Growth 100 Award
Winner: Oakgate Group
Oakgate is a subsidiary of Caddick Group, founded in 1995 by chairman Paul Caddick, chief executive John Grantham and managing director Richard France, with a focus on developing retail and leisure facilities in the north of England. Latest projects include the Exchange Quarter and Iceworks in Leeds. The company came top in the Growth 100 list, achieving an average annual change in turnover of 209.9 per cent. Grantham said: “This means a lot because we are a small team. We achieve all we do with just eight people.”
Sponsor: Park Place Corporate Finance
Rising Star Award
Winner: Xceleron
Xceleron, the drug development company that was founded as a spin-out of the University of York in 1997, took this year’s Growth 100 Rising Star award, which recognises fast-growing companies with less than £5m turnover. The £4.5m turnover company reached 15 in the list with an average growth rate of 67.3 per cent in the past five years. It opened a US facility in Maryland in July this year.
Shortlisted: Calibre-UK
Sponsor: Clarion Solicitors LLP
Innovation Award
Winner: Really Useful Products
Really Useful Products was created when founder Mike Pickles became frustrated at not being able to get a decent plastic box for filing. From that idea he has developed a company that exports a range of plastic boxes worldwide. Pickles said it was a good example of how “a simple idea developed into a strategy”. But he believes strongly in reinvesting in the company. Some £4m was invested in the Normanton factory last year, which Pickles says means no piece of machinery is more than a year old. Because he started the company with a view to exporting, the third employee he hired still lives and works in Belgium.
Shortlisted: Euro Dismantling Services, Special Steel, S & C Group
Sponsor: Yorkshire Science and Innovation Council
International Award
Winner: Allam Marine
Turnover at Allam Marine has risen £50m in the past five years, largely due to exports. The manufacturer of generators, based in Hull, saw £75m turnover in 2007 and benefits from providing power in countries that have unreliable national grids. Ehab Allam, operations director, said the company’s growth is down to using the UK brand. “In our industry we have a unique marketing strategy, which we developed after seeing an increase in competition from the Far East. All our products are fully sourced – from assembly to manufacturing – in the UK.” According to Allam, this differentiation gives them a brand that stands for good quality and reliability, and the products have a higher perceived value. He said: “We’re a fairly small player globally and our strategy for the future is to increase our share in existing markets and penetrate new markets such as South Africa, Russia and Dubai.”
Shortlisted: Really Useful Products, C F Booth
Sponsor: Lloyds TSB Corporate Markets
Vistage Award for Leadership
Winner: Tim Whitworth, chief executive, Republic
Tim Whitworth, chief executive of Republic, says his ‘steady as she goes’ leadership style has led the company to solid growth. Whitworth became chief executive after a management buyout of the retailer in 2002 but said he hasn’t tried to grow too much too quickly, although the company's workforce has grown from 500 staff to 2,200 in six years. Whitworth said the success was down to having the right people in the right places, and he anticipates more of the same. He sees immense opportunities for growth including venturing into Ireland, but he is careful, especially in the current conditions. “We have identified 200 locations in the UK and we’re in 90 locations. We think the market is worth about £600m and we accommodate about one third of that.”
Sponsor: Vistage International
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