Entries have closed for the Express & Star Business Awards 2012. Finalists featured in-paper on March 13 and the winners will be announced at a glittering awards ceremony on Thursday, March 22.
Welcome to the all new Express & Star Business Awards! We are back after a three year break.
While we have been away Britain’s economy has weathered some fairly stormy waters. Things have been challenging to say the least, but we felt now was the time to bring back our prestigious annual awards.
Our Business Awards 2012 provide the platform to showcase the best of businesses across the Black Country and south Staffordshire. It is the chance to highlight the successes, the innovation, the export drives and sheer dynamism of business in this region.
Yes, things have been hard for practically every sector in business over the past few years but business has really shown true Midlands’ grit and determination to pull through and make a success of what has been the most challenging of times. It is the people in these companies we want to honour.
No one is pretending that everything in the garden is rosy. Next year’s awards and the celebration dinner in March will showcase many successes, but will also reflect the rather more modest times in which we live.
Newspapers are often accused of dwelling on the bad news, so we launch these awards with a rather more upbeat view – success is still out there and waiting to be grasped. Just look at the news that Jaguar Land Rover are to build their new engine factory on the i54 site. Can there be a greater symbol of industrial and business commitment to this region than one of the success stories of manufacturing building its future here.
The news that JLR are developing this site has been described as a real game changer for the Black Country and south Staffordshire. This is almost an understatement, the spin offs are enormous and will provide a long overdue shot in the arm to the region’s economy. We all hope for great things.
The new Enterprise Zones are again symbols of a feeling of regeneration – something of a fresh start for entrepreneurs looking to develop their businesses and needing that little extra help.
Our awards categories say much about the world of business in this region – Manufacturing Champion, Export Award, Small Business of the Year, Young Business of the Year and Innovation Award. Importantly we have a Green Business Award.
Interestingly, we have a category for Best Place to Work! Would we have seen that a few years ago? Then, there is the coveted Business of the Year Award.
I have been a judge on these awards since they began and know just how humbling it can be to see the sheer effort that a company and its staff can put into making a success of their business. It is not all about the bosses and I hope these awards reflect the commitment from top to bottom in so many companies.
Our list of sponsors reflects business innovation and the success of these awards. Their names truly represent the region’s spirit of commerce – Aspray 24, Goodrich Actuation, Lloyds TSB Commercial, Carvers, IB Construction, Higgs & Sons and the University of Wolverhampton. And don’t forget, us here at the Express & Star.
It really is so pleasing to see our business awards back in action. We look forward to receiving your entries and I would like to wish you every success.