Member Article

Business excellence celebrated at the Wirral Business Awards 2014

The best of Wirral’s innovation, creativity and entrepreneurial spirit has been recognised and celebrated as award winning companies received their accolades at the Wirral Business Awards 2014.

The business awards, which recognise Wirral’s diverse business excellence in categories from sustainability to manufacturing, international trade to people development, business newcomer to business of the year, were announced at a gala dinner event held at Thornton Manor in Thornton Hough.

Organised by Wirral Chamber of Commerce and hosted by BBC Radio Merseyside’s Roger Phillips, the main event sponsorship was supported by Wirral Radio, The Contact Company and Park Group plc.

The annual business celebration was attended by over 500 leading figures in the region’s business world, who applauded the nominees and eventual winners in each of the thirteen award categories as they were announced and presented with custom designed glass awards and certificates.

The award categories and winners were:

Newcomer of the Year: sponsored by Faiveley Transport -

Winner – 4748

Business of the Year (1-25 employees) sponsored by Magenta Living

Winner - Emergency Services Training Centre Ltd

Business of the Year (26 - 99 employees): sponsored by McEwan Wallace

Winner – Dantec

Business of the Year (100+ employees): sponsored by Cammell Laird

Winner - Typhoo Tea

Business Person of the Year: sponsored by Scantec Personnel

Winner - David Lindfield of Sovex

Community Business of the Year: sponsored by Progress to Excellence

Winner - Involve Northwest

International Trade Award: sponsored by Peel Group

Winner - DT&G Limited

Sustainability Award: sponsored by Unilever

Winner - B&M Waste Services

Low Carbon Award: sponsored by Cabfind.com

Winner - Stiebel Eltron UK

People Development Award: sponsored by Wirral Metropolitan College

Winner - Cammell Laird

Investment of the Year: sponsored by Stiebel Eltron UK

Winner – Unilever

Global Business Award: sponsored by Wirral Chamber of Commerce

Winner -Smylie Ltd

Wirral Think Big Award: sponsored by Wirral Council

Winner - Cammell Laird

On Wirral’s business night of nights, Lyn Pitt, Managing Director of engineering company, DT&G Limited and International Trade award winner, emphasised the importance of the awards: “We were very pleased to have reached the final of business awards, but to have been named as the winning company is really fantastic, it is recognition of Wirral’s manufacturing and engineering excellence. As an SME which is growing, the International Trade award will support our business, particularly when we are visiting overseas contacts and companies, they will see this award as a benchmark of the quality and service of the work which we produce at DT&G.”

Paula Basnett, CEO, Wirral Chamber of Commerce, expressed her delight at the diversity of all the finalists, and paid tribute to the quality demonstrated by the award winning companies, she said: “The Wirral Business Awards have proved year after year to be a significant event in the region’s business calendar, one in which we can celebrate and share the business enterprise we have in abundance within Wirral’s business community.

She added: “I was amazed, but certainly not surprised, at the tremendous levels of creativity and innovation shown in the many applications received for each of the award categories. A business award is recognition that the hard work put in by our award winners over the past twelve months does not go unrewarded and by winning it is a well deserved achievement – I congratulate them all.”

Wirral West Member of Parliament, Minister for Employment and President of Wirral Chamber Esther McVey said, “It was an absolute pleasure to attend this prestigious awards event which showcased the versatility of Wirral’s business in manufacturing, engineering, innovation and technology and, why Wirral is the place for businesses to come and invest. Wirral has the skills, the workforce and most importantly the desire to be successful.”

Asif Hamid, Chair of Wirral Chamber of Commerce, highlighted the importance of the awards: “When the Prime Minister visited the area recently he said that he believed the spirit of enterprise was alive and well in Wirral, tonight’s award ceremony merely confirms that view point. Wirral is full of talented business people and companies offering business diversity across many industries producing goods and services used and sold around the world.

He added: “The Wirral Business Awards is one way of expressing our collective thanks to the winners and the finalists for their wholesome support over the past year through their work in creating employment, investment and bringing economic prosperity to the borough.”

This year’s chosen charity was Claire House Children’s Hospice who looks after families from across Merseyside, Cheshire, North Wales, West Lancashire and the Isle of Man and provides a home-from-home environment for children and young people, helping enrich their lives so they can live them to the full.

Over £3,000 ws raised through the prize raffle held on the night and was presented to Claire House Children’s Hospice shortly after the event.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Graham Maddrell .