Thrings’ Swindon office was abuzz with innovative businesses from the Wiltshire region last week. The occasion was the Wiltshire Business Awards Meet the Judges event – another chance for hopeful entrants to impress the judges before the shortlist is decided.
Organised by Newsquest Wiltshire, the awards are celebrating their 25th year of recognising the excellence and achievements of the region’s thriving business community.
Acknowledging the previous week’s events, Darran Reynolds, sales director at Newsquest Wiltshire, welcomed over 90 business representatives, reinforcing the role that they would play in ensuring a prosperous region post-Honda.
Thrings has been headline sponsor of the revered business awards for a number of years and is pleased to, once again, support this celebration of business success.
Also greeting guests were members from the Thrings’ judging panel, partners Kate Westbrook, Ramona Derbyshire, Simon Hore, Gemma Featonby and Alex Pinhey.
Kate Westbrook said: “Given the recent bad news dominating the Swindon headlines, it was refreshing to see great cause for optimism in the region. While losing a manufacturing and engineering giant like Honda is undeniably devastating, many of the businesses we met are continuing to invest in the future. We couldn’t help but take note of the significant opportunities arising from a growing tech sector.
“Meeting companies like Appsbroker, which has partnered with Intel and Google and is punching well above its weight, gives us hope. The company is passionate about making Swindon a tech hub - and is really doing something about it.
“Likewise, it was uplifting to see businesses brimming with pride over their significant accomplishments, for example: NCAB, who run their printed circuit boards business from Devizes, Swindon-based Visually Connected, which provides AV, telecoms and IT services, LED screen specialists, infiLED, Green Machine, who offer eco- friendly computer recycling services and of course past-winner Bechtle.
Acknowledging the quality and variety of enterprises taking part this year, she added: “Speaking to these and other business representatives really helped make their award submissions come to life. Among the many great non-tech businesses we met were Walter Rose & Sons, high-end butchers supplying the likes of Harrods. They impressed us with their story of steady growth over almost four decades – never compromising quality for higher returns. TWC Home Improvements told us how they’re doing things differently – from the service they offer to how they employ their workforce.”
The next stage of the awards process will be visits to the businesses whose entries stood out from the crowd. Kate said: “We look forward to seeing first-hand how some of these fantastic businesses operate. Get ready! Here we come.”
You can view photos from the Meet the Judges evening here.
The winners will be announced at a gala ceremony at Center Parcs Longleat on 10 May 2019.
For more information on the 2019 Wiltshire Business Awards, please click here.
