Grab your chance to sign up for this year’s awards TweekT
HERE is just one
left to nominate your business for the NorthEast Cheshire Business Awards - formerly the Macclesfield and Wilmslow Business Awards - which celebrates the best and most successful firms in the area.
As part of our coverage of the area’s biggest celebration of local enterprise, the Express is talking to the category sponsors each week to see why they are supporting the event.
This week we feature the final two sponsors, KAT UK, which is sponsoring the Community Impact award, and Cheshire East Council, which is sponsoring the Start Up Business
of the year. KAT UK is a family business based on Queen Street in Macclesfield and was set up by chariman David Richards in 1998. It specialises in manufacturing bifolding doors and sells products nationally. ●● WHICH award are you sponsoring?
Community Award
Impact ●● WHY have you got involved with the business awards?
We believe that it is important to recognise and support local initiatives either in business or in the community. Our employees are all local families and we want to help create a vibrant community for them to live and work in. It’s about business putting something back into the community.
●● WHY did you choose to sponsor that particular award?
It is often the unsung heroes in our society who put the most in, but get the least back. We feel it is important to champion these heroes or heroic organisations to publicly recognise their commitment to others. ●● WHY is East Cheshire such a great place to do business?
We have a willing workforce, good transport links, reasonable overheads and are surrounded by the beautiful Cheshire countryside. ●● WHAT is your best piece of business advice?
Be honest and work very hard. ●● ANYTHING else you would like to add?
We should try and create a culture of excellence throughout East Cheshire not only in business but in our communities too. The local people are warm, humorous and hardworking and deserve to do well. COUN Don Stockton is a cabinet member responsible for Housing and Jobs.
He is responsible for all matters relating to the council’s affairs in respect of economic development, employment initiatives, industrial and commercial activities, public and private sector housing strategy and provision, tourism and visitor economy and the council’s assets.
He has held the position since May 2008 and also sits on the Manchester Airport Consultative Committee. ●● WHICH award are you sponsoring?
Cheshire East Council is delighted to again be supporting the North East Cheshire Business Awards through sponsorship of the Start Up Business of the Year award. ●● WHY have you got involved with the business awards?
We recognise we have a strong economic base (we have over 17,500 businesses and around 1,800 new business start ups a year) and are committed to building on this to support existing businesses and attract new ones through a proactive approach to business engagement. We offer targeted support and response services to organisations of all sizes from national and international organisations through to family-run firms and sole traders through our Sustainable Towns initiatives.
●● WHY did you choose to sponsor your particular award?
We recognise the importance of promoting and supporting local business and enterprise, particularly start ups. The contribution of new and pioneering businesses to the wealth and diversity of trade across Cheshire is invaluable. It is these success stories that attract and encourage existing businesses to keep striving for greater success ●● WHY is North East Cheshire such a great place to do business?
As the third largest unitary authority in the North West, Cheshire East has the region’s strongest economy with economic output worth £8.2bn, the greatest number of businesses within any North West unitary or district authority and the head quarters of around 10percent of the North West’s top 200 companies. The North East Cheshire area is a honey pot for entrepreneurial activity. ●● WHAT is your best piece of business advice?
We consistently hear from start up businesses how difficult it is to find the right information and support. Cheshire East is a council that is ‘ open for business’ so get in touch with us if you have any issues that we could help with; join in on our business hub meetings and sign up for our workshops.
Contact us at www. cheshireeast.gov.uk/business.