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Winning Business Award

Winning Business Award - Sarah Steel Old Station Nursery

Winning Business Award: Sarah Steel (Old Station Nursery)

This award was specifically for established businesses, with less than 250 employees that have made significant achievements in development and growth. The award was judged against the principles of the Business Excellence Model:

Leadership
People management
Policy and strategy
Customer satisfaction
Impact on society
Business results

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Supporting the Community Award

Supporting the Community Award: South Witham Broadband

Environmental and social issues are having an increasing impact on business performance and customer confidence. Businesses need to act with integrity; safeguarding the environment and building positive links with local communities.

Corporate Social Responsibility is an approach that helps the business community to get away from the old idea that economic, social and environmental goals are always and invariably in conflict.

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Future Winning Business Award

Future Winning Business: The Meeting Venue

This award is for businesses that have been trading for up to two years. The category has been designed to recognise original and innovative young businesses that have a realistic business plan, which has been implemented well. Business ideas will have been effectively researched and planned, and on-going market awareness will be evident. Our winner considered how they planned to keep up with change and maintain the financial management of the business.

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Innovation in Business Award

Innovation in Business - Impsport Ltd

Innovation in Business Award: Impsport Ltd

The Innovation in Business Award is designed to honour the companies and entrepreneurs who have experienced that 'Eureka' moment and challenged accepted business models by introducing groundbreaking technologies.

For this award, we were seeking to tap into the pure brainpower and innovative thinking that makes a difference in the way we work and the quality of our lives, whether that inventiveness comes from academics or entrepreneurs.

We wanted to hear about fresh ways of doing business, innovative approaches to sales and marketing or clever ways of transferring technology into a successful business.

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Communication Technology in Business Award

Winner: Doors and More

This Award recognised the business successfully using communications technology, such as broadband, email, e-commerce or mobile technology, specifically to improve their business processes or grow their businesses.

This may be by:

Improving communication internally or with suppliers, partners and customers
Increasing efficiency
Increasing flexibility
Increasing sales or profits

The judges were looking for businesses that have reaped the benefits of using communications technology effectively, including:

Broadband

E-commerce or the Internet in general

Intranets or extranets

Mobile technology such as BlackBerry

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Outstanding Woman in Business Award

Outstanding Woman in Business - Sarah Steel (Old Station Nursery)

Outstanding Woman in Business: Sarah Steel (Old Station Nursery).

Statistics related to female entrepreneurship are still in the shadows when compared to male equivalents. However, a pound invested in developing women’s enterprise provides a greater return on investment than a pound invested in developing male owned enterprise. (CEO of the Small Business Service, Martin Wyn Griffith, March 2005)

More and more women are finding the confidence and drive to enjoy the fulfillment and flexibility that self-employment bring. This category is a celebration of what women in business can achieve and it is designed to motivate and inspire others.

The judges were looking to recognise a women owner manager who has excelled in their professional life, particularly overcoming adversities such as financial constraints, social disadvantages or skills gaps.

Business Person of the Year Award

Business Person of the Year: Mark Hollingworth (Flowers by Suzanne)

Award Criteria:

This award was for an outstanding individual who has best demonstrated exceptional leadership and vision, either a employed or self-employed person working at any level within a public or private sector organisation. Their efforts will have brought sustained benefits to their organisation, for employees, customer, suppliers and stakeholders.

Entrants will have:

Led the development and implementation of practices to strengthen the organisation
Provided inspiring leadership to employees / colleagues
Worked proactively to exceed the expectations of customers
Led the formation and development of productive partnerships for the organisation
Raised the profile of the organisation.