis’ enterprise journey began with an unlikely start, following an unfortunate accident that left him physically disabled and facing many challenges for his life ahead. Taking a leap of faith, he decided to establish his own private manufacturing company in 2007 registered under his own name, in the Wilayat of Ibri.
In just nine years from the conception of his firm, Younis was acknowledged for his company’s contributions to the community in which it operated. Receiving this honor was a result of hard work and dedication towards supporting social work within the local community.
Expressing his joy at being recognised with a prestigious award from Omantel, he noted, “To begin with, I would like to extend by sincere gratitude to Omantel for organising this competition and providing SME business owners like myself with a platform to share our voice. It is indeed praiseworthy that the Business Excellence Awards scout the country for the best contributions to the SME sector and bring them to light. Everyone at Younis Al Majrafi Trading Company is very pleased to have received the award and we hope that it will encourage other small entrepreneurs to start their own business.”
He added, “The idea of starting my own firm was born after the tragedy that I had been through. Thus, I created a private manufacturing and welding workshop which offered construction and contracting. Initially, it started with just a dream, but today I am proud to say that I employ six workers in the workshop and are often inundated with orders. Given this pace of business, I am even considering expansion!”
Younis Al Majrafi mentioned that to him, disability is only a minor hurdle. He commented, “It is the belief of some that a physical disability might stand in the way of on an individual career and personal life, but I am testament to the fact that with sheer will, one can overcome all obstacles and achieve success. My disability has made me more sensitive to the needs of the community and has motivated me to be even more involved with charity work — something that has earned me this excellence award from Omantel.”
Discussing the future, he stated, “My vision for expansion within Ibriwill always be a priority, then we can create a larger facility and provide services to more governorates in the Sultanate through different branches.”
Younis Al Majrafi also commended the government’s efforts towards aiding small and medium businesses across Oman. He also highlighted the important role that small businesses play in the nation’s economic growth.
Sharing his thoughts on the Omantel Business Excellence SME Awards, he said, “Omantel has been one of the companies who have taken it upon themselves to support the SME sector; they are often seen launching new products and services for businesses and doing their best to assist small organisations.” He went on to thank Omantel for their consideration of his company’s efforts towards community development and was confident that it would encourage more people to understand the true meaning and significance of social work.
Al Majrafi continued, “We are committed to delivering the highest quality of work and service to our customers, and as a business owner I am personally committed to ensuring the best working environment and conditions for my loyal team. Their dedication is evident in the high quality standard we achieve in our work.”
Concluding his conversation, Younis Al Majrifi shared that initially there was very low customer confidence in his blacksmithing workshop as not many Omani entrepreneurs venture into this domain. However, with time, his company was seen as trustworthy and quality-focused which ensured that he has his own customers. The Omantel award, he mentioned, would only bolster their confidence and that of their partners and hence it is very important to them. He also invited young Omanis to engage in their businesses as under the wise leadership of His Majesty the Sultan, Oman has a lot of potential for anyone with ideas.