OVERALL BUSINESS
SPONSORED BY SOLENT LEP WINNER: PRO PODS HIGHLY COMMENDED: THE COASTAL KITCHEN FAMILY
THE Overall Business of the Year award is chosen from all of the category winners and the judges look for a business that has stood out from the rest and could have made it on to the shortlists of multiple categories.
The winning business is one which can represent the journey that so many have made over the disruptions and challenges of the past two years.
It will have shown resilience and success, despite the hardships, and commitment to making a difference to the community through its business purpose.
Shared housing provider Pro Pods was the Overall Business of the Year winner, meaning the Entrepreneur of the Year and founder of Pro Pods, Daryn Brewer, returned to the stage once again to collect the final award of the night.
With years of experience in the property sector, Daryn spotted a gap in the market and took the opportunity to make a difference to the way shared housing is perceived. He put his own time and money into making the venture a success and committed to creating a community of like-minded professionals in the city.
Pro Pods is a specialist house sharing company that converts hand-picked properties into stylish, modern rental homes designed with professional sharers in mind.
Its all-inclusive, fully furnished accommodation aims to make budgeting and living hassle-free, with admin, bills and weekly housekeeping included in the monthly cost.
The central location of the properties ensures that young professionals or recent graduates are encouraged to stay living in the city, and to live sustainably, which in turn has a positive impact on the local economy.
Daryn is keen to push the boundaries and refuses to call his customers ‘tenants’ or even ‘residents’, but instead ‘Propodians’, a like-minded group of individuals who live, work and socialise together as part of a mini community. The spaces are designed to bring people together, with enough communal space to live and work together, but also private space to unwind in the ensuite bedrooms.
With a regular newsletter for all residents and different events such as beer-tasting evenings, inter-house competitions and awards, Pro Pods is doing everything in its power to set the standard in a new way of shared living.
Daryn said: ‘I’m just speechless, I really am.
‘Five years ago I started this journey and I don’t think I ever thought I’d be here tonight.
‘It’s not just me, it’s the team, it’s the people around me.
‘It’s not just one individual that makes a business, there are a lot of people that go into this that need thanking.
‘I’m very passionate about what I do housing young professionals that come into the city. Eighty per cent of our Propodians travel over 100 miles or more to take a job in Portsmouth, and benefitting our economy can only be a benefit to everyone in the city.’
There was also a highly commended winner in this category, which was awarded to Employer of the Year winner The Coastal Kitchen Family.