Cool Company Wins Innovation Award

Written on the 31 May 2022 by Marshall Hall

A Gold Coast company that has grown to become the world's largest manufacturer and exporter of automatic ice bath machines and pools for sport and medical applications has received an innovation award. Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate presented Southport-headquartered iCoolsport with the Mayor’s Innovation Award at the Gold Coast Business Excellence Awards May presentation at the council chambers on Wednesday 25th May.

Two Gold Coast refrigeration experts set up iCoolSport in 2004 and teamed up with sports medicine scientists from the Australian Institute of Sports to design and create the world’s first mobile ice bath machines for use by the Australian athletes competing at the Athens Olympics. They were dubbed Australia’s secret weapon. 

That first major challenge was an incredible success and the company has continued to be the world’s largest supplier in ice bath technology for the past 17 years 

The company now exports products to more than 70 countries mostly the USA, Europe, China, Japan and the Middle East ranging from single-person portable ice baths to large 12-persons pools and a large range of other original products. It estimates that more than 1 million athletes have already used iCoolSport products. 

Gold Coast manufactured iCoolSport products are used in most major sporting events around the world including the last three Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, Tour de France and dozens of other sports. This year iCoolSport is the official supplier of more than 145 automatic ice baths to the FIFA World Cup in Doha.

There has been a large increase in demand from athletes looking to purchase iCoolSport ice bath recovery setups for their private homes. 

After its award win, iCoolsport is now in the running to claim the Gold Coast Business of the Year title in November.

The other May winners in the Gold Coast Business Excellence Awards were:

• Construction and Trades Award: Lauxes Grates
• Tourism Hospitality and Events Awards: Makki
• Education, Employment and Training Award: The Barber Academy
• Family Business Award: AustWorld
• Health and Wellbeing Award: Paradise First Aid
• Professions and Services Award: Protest Engineering
• Retail, Wholesale and Distribution Award: Wild Earth
• Manufacturing Award: Plant Doctor
• IT and Digital Business Award: Bits Technology Group
• Emerging and Micro Business Award: BJT Equipment

The awards, now in their 27th year, aim to foster pride in the city’s business community and highlight its important as a business hub. Some of the city’s best known companies can claim to have been winners.

The awards’ major sponsors include Destination Gold Coast, Dreamweavers, Mercedes-Benz Gold Coast, Neumann Steel, Neumann Contractors, Currumbin Minerals, Australian Retirement Trust, Study Gold Coast, City of Gold Coast, Choice Homes, MPM Property, Westpac, Harvey Norman Commercial Queensland, Optus Business Centre Gold Coast, Griffith University and Southern Cross Austereo.

The awards’ media sponsors include the Gold Coast Bulletin, Go Transit Media, 92.5 MMM and 90.9 Sea FM. 

The GCBEA’s major supporters are KPMG, Document Solutions Australia, Bloomtools, Consulting Hall, The Graphic Design Company and Rix Developments.