Winners of local business awards revealed
THE winners of the fifth annual Bridgend Business Forum Awards 2017 have been revealed at a glittering gala dinner and awards celebration held at the Coed-yMwster Hotel, Bridgend.
More than 240 business people, including the nine lucky winners were at the business awards ceremony, hosted by BBC presenter and broadcaster Sian Lloyd and supported by Bridgend County Borough Council and Bridgend College.
The winners in each category were:
Business Student of the Year – Scott Ewing / Kristian Stark
Start-up Business of the Year – Magenta Financial Planning
Service Business of the Year – Kontroltek Ltd
Manufacturing Business of the Year – Recycle Direct Ltd
Bridgend Tourism Business of the Year – Porthcawl Surf School
Entrepreneur of the Year – William Scott
Innovative Business of the Year – Nemein Ltd
Creative Industries Award – Wales Interactive Ltd
Kontroltek Ltd managed to scoop two awards at the event – Service Business of the Year 2017 and the coveted title of Bridgend Business of the Year 2017.
Andrew Follant, managing director at Kontroltek Ltd, said: “We are delighted to have picked up not one, but two awards at the Bridgend Business Forum Awards.
“Winning both Service Business of the Year and Bridgend Business of the Year 2017 was absolutely incredible and hopefully demonstrates the hard work and commitment of our workforce, and the vision of the business.
“We are extremely proud of what we have achieved over the past year, as well as previous years, and these awards will contribute towards strengthening our service, sustainability and development into the future.
“It was a fantastic evening and a great opportunity for us to thank our staff for being so committed and essentially helping to make our business grow successfully, so thank you to all the team at Kontroltek.”
Ian Jessopp, chair of Bridgend Business Forum, said: “This year’s awards ceremony has been another exceptional occasion; in fact I think it’s been the best to date!
“The judges were extremely impressed with Kontroltek’s remarkable growth and expansion plans. They have made some significant investments in apprenticeships and partnerships with local colleges, providing engineering students with the opportunity to develop valuable skills.
“These awards would not exist if it wasn’t for the high calibre of businesses and individuals here in Bridgend County Borough. Personally. I am proud to belong to a close knit, yet a professional and strong business community.
“These businesses are the backbone of our economy, offering much-needed investment, job opportunities and revenue to the local economy. I’d like to wish them all every continued success in the future.”
Coun Charles Smith, cabinet member for education and regeneration, who also attended the ceremony said: “I can honestly say that we are privileged in this county borough to host more than our fair share of outstanding businesses.
“Our county borough continues to thrive with the help of new businesses and entrepreneurs which we welcome to our town. It is fantastic to see young businesses develop successfully in Bridgend County Borough and the council remain committed to supporting a successful economy by providing support to businesses and create conditions for growth and enterprise. One of the areas in which we demonstrate this is via the Bridgend Business Forum, which we as a council are proud to support to enable the valuable work of the forum to continue.
“Yet again, Bridgend has demonstrated that it is a vibrant county borough with a great entrepreneurial culture and thriving business community.
“The Bridgend Business Forum Awards are a great way to thank businesses for their contribution in making the county borough a great place to live, work and do business, and I would like to congratulate all the award winners, and wish them the very best of luck for a successful future to all.”
Other sponsors of the awards included Rockwool; ISA Training; Berry Smith Lawyers; EEF, the manufacturer’s organisation; SME Finance Partners; Handelsbanken; ION Leadership; Harris Bassett; KK Solutions; Finance Wales; and United Graphic Design.
A charity collection in aid of the Mayor’s Charity Appeal 2017/18 raised a grand total of £900 for this year’s nominated charities: Bridgend Youth Theatre, Breast Cancer Care – Princess of Wales Hospital and Alzheimer’s Society Bridgend. For more information on the forum and to view the official photos and videos from the Bridgend Business Forum Awards 2017 night visit www.facebook. com/bridgendbusinessforum or follow us on Twitter @ bridgendforum