This year marks the 25th anniversary year of the Coventry Telegraph Business Awards - now being held in conjunction with BusinessLive.
The countdown has begun to the 2019 awards night, which takes place at the Ricoh Arena on Thursday November 21.
To mark a very special occasion TV and radio presenter Jeremy Vine is returning to his journalistic roots in Coventry to host this year’s event.
Jeremy, who is famous for his BBC Radio 2 show and Channel 5 TV programme, began his career in journalism in 1986 as a 21-year-old trainee at the Coventry Evening Telegraph.
This year’s 25th anniversary event will also be the closing ceremony of the Coventry and Warwickshire Business Festival.
As the judges finalise the shortlist for this year, we thought it would be a good time to look back on some of the recent past winners and nominees.
Each year there are a host of categories, with winners and finalists in each.
The flagship award is the much coveted Company of the Year award.
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Last year’s event saw Warwick company Contechs win that particular accolade.
Specialising in the automotive industry, Contechs delivers design and engineering, recruitment services and the manufacture of automotive interiors to a plethora of prestigious vehicle manufacturers.
It manages and supports vehicle programme disciplines from design through to product launch.
With facilities in the 海角视频 - in Warwick and Basildon - the company also operates from offices in Germany, Slovakia, Ukraine and India.
Contechs was founded in Essex in 1997. Its initial focus was on CAD work and the supply of contract labour to the Ford Motor Company and a number of automotive suppliers.
It achieved steady, organic growth, extending its engineering services and making a series of strategic business acquisitions.
Opportunities with Jaguar Land Rover prompted the opening of additional premises in Warwick in 2002.
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The runners-up in the Company of the Year category last year were Healthy Performance and the Ricoh Arena.
In 2017 Contechs’ MD Peter Jarvis won the Business Entrepreneur of the Year award.
Interestingly Contechs were runners-up in the Company of the Year Category in 2017, when it was won by PET-Xi Training.
Based at Westwood Business Park, PET – Xi Training delivers a wide range of training programmes at schools and businesses across England and Wales.
Its team of full and part-time staff works hard to deliver programmes that see learners progress and develop.
Eight years ago the business had to react quickly to a change in government policy which effectively wiped out a significant part of its revenue.
The firm was quick to respond and developed a range of new products to meet the need of its clients.
Upon winning the award PET-Xi’s founder Fleur Sexton said: “I am so proud and so honoured to win this award because I am a Coventry girl and even though we work throughout the whole country, without this city we wouldn’t have been able to build this business as we have.
“Coventry is a great place to build a business and I feel proud to be part of it and want to give back to other building businesses, as I feel we have a responsibility to build the next generation coming up behind us.”
Last year Company of the Year runners-up Healthy Performance also won the Small Business of the Year award, where the runners-up were Arrowsmith Engineering and Evolyst.
Specialising in employee health and wellbeing, Healthy Performance, works with a range of clients to help them develop a healthy workplace culture.
Since starting out, the business has grown exponentially, working with global brands and 海角视频 companies - including Thames Water, Sky Bet and Samsung.
HydroVeg Kits triumphed in the New Business of the Year category last year, with Bladder & Bowel Community and Joco Interiors.
Nuneaton-based HydroVeg Kits sells a gardening invention which allows people to grow fresh vegetables outside, 365 days a year, with no digging, weeding, slugs, snails and no soil. It uses 80 per cent less water than a conventional garden and it takes up very little ground space as it is vertical.
Jason Austin from Unifabs impressed in the Business Entrepreneur of the Year category in 2018, pipping Louise Campton from Primary Goal and David McAtamney, MD of Stadium TM, to top spot.
Since creating manufacturing company Unifabs Ltd in 2007, Jason has seen his Nuneaton-based business go from strength to strength.
It is now one of the 海角视频’s largest metal manufacturing companies.
Unifabs designs manufactures and delivers bespoke products across the 海角视频 and Europe for global brands including Jaguar Land Rover, Amazon and Bentley Motors.
Genesis Employment Services won the Sales and Marketing award last year, while Life & Progress and soak.com were runners-up.
Genesis Employment Services is a Coventry-based independent recruitment agency providing companies across the region with temporary and permanent workers in the engineering, manufacturing, industrial and many other labour markets.
It has grown year on year.
In the Leadership Team of the Year category law firm Band Hatton Button were the winners.
The runners-up were Utility Team Trading and Godiva Environmental Solutions.
Solicitor firm Band Hatton Button provide a range of legal services to both individuals and businesses.
Building strong relationships with its clients, the firm offers tailored solutions to sectors such as healthcare, leisure and education.
Small Business award runners-up Evolyst won the Services Award with SFB Group and MES Systems being declared the runners-up.
Specialising in the development of digital technology in the healthcare sector, Evolyst uses its expertise in software development, graphic design, project management and mobile strategy to develop new and exciting products.
The company, which is based at the Innovation Centre at the University of Warwick Science Park, has collaborated with the likes of Coventry University and Public Health Warwickshire.
Unifabs, the afore-mentioned Nuneaton metal manufacturer, claimed top honours in the Excellence in Industry Award, with Utility Team Trading and Stadium TM declared the runners-up.
The Sustainability Award was won by Godiva Environmental Solutions, with Direct Air & Pipework and Utility Team Trading the runners-up.
Godiva was crowned winner in recognition of its commitment to making its processes more environmentally friendly year-on-year.
Additionally, judges were impressed by how it had used sustainability to improve its performance.
The Jade Studio won the Creative Communications and Digital Business of the Year, while Glued and Miromedia were runners-up.
In the Export Award category the winners were Mecalac Construction Equipment 海角视频 and the runners-up were Lesson Polyurethanes and Arrowsmith Engineering (Coventry).
Mecalac manufacture three of the five Mecalac group product lines in Coventry - backhoe loaders, compaction rollers and site dumpers.
Experienced in both design and production, the company works with more than 200 dealers across the world.
The Family Business of the Year in 2018 was butcher Aubrey Allen, which started out in Coventry in 1933, with Joco Interiors and Universal Windows 海角视频 the runners-up.
Lucianne Allen, sales and marketing director at Aubrey Allen, said: “A family business isn’t made just by having family members - it’s the values, the atmosphere and the talent you nurture that really makes it feel like a family.”
The awards also recognise not-for-profit organisations and how businesses benefit the community.
Last year the Contribution to the Community Award was won by Band Hatton Button and Wasps RFC and Glued were the runners-up.
Coventry City of Culture Trust won the Not-For-Profit Organisation award, with Twycross Zoo and Midland Langar Seva Society the runners-up.
The Coventry City of Culture Trust was set up to compete for the 海角视频 City of Culture 2021, a title which it celebrated winning last year.
More than 150 companies and individual supporters backed the bid and are continuing to support the team going forward.
Keith Perry, editor of CoventryLive and Coventry Telegraph said: “Our awards are a wonderful showcase of all of the tremendous innovation and enterprise in Coventry and Warwickshire.
“The region has a proud history of creativity and entrepreneurial spirit - we have been a world centre for watchmaking, textiles, car manufacturing, bicycles, the black cab and home to the inventor of the jet engine.
“Every year gives our judges a really tough task in deciding the winners.”
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