Your chance to celebrate the best of business

IT’S not long now until nominations close for the 2021 Gloucestershire live Business Awards-so if you haven’t entered yet, now’s your chance. The awards - with headline sponsor Randall and Payne - will be held on September 16 in a virtual ceremony, with nominations open until June 29.

Since March of 2020, businesses have had to work within a radically different economic landscape, as the coronavirus pandemic imposed sudden and serious limits on how and whether they could operate.

Nonetheless, businesses and their employees worked tirelessly to overcome the obstacles they faced - with many innovating new ways of doing things and becoming much more efficient in the process.

Whichever category you feel your business is a good fit for, we want to hear from you. Entries are open until June 29.

» Business of the Year, Sponsored by Randall & Payne - Open to any company with 25 or more employees from the Gloucestershire area, the Business of the Year award is there to recognise businesses that have excelled in a variety of areas. The award takes into account the innovation and success of the company over the last six to 12 months, how well it’s done at weathering the coronavirus pandemic, plans for growth in 2021 - and how the company has had a positive impact on the local area.

» Small Business of the Year - This award is for businesses with 25 employees or less in the county. As above, judges will look at how the nominated businesses have managed to achieve in a variety of areas - hoping to see how they have managed to do big things despite a small size.

» Family Business of the Year, sponsored by WSP Solicitors - This award is open to nominations for thriving companies that are family-owned. Be it a first generation-owned business, one with a legacy of several generations, or a company in which a founding family still holds a major stake - this award is designed to recognise those companies that have succeeded while maintaining their identity as a family enterprise.

» Start-up Business of the Year - The last couple of years have presented a challenging time. It’s for this reason that the Start-up Business of the Year Award is being presented to shine a light on those enterprises which have succeeded despite the odds. Open to any business started within the last two-and-a-half years, the judging will look at how the company has been successfully managed, achieved growth, and satisfied customers in that short time.

» Business Innovation, sponsored by University of Gloucestershire - This award is aimed at those organisations that have pursued and achieved development and innovation over the last year. Offering recognition to a system, process, or product that has had a notable positive impact on the company, the award will also reflect how the company has used innovation to lessen the negative impact of the coronavirus pandemic on its operations.

» Best Place to Work Award, sponsored by Murdock & Wasley Estate Agents More than ever, it’s important that employees feel safe and at ease in their place of work - and the Best Place To Work Award aims to reflect these efforts. Judging will focus on the degree to which a business treats employees with respect, and provides a safe and friendly workplace that energises the people who use it. Following the challenges of a national lockdown with many businesses having to move to a home working model, we will also consider entries that can demonstrate how they successfully handled the lockdown and the move to working remotely.

» Corporate Social Responsibility Award, sponsored by Cresco Globe In recent years, the need for companies to be responsible in their operations has become increasingly pressing, and has been given a greater focus. This award is designed to celebrate a business

AWARDS HONOUR THE STRENGTH OF FIRMS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTY

that has been conscientious and strived to foster ethical practice regarding employees, the local community, supply chains, and the environment and worked to promote these practices in businesses it partners with.

» Employee of the Year, sponsored by Spirax Sarco - As well as businesses, these awards strive to recognise the employees that are so vital to a company’s success. This award is given to an individual who really shines at their company. Be it through suggestions and initiatives to increase performance, peerless customer service, extensive efforts to improve the working environment - this award is for those who help the business and the people around them thrive.

» Lifetime Achievement Award, sponsored by British Bespoke Auctions This award is given to an individual with a sterling record of achievement over their career. The judges will look for a positive contribution to the functioning and development of businesses over at least 20 years of work - to celebrate someone who has really left an imprint on the business community.

» Business In The Face of Adversity Special Award, sponsored by EESI

Group Services - Many businesses have faced striking adversity during the coronavirus pandemic - and this special award is here to celebrate those who succeeded despite this. It is aimed at honouring a business that showed fortitude and a capacity for excellence under pressure - and that helped other businesses and communities as well as taking care of its own interests.

» Local Business Hero, sponsored by Wembley Partners - Voted on by the public, the Local Business Hero award is a chance for people to show their appreciation for a business that went above and beyond during the last year. A sense of community and responsibility is more important for a business than ever, and we want to celebrate companies that embraced that spirit wholeheartedly.

» Young Business Person of the Year, sponsored by Renishaw PLC - It’s always exciting to see what young figures of business are doing to help move companies towards the future - and this award will recognise just such efforts. It will be given out to someone under 35, who either set up or works at a business, and is constantly working to help it develop and go from strength to strength - with creativity, dedication, and vision.

To enter yourself or your company in a category - or for more information on the awards - go to reachplcevents.com/ events/west/gloucestershire-live-business-awards