Countdown to success at the Tees Valley Business Awards 2007

Feb 19 2008 by Karen McLauchlan, Evening Gazette

THERE’S just two weeks to go until the winners are announced at the Tees Valley Business Awards 2007.

The top honours will be announced at a glittering black tie dinner being held on Thursday, March 6, at Teesside University.

The cream of Teesside’s business community will then join winners from Durham and Wearside and Tyneside and Northumberland for the North-east final at Hardwick Hall Hotel, near Sedgefield, on Thursday, May 1.

The awards are organised by the Evening Gazette and its sister paper The Journal on Tyneside.

And for the first time the Tees Valley event is being held at Teesside University, in the Olympia Building.

“The Evening Gazette has a close working relationship with the university,” said Claire Evans, organiser of the awards.

“We wanted to do something different to keep the awards fresh.

“The Olympia Building is a great space which we will be totally transforming for the awards ceremony.”

It will take 48 hours to turn the sports hall into the venue for the stunning awards dinner ceremony.

Evening Gazette editor Darren Thwaites said: “This is certainly the most hotly contested and well-respected business awards in the Tees Valley. We have some fantastic companies here on Teesside and we are proud to say the entries this year look to be high quality.

“It’s great to be hosting the event at the university this year, it is clearly going to be an exciting evening.”

Business Link North East is the associate sponsor for the North East Business Awards.

Chief executive Alastair MacColl, said: “Each year the North East Business Awards provide us with a unique opportunity to celebrate business excellence in our region.”

Last year, beer monitoring firm Brulines, of Stockton, was crowned Company of the Year at the Tees Valley Business Awards.

The company has gone from strength to strength since then, with investment in a new headquarters and acquisition deals.

But who is in the running this year?

COMPANY OF THE YEAR

Garlands Call Centres - leading call centre operators in Middlesbrough, Stockton and Hartlepool.

Onyx Group - technology solutions company, Middlesbrough.

PD Ports - owner of Teesport and Hartlepool.

SMALL BUSINESS

Cool Blue Brand - Middlesbrough’s leading PR and marketing company.

F Jones Cleveland - Middlesbrough stone engineers completed a £5.2m investment programme last year.

Wells Integrated Cabling Systems - specialist electrical engineers in Stockton.

INNOVATION

Centre for Process Innovation - the Wilton team created the world’s first hydrogen fuel cell-powered lighthouse.

Visualsoft UK - Stockton web designers developed ground breaking www.goofbay.com

Wells Integrated Cabling Systems - in the running for its real time public information systems.

TECHNOLOGY

Centre For Process Innovation - for its National Industrial Biotechnology Facility at Wilton.

Profile Analysis - Middlesbrough developers of i-snapshot which provides details of their field sales forces in real time.

Registration Services, Stockton Council - for its “For The Record” system.

INTERNET AND ICT

Phase One DJ Solutions - Darlington firm sells DJ and disco equipment online.

Snail Homes - Thornaby-based home sellers using movie “walk throughs”.

Visualsoft UK - employs 13 in Middlesbrough on web marketing.

MANUFACTURING

Burdon Engineering, Stokesley - engineering company.

F Jones Cleveland - the marble and granite specialist.

Lift Able - stairlift manufacturer in Stockton.

ENVIRONMENT

Renew Tees Valley - renewable energy and waste management champions for Tees.

River Swale Organic Vegetables - Newby Wiske-based doorstep delivery firm.

Sembcorp - owners of the UK’s largest wood-burning power plant.

CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

Corus Teesside Cast Products - its CSR policy supports its 1,800 staff.

Renew Tees Valley.

Cummins - engineering firm’s Darlington branch employs 1,000.

LEARNING, TRAINING AND SKILLS

Castlebeck - top Darlington-based health care provider.

Darlington College - opened a £35m campus in August 2006.

Garlands Call Centres - for its training initiatives.

EXPORT

Corus Tubes Energy Business - with 524 staff in Hartlepool.

Cummins - 60% of production goes to Europe and Asia.

Oxford Chemicals - Seaton Carew’s flavour and fragrance specialists.

SERVICES

Cool Blue Brand Communications.

Garlands Call Centres.

TAS Engineering Consultants - Stockton engineering and consultancy service to the process industries.

BEST CULTURAL AND CREATIVE BUSINESS AWARD CATEGORY (only presented at the regional final)

Stagecoach Theatre Arts, Yarm and Darlington.

Pebble Gallery and Art Cafe, Northumberland

Crafty Computer Paper, Northumberland

To book a table, contact event organiser Claire Evans on 0191 201 6089, e-mail claire.evans@ncjmedia.co.uk