Shortlist is revealed for Shropshire Chamber's glittering 'Oscars-style' awards

A glittering Oscars-style event in front of hundreds of guests at Telford’s International Centre will take place on Friday, June 23, where the host of BBC’s The Repair Shop, Jay Blades MBE, is guest speaker.

The Company of the Year award will be decided between two previous winners – Oswestry home safety firm Aico and Dodd Group from Telford – plus two Shrewsbury-based businesses, Shropshire Homes and marketing firm Reech.

Aico is shortlisted in three categories this year, while there are also multiple nominations for Telford College, Exascale, PaveAways and Shrewsbury Colleges Group.

Ruth Ross, chief executive of Shropshire Chamber, said: “The awards night is always a fantastic occasion, celebrating the extraordinary adaptability, innovation and success of our business community.

“Once again, we have been amazed and delighted by the volume and quality of entries, including very strong interest in our new categories. Shortlisting each of them down to a final four was a really tough task for our independent judging panel.”

Teams of judges will be visiting each of the finalists at their premises during May to make their final decision.

The competition was open to all businesses with an operational base in Shropshire – whether or not they are a Chamber member.

It includes the return of long-running categories including Company of the Year, Best New Business, and Best Small Business.

There are also new-look categories this year for Global Business recognising international trade, Commitment To People, and a return of the Business In The Community award.

“The Shropshire Chamber Business Awards are firmly established among the largest events of their kind in the country, with a history stretching back more than 20 years,” said Ruth.

“We know that Shropshire businesses are going to be facing significant challenges over the coming year, so it’s more important than ever to celebrate and recognise the success stories of our incredible collection of 2023 finalists.”

The finalists are:

• Company of the year: Aico, Oswestry, Dodd Group, Telford, Reech, Shrewsbury, Shropshire Homes, Shrewsbury.

• Best new business: 8 Financial Planning, Telford, Charlie The Vet, Shrewsbury, Coton Meadows Pet & Equine Crematorium, Whitchurch, Film Shropshire, Shrewsbury.

• Best small business: Chrisbeon Office Supplies, Exascale, Telford, Mutneys Professional Pet Care, Market Drayton, The Shropshire Distillery, Ellesmere.

• Commitment to people: Assured Vehicle Rental, Telford, Liquid Fleet, Telford, Rotherwood Healthcare, Shrewsbury and Shrewsbury Colleges Group.

• Global Business of the Year: Aviramp, Telford, Jesmonite, Bishop’s Castle, Seymour Manufacturing International, Telford, Telecom Infrastructure Partners, Shrewsbury.

• Community champion in the business community: Aico, Oswestry, Azets, Shrewsbury, Bright Star Boxing, Shifnal and Pave Aways, Knockin.

• Excellence in manufacturing and engineering: CEL Group, Telford, Fabdec, Ellesmere, Northwood Hygiene Products, Telford, SDE Technology, Shrewsbury.

• Wellbeing in the workplace: Dyke Yaxley, Shrewsbury and Telford, Housing Plus Group, Shrewsbury, Iconsys, Telford and Pave Aways, Knockin.

• The Trailblazer - Innovation Award: Aico, Oswestry, Exascale, Telford, Start Tech, Shrewsbury, Telford College.

• The Eco Award: Shrewsbury Colleges Group, Staysafe PPE, Bridgnorth, The Little Green Pantry, Telford, Tradology UK, Telford.

• Young Business Person: Aleesha Skett – The HR Dept Shropshire, Annabel Hemingbrough – Telford College/Purple Frog Systems, Dylan Purewal – Berrys, Faye Hudson – Reech.

• The John Clayton Award, named after a previous Shropshire Chamber president, will also be presented on the night to someone who is judged by the Chamber board to have made an outstanding contribution to the local business community.

Launched in 2001, the Shropshire Chamber Business Awards have attracted audiences of more than 900 people for the black-tie celebration and become one of the largest and longest-running business awards events in the UK.

For details about the event, see shropshirechamberbusinessawards.com