Partner Article

Midlands Family Business Awards 2014 shortlist unveiled

A business founded more than 150 years ago, a nursery led by its founding family’s fourth generation, and specialists in construction and residential interior design are amongst the 45 family businesses and advisers making the shortlists of the ten categories in the 2014 Midlands Family Business Awards.

The 28 family businesses from the East Midlands and 17 from the West Midlands now prepare to be interviewed by the panel of independent judges which includes entrepreneurs, business leaders, family business owners and ambassadors such as Alex Polizzi, Mark Samworth, John Horrell and Parveen Mehta.

Also judging are several past winners in the Awards including MD of 99p Stores Hussein Lalani, John Massey of Belton Massey, together with long standing judge DhirenKatwa.

All winners will be announced at a black tie dinner in Nottingham on the 13th November.

Headline category is the Family Business of the Year Award, sponsored by Midlands’ accountants and business advisers Smith Cooper. Shortlisted this year are A1Flue Systems (Nottingham), Charles Bentley & Son (Leicester), Intercity Telecom (Birmingham), Mellors Group (Nottingham), RH Smith & Sons (Leicester), and Roadlink International (West Midlands).

Backed and run by The Wilson Organisation, the Awards are the regions only independent, not-for-profit initiative to recognise family businesses and their advisers. Wilsons MD Charlotte Perkins, the third generation of the family to lead the business alongside her sister Annabel Prow, comments: “All entries this year demonstrate the exceptional pedigree of the family businesses based in the Midlands, and the shortlist includes businesses with ten to over 500 employees, and annual turnover ranging from £1M to more than £50M.

“Sectors represented this year are more diverse than ever before, with family firms from manufacturing, IT, logistics, property, construction, waste management, leisure, education, telecoms, wholesale, retail and engineering.”

Shortlisted in the Best Small Family Business (turnover less than £5M) Award, sponsored by Leicester’s Crouch Logistics, is C Henry & Sons (Leicester), Fresh Logistics Services (Nottingham), Mrs Stone Store (Derbyshire), Philip Morris & Son (West Midlands), Rolton Group Ltd (Northamptonshire), and TEAL Patents Ltd (Birmingham).

Businesses shortlisted in the Business Innovation category, sponsored by PwC, are split equally across the East and West Midlands – Derby’s Birchover Hotel Apartments and Questmark Limited, Northamptonshire’s Infomedia Services, West Midlands based Maskarade, Birmingham’s Mereway Kitchens and Reuben Heaton Limited, which was founded in 1857.

Family firms making the shortlist in the International Development category are Leicester’s BM Fashions, Nottingham’s Hall-Fast Industrial Supplies, Derby’s Slenderella and Leicester-based Westermans International; together with Birmingham’s TEAL Patents and Futura Design – also shortlisted in the Manufacturing Excellence category.

Businesses experiencing strong and sustained growth and shortlisted in the Fastest Growing Family Business category, sponsored by Shakespeares, are Corporate Solutions (Birmingham), MAC Surfacing, Nottingham’s Trimcraft, John Pye& Sons and Fresh Logistics, and BM Fashions of Leicester.

The Barclays-sponsored Manufacturing Excellence Award features A1 Flue Systems, Charles Bentley & Son, Futura Design, Reuben Heaton Ltd, third generation family business Cole Fabrics, and Leicester’s Lestercast.

New category for 2014 Employer of the Year, sponsored by the Midlands Family Business of the Year 2012 Becketts Farm, has six businesses shortlisted – Elsby & Co, James Coles & Sons (Leicester), Lestercast, Mereway Kitchens, PCMS Group (Warwickshire), and RH Smith & Sons (Lincolnshire).

Intercity Telecom and PCMS Group make their second category shortlist in the Service Excellence Award, sponsored by Premium Credit, along with Sundial Group (Northamptonshire), Breedon House Nurseries (Nottingham), CMAC Computer Systems (Birmingham), and David James Estate Agents (Nottingham).

The search for Director of the Year (under 40), sponsored by Thomas Miller Investment and First Actuarial, features Paul Baker of Leicester’s Bakers Waste, Nick Cole of Cole Fabrics, Neil Male of GMS Security, Jagjeet Virdee of Inspire International, Edward Mellors of Nottingham’s Mellors Group, and Barney Edwards of Prezzybox.

With a proven track record of providing outstanding support to family businesses, professionals making the shortlist in the Leading Adviser to Family Business category, sponsored by Unum, are Tom Adams of Affinity Asset Finance, Jonathan Tyson of Else Solicitors LLP, Fraser Cunningham of Derby’s Smith Partnership, Sophie Mountcastle of Trade & Export Finance (Birmingham), and James Simmonds of UHY Hacker Young.

For the full shortlist and profiles of the judges for 2014, visit: www.familybusinessawards.co.uk.

2014 is the fifth year for the not-for-profit, independent Awards, and this year they are raising funds for The Outward Bound Trust, the educational charity for young people. Since their launch in 2010, the Awards have raised in the region of £20,000 for charities supporting young people and enterprise.

The Wilson Organisation provides innovative insurance and financial solutions to businesses and individuals both regionally and nationally. For more information, visit: www.wilorg.com, or Tel: 0115 942 0111.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Midlands Family Business Awards .