Shropshire Business Awards: Telford-based Reconomy named county's top company
Waste management company Reconomy has been named Shropshire's best business at a glittering awards ceremony in the county.
The Telford firm, which chalked up sales of £111 million last year and employs about 300 people from its Stafford Park headquarters, picked up the Company of the Year award at last night's Shropshire Business Awards.
It scooped the top prize at the second time of asking, having been among the finalists at last year's ceremony.
It was up against strong opposition, with Market Drayton-based logistics firm Culina, haulage business Dale Brothers from Telford, and road safety specialist TTC Group in Telford also up for the top award.
The ceremony also provided a reason to celebrate for Whitchurch-based horse breeding specialist Stallion AI Services, which scooped two awards – in the International Trade and Technology, Enterprise and Innovation categories.
The awards ceremony, organised by Shropshire Chamber of Commerce and held at Telford's International Centre, was attended by more than 600 people.
Chamber chief executive Richard Sheehan said: "The 2017 Shropshire Business Awards exceeded our expectations without a shadow of a doubt.
"The atmosphere on the night and the intense excitement was infectious, and as always the event was full of glitz and glamour.
"The enormous audience came together in fantastic spirit, showing once again the power of the Shropshire business community, and we could see people moving from table to table as they caught up with old acquaintances and business colleagues, and met new people."
He added: "Reconomy is a rapidly expanding business, and we must congratulate them.
"As a representative of a growing sector, and an important one, we were delighted to see they had the tenacity to enter again, and the feedback we had from the judges was that they were a very worthy winner, in a very tightly-contested category.
"To win an award in the Shropshire Business Awards us ab outstanding achievement in the face of fierce competition in every area.
"To win two, as Stallion AI did, is a very special achievement indeed, and it's worth very specific congratulations."
Other winners included healthcare retailer Choiceshops in Telford, which took home the Online Business of the Year Award, and Market Drayton opticians Mincher-Lockett in the Outstanding Customer Service category.
Telford public relations company J&PR landed the Business In The Community Award, and another Telford company – QI Van Systems – the Manufacturing, Transport and Logistics category.
Hadley Park House Hotel, also in Telford, was named the winner of the Tourism, Leisure and Hospitality Award, while Joanna Jago of another business from the town, Halesfield-based Global Freight, was recognised in the Apprentice of the Year Award.
The awards continued to come for Telford companies as the Inspirational Learning Group landed the Best New Business Award, while the Best Small Business gong went to Shifnal marketing company Ascendancy Internet Marketing.
The recognition of Telford's business success was topped off when Graham Wynn, chairman of the TTC Group and the Marches Local Enterprise Partnership, won the third annual John Clayton Award, which goes to an individual from business who has made a significant contribution to the Shropshire community.
Mr Sheehan said: "The award is in recognition of his work not only in the running and development of his business, but also because of his massive commitment to the Marches LEP in his role as chairman.
"His use of his connectivity to benefit Shropshire as a whole and to ensure that our area is very much given the importance it should be in the corridors of Westminster is invaluable. He is a very worthy winner."
He added: "The overall quality of entries year after year astonishes us. The diversity of Shropshire business and the sectors they represent is always impressive, and this year was no exception.
"What we did see this year was a lot less multiple entries, and we were pleasantly surprised by the number of new companies that entered this year.
"It was a fantastic response from the business community and demonstrated the importance the Shropshire Business Awards hold in the area."
The night itself was a grand celebration of Shropshire business, with the hundreds of guests in attendance celebrating the achievements of the last year.
A steel band welcomed visitors on arrival, while Poundland founder Steve Smith, who lives near Bridgnorth, was the guest speaker.
The full list of winners is as follows:
Company of the Year: Reconomy, Telford
Outstanding Customer Service: Mincher-Lockett Opticians, Market Drayton
Best New Business: The Inspirational Learning Group, Telford
Online Business: Choiceshops, Telford
Technology, Enterprise and Innovation: Stallion AI Services, Whitchurch
International Trade Through Export: Stallion AI Services, Whitchurch
Manufacturing, Transport and Logistics: QI Van Systems, Telford
Best Small Business: Ascendancy Internet Marketing, Shifnal
Apprentice of the Year: Joanna Jago, Global Freight, Telford
Business In The Community: J&PR, Telford
Tourism, Leisure and Hospitality: Hadley Park House Hotel, Telford
The John Clayton Award: Graham Wynn, TTC Group
