BUSINESSES at the top of their game are eagerly waiting to find out if they will be crowned the best in the land after the Wiltshire Business of the Year Awards judges unveiled their shortlist.
The annual awards ceremony - which this year marks 22 years of celebrating entrepreneurial enterprise in the county – has welcomed entries from more than 50 businesses who have submitted 107 entries into the eight categories in a bid to be named winner of the most prestigious business awards in the county.
With the backing of Thrings Solicitors, Wiltshire College, Mainline Employment Limited, BBC Wiltshire, Baker Tilly and NatWest, firms were able to enter a maximum of three categories.
Also this year for the first time the awards will celebrate fledgling businesses that have been founded within the last two years with the brand new category recognising start-up businesses.
Newsquest’s business development manager Louise Cooper heralded the awards as receiving the most entries in the last eight years.
“The calibre of business entering also continues to be high so the judges were really impressed,” she said.
Gary Lawrence, Regional Editor for Newsquest Oxfordshire and Wiltshire, said he had been hugely impressed by the standard of the entries for this year’s awards.
He said: “We are absolutely delighted with the fantastic standard of entries this year and I know the judges have been impressed already. They will be visiting everyone on our shortlist in the coming weeks to find out more about our entrants and discuss their businesses.
“It looks as if the competition for our awards is going to be as fierce as ever, which means our gala finals night at Center Parcs Longleat Forest next month will be keenly anticipated as ever. It should be a great night.”
Judge Ramona Derbyshire, a partner at Thrings Solicitors in Swindon, echoed praise for the standard of entries this year and revealed the judges had had their work cut out in selecting who to take on to the next level. She said the whole process had been really exciting.
“We have been sitting down to decide who is going to go and see which businesses over the coming days because there were just so many that we wanted to go and visit of the next few weeks," she said.
“That is when it gets really exciting for us and it all comes alive because we get to see them on their home turf and in their own setting. This is when we really get to get under the skin of it all and see what they are all about.
“At the meet the judges event last week there was such a buzz about the awards.”
Each of the businesses who have now been shortlisted will be visited by the judges ahead of the gala awards ceremony to be held at Center Parcs in Longleat Forest on Friday, April 15.
The shortlist of businesses in line for an award are:
BUSINESS PERSON OF THE YEAR - sponsored by RSM
John Williams Heating - Debbie Williams
Thirdline - Jack Peploe
Cardwave - Paul Norbury
toinfinity - Al Keck
CMC (Chippenham Motor Co) - Adam Bailey
Showoff Dance - Liam Abram
Ardour Recruitment - Donna Gillingham
Travel Bee Ltd - Charlotte Marshall-Reynolds
Purple Marketing - Denise O'leary
Sales Coaching solutions - Alison Edgar
CIS Ltd - Richard Marsh
NCE computers - John Greenwood
H5 Adventure - Paul Webb
Miles Window Systems - Anthony Miles
MEDIUM SIZED ENTERPRISE - sponsored by Nat West Bank
Whitehall Garden Centre
Bechtle Direct Ltd
CMC (Chippenham Motor Co.)
Wasdell Packaging
Outsource UK Ltd
NCE computers
Cardwave
SMALL BUSINESS - sponsored by MJ Church
C3marketing
John Williams Heating
Office Evolution
Thirdline
H5 Adventure
CMS group
START UP BUSINESS - sponsored by The Enterprise Network
AB Recruitment
Future of Football
Purple Marketing
Balia coffee and vinyl
Gooding Accounts
Smartech energy
APPRENTICESHIP, TRAINING AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPER - sponsored by Wiltshire College
Haddon Training
Bechtle Direct Ltd
PH Sports
CMC (Chippenham Motor Co)
CMS group
CUSTOMER & STAFF CARE - sponsored by Mainline
Imagine Cruising
Basepoint
All things web
Outsource UK Ltd
Thirdline
Bil Group
PH Sports
Whitehall Garden Centre
SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY - sponsored by BBC Wiltshire
Cardwave
Ganges
Imagine Cruising
Office Evolution
Outsource
Sales Coaching solutions
OUTSTANDING EXCELLENCE AWARD - sponsored by Thrings Solicitors
Smarttech
Haddon Training
Office Evolution
Outsource
Smiles
Cardwave
Thirdline
Whitehall
Chippenham Motor Co
Bechtle
Wasdell
John Williams
TM Group
C3 Create
Sales Coaching Solutions
H5 Adventure
NCE Computer Group
toinfinity
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