Business of the year award for Willenhall company

The eighth Nachural Summer Business Awards was held at Wolverhampton Racecourse on Friday.

Menfor, of Monmer Close, Willenhall, has operations stretching to Africa and Europe. It operate in all sectors but specialise in aviation, utilities, highways and railways.

The 450 guests heard that the group has a heavy emphasis on employing apprentices, cultivating a positive work culture and training.

Its projects in the UK include working with football clubs such as Liverpool and Birmingham City.

Other award winners included Walsall-based Coinadrink which won enterprise of the year and the Wolves Foundation which received the community excellence award.

Awards also went to: excellence in technology, School of Coding, Wolverhampton; excellence in diversity and inclusion, Laser Skin, Wolverhampton; excellence in customer service – Ansons Solicitors, Dudley; small business of the year, Hi Tech Finishing, Wolverhampton and businesswomen of the year, Monica Shafaq, chief executive of Gordon Moody, Dudley.

Ninder Johal, chief executive of Wednesbury-based awards organisers Nachural, said that despite a testing 36 months, the future of the region was bright.

He pointed out many positive indicators including the full letting of high premium office space like i9 and i10 in Wolverhampton and the manufacturing sector recovering strongly with aerospace leading the way.

Mr Johal said foreign direct investment in the West Midlands region was also extraordinarily strong and the city of Wolverhampton was a beacon for start-ups .

Other parts of the Black Country were also showing positive signs and he said that Sandwell continues to have a strong advanced manufacturing basis and that the entire region was the foundation of the logistics sector.

Guest speaker was Doug Wright, one of Europe's largest franchisees of McDonald's with multiple sites in the Black Country and who employs over 3,000 people.