Final shortlist revealed for the BIBAs 2014
The shortlists for 17 prizes up for grabs at the Be Inspired Business Awards, the BIBAs, have been published following a rigorous selection process which culminated in interviews held over the past fortnight.
A total of 34 firms from the Preston area are among the finalists unveiled today – along with 14 firms from South Ribble, 11 from Lancaster and eight from Chorley.
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Hide AdThe top award, Business of the Year, has as an eight-strong shortlist including Leyland firm Bleep UK, Chemical Innovations from Bamber Bridge, marketing firm ICG Brandbuilders from Warton, and Kirkham energy brokers Inspired Energy.
Francis Egan, chief executive of Cuadrilla Resources which is sponsoring the awards’ New Business of the Year category, said each of the shortlisted firms would now receive a visit to their business premises from the judges.
He said: “The decision of the BIBAs to send judges ‘on tour’ to visit businesses which have made the finals is an example of the type of innovation which keeps it as Lancashire’s leading business awards.”
Preston-based textiles firm Tetrad is up for the Exporter of the Year award and Manufacturer of the Year, financial services firm Taylor Patterson is in the running for Employer of the Year and Professional Business of the Year, with Steve Pearson, chief executive of Bamber Bridge-based communications experts Remvox, in contention for Entrepreneur of the Year and his firm also up for New Business of the Year.
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Hide AdThe BIBAs judges will start visiting finalists from Monday, June 9, when members of judging panel for the E-Business of the Year cat egory visit their shortlisted businesses. The judges will continue to go ‘on tour’ until Tuesday, July 1, when the Business of the Year judging panel visits firms on its shortlist.
A panel made up of former winners of the BIBAs’ lifetime achievement prize, Lancastrian of the Year, will meet this month to pick the winner of the 2014 award, due to be selected by sponsor the Lancashire Community Foundation before the prize-giving ceremony in September.
In 2013, John Lancaster, the founder of Ribble Valley-based conservatory manufacturer, Ultraframe, collected the lifetime achievement award, Lancastrian of the Year.
The awards are organised by the North and Western Lancashire Chamber of Commerce.
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Hide AdThese are the finalists in the 2014 Be Inspired Business Awards, a contest which will climax in September with a glittering prize night in Blackpool.
Business of the year:
Bleep UK PLC
Chemical Innovations
I C G Brandbuilders
Inspired Energy
Lailas Fine foods
New Call Telecom
The Stocks Hall Nursing & Care Group
White Moss Horticulture Ltd
Small Business of the year:
Ainscough Training
Services Ltd
CM Oxendale
Connect 2 Cleanrooms Ltd
Direct365
Inteb Sustainablity
Lantei
Peter Jackson the Jeweller
Suresite Group
Service Business of the year:
Assured Cleaning Services Ltd
Businesswise Solutions
Granby Marketing Services
I C G Brandbuilders
Pakawaste Engineering Services Ltd
Preston Bus
Springhill Care
Fairbanks Environmental Ltd
Micro Business of the year:
Colossal Training
Gconnect
Group55
Pennine Events Ltd
Silverwoods Waste Management Ltd
The Little Big Voice
Training Station
WJF Technical Support Ltd
Entrepreneur of the year:
Claire Fryer - The Mosaic Care Group
Jim Elliot - Hangerworld
Joe Govier - Connect 2 Cleanrooms Ltd
Julian Silverwood - Silverwoods Waste Management
Nigel Eastwood - New Call Telecom
Steve Pearson - Remvox Ltd
Laila and Nazir Remtulla - Lailas Fine Foods
Mohammed Patel - Lance Mason
New Business of the year:
All You Knead
Choc Amor
Colossal Training
Contrado Digital Ltd
forward2me Limited
love My Limited
Remvox LTD
The Networking People
Excellence in Customer Service:
Ainscough Training Services Ltd
Chestnut Business Solutions
Hesketh Press
New Call Telecom
NuBlue
Parbold Equestrian Centre
Springhill Care
Via Partnership
Employer of the year:
Connect 2 Cleanrooms Ltd
Fairbanks Environmental Ltd
Inspired Energy
Magma Digital Ltd
Springhill Care
Taylor Patterson Group
The Stocks Hall Nursing & Care Group
True Bearing Chartered
Business Woman of the year:
Claire Fryer - The Mosaic Care Group
Janet Thornton - Inspired
Energy
Jo Varey - Granby Marketing Services
Karen O’Donoghue - Via
Partnership
Michelle Cuffe & Felicity Lacey - Excel Fostering
Nicolla Bishop - Home Angels Chorley
Rose Watkins - Centaur Training Services (North West) Ltd
Sarah Southworth - Specialised Cleaning Services (North West) Ltd
Exporter of the year:
Chelsom Limited
Chemical Innovations
Pakawaste Ltd
Scorpion Automotive
Tangerine Holdings
Tetrad
TISS Ltd
Trelleborg Offshore UK Ltd
E Business of the year:
Connect 2 Cleanrooms Ltd
Direct365
Hanger World
Suntana Spray Tan Ltd
Talent Dynamics
The Ink Squid
WebsiteUK Ltd
Creative Business of the year:
Bespoke Internet Ltd
Chelsom Lighting
I C G Brandbuilders
Knight Time Creations
Marmalade Toast
SPS EU Ltd
Stone Create
YouMeSign
Medium Business of the year:
Ascentis
Blackpool Zoo
Granby Marketing Services
Lance Mason
Promenade Hotels Ltd
Scorpion Automotive
SPS EU Ltd
Tangerine Holdings Limited
Construction Business of the year:
Building Careers
Cassidy + Ashton
CM Oxendale
Conlon Construction
Homestead CSL
Jones Melling Ltd
Pinington Ltd
Story Homes
Leisure business of the year:
Blackpool Zoo
Crow Wood Leisure Ltd
Fylde Executive Cars Ltd
Longthorne Gunmakers Ltd
Promenade Hotels Ltd
Starboard Hotels Group
The Wellbeing Farm
Winter Gardens Blackpool
Manufacturer of the year:
Chemical Innovations
Lailas Fine foods
Longthorne Gunmakers Ltd
Scorpion Automotive
SPS EU Ltd
Tangerine Holdings Limited
Tetrad
White Moss Horticulture
Professional Business of the year:
Astute Wealth Management
Cassidy + Ashton
Clayton Recruitment
Jones Melling Ltd
Lance Mason
Magma Digital Ltd
Taylor Patterson Group
True Bearing Chartered