Winners at the EADT Business Awards 2023 announced

You can see the list of winners and finalists below, and discover more about them in our winners supplement in the paper on Wednesday, October 4.

This year has been a great year for me personally, with my wedding, a trip to Buckingham Palace with my mother because of her charity work and the chance to do the job that I always dreamed of having as a child at the EADT. But even in a year like this one, there have been tough moments and I know our business community has felt them too.

Liz Nice, editor of the East Anglian Daily Times, at the EADT Business Awards 2023 (Image: Matthew Potter Photographer and Videographer)

All year, we’ve been running stories about businesses being crippled by high energy bills, worries about water supplies, bad harvests and your customers struggling to manage in a cost-of-living crisis.

Local enterprises have persevered though, and they’ve even thrived.

I know because our newspaper and website have also been filled daily with uplifting stories of businesses overcoming the odds, new start-ups, inspirational new projects and, of course, the numerous attempts to help others through charity and other initiatives to get through the hard times.

This year we’ve had a record number of entries – 140 in total – and it’s been exceptionally hard to pick the winners.

Comedian Jen Brister hosted the awards night (Image: Matthew Potter Photographer and Videographer)

More than £3,000 was also raised for Suffolk Accident Rescue Service (SARS) at the celebration, the chosen charity for this year’s EADT Business Awards.

This year’s theme of ‘people’ saw businesses looking within at the committed staff and management teams that drive growth and build communities, as well as looking out at the customers that have supported them along the way.

I’d like to say thank you to our headline sponsors, Suffolk Chamber of Commerce and Sizewell C, and to all of our category sponsors. Without their support, these awards wouldn’t happen.

The best and brightest of Suffolk's business community gathered for the ceremony at Kesgrave Hall (Image: Matthew Potter Photographer and Videographer)

I’d also like to thank our drinks reception partners Paddy & Scott’s, last year’s Suffolk Business of the Year, comedian Jen Brister for hosting and our venue sponsor Milsoms Kesgrave Hall for always giving us such a fantastic evening.

We’ve loved meeting all the winners during this year’s awards process and will look forward to seeing some of them again at Kesgrave Hall next year – in July this time, just as it used to be before the pandemic.

The winners demonstrate the passion and commitment shown throughout Suffolk's thriving businesses (Image: Matthew Potter Photographer and Videographer)

Entries for next year’s EADT Business Awards open in January. For more information, please keep your eyes peeled for updates at eadtbusinessawards.co.uk

The winners

Environmental & Sustainability Award

Sponsored by Port One

Winner: Denny Bros

Finalists:
Nedging Hall Estate
Radical Waste
Spectra Packaging

Rising Star of the Year

Sponsored by Birketts

Winner: Insight Energy Renewables

Finalists:
Quay Street Collective
Satsuma Group
Sunrise Studios

Innovation Award

Sponsored by University of Suffolk

Winner: Frugalpac

Finalists:
6 Alpha Associates
Associated Asphalt Contracting
Roadfill

Customer Excellence Award

Sponsored by Greater Anglia

Winner: Attwells Solicitors

Finalists:
Brampton Manor
Kingsfleet
MacKenzie King

Growth Business of the Year

Sponsored by Ashtons Legal

Winner: Events Under Canvas

Finalists:
BA Boyle & Son
Seatrium Offshore Renewable Services
X-on Health

Positive Impact in the Community

Sponsored by Lovell

Winner: Sunrise Studios

Finalists:
Home Instead
Inspire
St Elizabeth Hospice

Small Business of the Year

Sponsored by Fleximize

Winner: The Suffolk Jungle Room

Finalists:
Kingsfleet
PredicAire
Satsuma Group

Medium Business of the Year

Sponsored by Pound Gates Chartered Insurance Brokers

Winner: Location Works

Finalists:
Events Under Canvas
Process Instrument Solutions
Pump Street

Large Business of the Year

Sponsored by Larking Gowen

Winner: The Hotel Folk

Finalists:
Bacton Transport Services
Maritime Cargo Processing
Thomas Ridley

Employer of the Year

Winner: Jimmy’s Farm and Wildlife Park

Finalists:
Brampton Manor
Morrison Freight
SimpleClick Solutions

Director of the Year

Sponsored by Churchmanor Estates

Winner: Mark Dolman – Portable Space

Finalists:
Colin Yaxley – Seatrium Offshore Renewable Services
James Tweed – Coracle
John Parnell – Generate Leads Online

Suffolk Business of the Year

Sponsored by Sizewell C and Suffolk Chamber of Commerce

Winner: Denny Bros

Second place: The Hotel Folk
Third place: Location Works