An independent panel of judges from North East businesses are to judge Aycliffe Business Park’s 2015 “Make Your Mark” awards – a competition exclusive to the Park – will take place on 10th February at the Xcel Centre.
The panel consists of UTC South Durham principal Tom Dower, South Durham Enterprise Agency business support manager Ian Coull, Business Durham’s business development director Sarah Slaven, The Northern Echo’s business editor Andy Richardson and Kerina Clark, Chair-person of Aycliffe Business Park steering group.
The categories include Apprentice of the Year, Apprenticeships, Company of the Year, Employer of the Year, Engineering & Manufacturing award, Export award, Heart of the Community, Newcomer of the Year, Service Business of the Year and the Small Business award.
Entries can be made online at www.aycliffeawards.co.uk – there are no complicated forms to fill in – and people can enter their own business as well as others. The deadline is 22nd January 2016.
Kerina Clark said: “We’re really pleased and excited that we’ve managed to bring together four people from a good mix of different sectors, all bringing something different to the judging panel. Tom has worked in industry and now has an involvement in the education and training, Sarah and Ian bring a broad view of business and Andy and I bring local knowledge of the business park. We want to showcase companies that live and work in Aycliffe, and how great they are.”
Business Durham’s business development director Sarah Slaven said: “We know there are some great business stories on the Park, and it’s really important we celebrate that by encouraging businesses who might not have been previously involved. It’s a golden opportunity for them to come forward and tell us about themselves and what they’ve achieved. There’s a really vibrant business community here, but we know there are a lot of companies which we haven’t heard about yet. The Make Your Mark awards provide a great platform to showcase their stories and celebrate all the fantastic companies here at Aycliffe”
Ian Coull, business support manager at the South Durham Enterprise Agency, said: “The Enterprise Agency exists to support enterprise growth. Award ceremonies like this help to showcase the great work that’s going on around the park, and doing things they don’t often shout about.
“It also gives them an opportunity for their customers, employees and other people to nominate them for something.
It’s a bit of a cliché but they’re all winners on the night, because they’ll have been part of the judging process and many of them shortlisted, which will help to increase their profile. For the winners there’s a great opportunity to pull in more business.”
Tom Dower, principal of the UTC South Durham, added: “Make Your Mark is a brilliant platform for local companies of all shapes and sizes to enter a competition which will raise their profile. I believe passionately about promoting local businesses, especially for young people who are looking for meaningful careers and can be inspired by the opportunities open to them. It’s also a great opportunity for us all to get together, not only as a celebration, but also to network and get to know each other in a social environment.”
Tickets for the evening have been subsidised and are priced at £29.95 each. Sponsorship packages are available from www.aycliffeawards.co.uk or by emailing hello@aycliffeawards.co.uk
Judging panel (left-to-right): Ian Coull, Kerina Clark and Sarah Slaven.
