Winners crowned at Northern Lincolnshire Business Awards
SPECIAL NIGHT DEDICATED TO HER MAJESTY
AMAN who could roll out his own red carpet to match Buckingham Palace’s finest has been crowned Northern Lincolnshire Business Person of the Year, as his company was also honoured at a right royal bash.
Myles Shaw took the top personal honour as the South Bank business community helped kickstart celebrations of the Queen’s imminent platinum jubilee with a night dedicated to Her Majesty.
The prominent multi-channel carpet business owner was named Young Entrepreneur of the Year in 2016, with his Freeman Street-based GCW following up with the Business Excellence accolade in 2018.
A proud ambassador of his Grimsby home town, the second generation business owner also saw the company take the North East Lincolnshire Business Development Award.
And after taking his parents Ivor and Evette on stage with him to collect the personal accolade at the Hull and Humber Chamber of Commerce event, he said: “I genuinely didn’t expect to win. I was asked how it felt when I won Young Entrepreneur, and I didn’t know what to say, on reflection I felt like I went from a boy to a man.
“Today, I know I am nothing but a product of my Mum and Dad, so to be able to do that meant so much. It is a pleasure to be here with them, especially as my Mum was really ill this time last year, with aggressive brain cancer. This award is for them, for all they have done.”
IMS Flooring incorporates the Grimsby store, online business RunRug and a new Lincoln outlet, opened last year, as well as domestic and commercial new build fit outs. It is backed up by 40,000 sq ft of storage.
“Business is great, testing, troubling, but we were positively affected through Covid, we got a lot more market share, so there was a financial stretch with more staff, more vans, more fitters and a need for more warehouse space.
“I said in 2014 the target was £10 million turnover, we’re still going for it; we’re at £7.5 million and we will achieve that target. Most importantly, I’m enjoying the journey, having fun and loving who I work with.”
Another familiar name at the Northern Lincolnshire Business Awards, also took a top accolade.
Construction partner in Scartho’s emerging King’s Park, JemBuild, kept the regal links flowing, taking the Forrester Boyd Business Excellence Award.
Managing director Paul Barker had been crowned Business Person of the Year when Mr Shaw took the Young Entrepreneur title, with 2016 also seeing the Humberston-headquartered firm take the North East Lincolnshire Business Development gong.
The hat-trick was completed with the overall honour, which cannot be applied for, as it is awarded at the judges’ discretion.
“This is recognition of what we do, we’ve been after this for a long time, and it means a massive amount to me,” Mr Barker said.
“We always want to be better, it is a massive achievement for us. We have work through to 2023, business is tough in construction but we are getting through, I have a great team, and it is all about the people we have. We’re so settled.”
The staff of 20 doubles with regular sub-contractors. Mark Carroll, contracts manager, added: “Excellence is what we strive for. It is the attitude that we carry into the way we work.”
Entrepreneurialism in arts and ‘craft’ had strong recognition too, with Francesca Young, Virtual Music Academy, Grimbarians and Docks Beers all winning categories.
Grimbarians were rewarded for four years of inspiring a community, with portrait-led introduction to champions of a borough.
Student pals Dan Clarke and Lindsay Cowie brought their photography and journalism skills together, launching on New Year’s Day 2018.
“We hope we have had an impact, we are really proud of what it has become,” they said.
From monochrome images came an exhibition, public talks and a tieup with Grimsby Town’s match programme, with more promised.
“It started as a photographic project and became so much more, celebrating excellence in the community,” Dan said - with both awkwardly proud of being in the spotlight themselves.
“The key thing was to bring positivity. People don’t shout about the good stuff enough.”
Part of that good stuff is Nic Till, owner of Riverhead Coffee, who was named Tilletts Business Woman of the Year.
“I’m really surprised, very pleasantly surprised,” she said. “I think it has a lot to do with survival through the pandemic, being able to grow despite the difficult times.
“Support and the recognition from the business community is superb, just like the loyalty from our regular customers that support us.”
A third venue opened in Victoria Street late last year, and now catering and baking classes for kids are being brought forward after a commercial kitchen facility was added.
Taking a business national from an incredible personal launch is the ambition of accessible fitness champion Bailey Greetham-Clark.
The 19-year-old picked up the Bridge McFarland New Business Award for his incredible endeavour, having launched at the age of 17, and narrowly missed out on the Young Business Person of the Year.
He works across the public and private sector, contracted by community interest companies and other organisations to take physical activity to the disadvantaged.
And it was his own use of fitness to improve his mental wellbeing that gave him a platform, finding his own path with no family business experience or mentors to draw on initially.
“I didn’t have a great time during my childhood, and fitness took me out of a dark place.
“I took a year out of school, my mental health suffered and I put on a lot of weight, but I found fitness and it really changed everything.
“In the pandemic I saw a lot of people in a similar position, so I made a business for myself.”
Now based at E-Factor’s Business Hive, and working from third party gyms, halls and fitness centres, he is employing four others.
“We’re here to take over now, we’re going to become a national company, a household name,” he boldly stated, having just launched a range of branded clothing.
“My background was being from a single parent background, a West Marsh council house - I’m never going back to that point, I’m striving for more.”
In a period when IT has never been more important for businesses to maintain and advance operations, HBP Systems Ltd won the North Lincolnshire Business Investment Award.
George Smith, sales director for the Scunthorpe-headquartered firm, said: “We are very proud to win.
“It has been a funny few years, and it has been about long-term planning ahead and investing for the future. Fortunately for us as a business we have seen the returns, it has been a very good year, and we’re positive for the year ahead.”