In his regular column for Caerphilly Observer, Caerphilly Business Forum’s chair Tony Sheehan looks back on the 2012 Caerphilly Business Forum Awards.
In a year that has seen business insolvencies in Wales soar by more than 60%, it was an absolute pleasure to be part of the Caerphilly Business Forum Business Awards last Friday night, celebrating the borough’s business success.
There is no question that the last year has been tough for a lot of sectors, but the talent and enthusiasm that I was greeted with in Llancaiach Fawr Manor was awe inspiring and has given me a lot of hope for the future.
In these types of situations judges often say that they had tough decisions on their hands – but in this case I’m quite sure that was absolutely true.
For example, in one of our new categories, Contribution to the Rural Economy, supported by Caerffili Cwm a Mynydd, the judges said that all three finalists were incredibly enthusiastic and passionate. Whilst the category was ultimately won by Blaengawney Cider, the two runners up Hapus Ice Cream and PS Cycles were highly commended for the passion they show, for their ethics and their part in the wider community.
Blaengawney Cider obviously had a little something extra too as they also won the Business of the Year (with 25 employees or fewer) category sponsored by CCBC.
I understand that the judges of the Women in Business category had a difficult time judging applicants, too, as there were so many who showed potential. Although the category was ultimately won by Clare Morgan from Peter’s Foods, the category judge and sponsor, Denise Lovering, believes that there were many who showed potential and could possibly be Women in Business candidates for the future.
As regular readers will know, I am big believer in getting young people into work so I was thrilled to see such strong candidates shortlisted in the Young Achiever category, sponsored by PHS. I’m sure that Karina Hicks from Educ8, who was the overall category winner, must have really wowed the judges. In fact, the judges felt that she showed unbridled passion for her role, her team and her business, which is truly admirable and means that she is likely to go far.
The winner of the Premier Award, Seda UK, is a truly brilliant example of the kind of high level business that we have operating in the borough. That they wanted to celebrate their Caerphilly credentials by entering the awards shows the pride that businesses have in the area.
Congratulations, too, to GreenCap, Gritty Realism and Cabot Aluminium who were all worthy winners and demonstrated the level of ingenuity that is present here in Caerphilly.
Everyone who entered should be truly proud of their achievements and we look forward to seeing them go from strength to strength in the future.
Tony Sheehan
Chairman, Caerphilly Business Forum
For more information about Caerphilly Business Forum and its events call 029 2125 1395 or email Natalie@cbforum.co.uk