Welcome
Business leaders from across the region shrugged off the economic gloom to celebrate some of the region’s many success stories at the 2008 Anglian Business Awards.
Ipswich-based Barnes Construction claimed top honours at the black-tie event last Thursday, beating off strong competition to win the Medium-Large Business of the Year award and then being chosen from among the total of 14 category winners for the overall Business of the Year title.
The Anglian Business Awards, organised annually by the East Anglian Daily Times since 1998, were this year supported by chartered accountants and business advisers Baker Tilly as overall sponsor.
Runner-up for the Business of the Year title was Haverhill-based Ardex UK, which won the award for Outstanding Customer Service, with Bury St Edmunds company Fix-a-Form International, winner of the International Trade category, in third place.
The Entrepreneur of the Year title was won by Shaun Bailey, founder and managing director of Ipswich-based marketing communications group Jacob Bailey, with the Young Business Person of the Year award going to Joe Friedlein, founder of search engine marketing agency Browser Media, based at Braxted Park, near Colchester.
Global insurance broker Willis, which has a major presence in Ipswich, claimed the award for Training & Development, while Mad Rabbit Recruitment, also based in Ipswich, won the Start-Up Business of the Year category.
Sudbury-based marketing and research company Mackman was named Small Business of the Year and digital media solutions specialist io global, based at Adastral Park, Martlesham, won the Innovation and Technology award.
The Rural Business award went to Otley College while there was double success in the awards for Needham Market, with Anglia IT Recruitment winning the Community Involvement category and near neighbour CPW Computing taking the Environment award.
The Not-for-Profit category, newly introduced this year, was won by the Ipswich-based Eastern Angles touring theatre company and there was another success for the performing arts sector with the Red Rose Chain theatre and film company, also based in Ipswich, winning the Marketing award.
Last night’s awards ceremony was held at Trinity Park, Ipswich, and was hosted by comedian and actor Alistair McGowan.
Welcoming guests to the event, Terry Hunt, editor of the East Anglian Daily Times, said: “As the Anglian Business Awards reach their 10th anniversary, it can safely be said that, never previously in the lifetime of the awards, have the economic conditions in which our local businesses operate – whether regionally, nationally or, indeed, internationally – been as challenging as they are now.
“In some ways, however, the very fact that it is so difficult in the current economic climate to escape headlines of doom and gloom makes tonight’s occasion all the more important.”
And he added: “The awards are also particularly relevant just now, in that the enterprise, the investment and the commitment to quality and best practice which characterise those businesses represented among our finalists here tonight are precisely the qualities which will help East Anglia to come through the downturn.”
Guests at the awards generously supported a corporate raffle which raised a total of £2,110 for the St Elizabeth Hospice.
2008 winners
Click here to see who took the top titles at the 2008 awards
