The Medium Business of the Year award, sponsored by Pound Gates Chartered Insurance Brokers, at this year's Suffolk Business Awards aims to celebrate organisations with a turnover of between £1-5m that demonstrate all-round excellence. Here we meet the finalists in with a chance of being named 2022's Medium Business of the Year.
Bridge Classic Cars
A specialist in the restoration and preservation of classic vehicles since 2004, Bridge Classic Cars is a family business based in Pettistree, near Woodbridge, that applies a modern approach to a traditional craft by combining cutting-edge technology with age-old skills.
The business also gives people the chance to win a dream classic car with its weekly classic car live draw, and has created a no-fees online sales platform for the global classic and collector car market – MyClassics.
The judges were impressed by Bridge Classic Cars' attention to detail, commitment to the industry and its “vision to create a community around classic cars”.
They also praised the "great” staff team, commenting that “the staff feel proud of the business and they all care about the customers and quality of the service they provide.”
Hair Ministry
Hair Ministry’s first salon was founded in Pinewood, Ipswich, 21 years ago and it now boasts an additional three successful locations in Capel St Mary, Foxhall Road in Ipswich and Kesgrave.
Director Donna Garnham is passionate about education and provides hands-on experience and one-to-one training for young people through the Hair Ministry Training Academy. The business also supports multiple charities through fundraising events.
The judges said that “this is a business that values its own staff, cares for its customers and is passionate about training and providing a career path for youngsters.”
They felt that the business’ commitment to its staff was clear, and praised the support it provided during lockdown, resulting in Hair Ministry retaining all of its staff throughout the pandemic. They concluded by saying that “the future looks very promising for the business.”
Paddy & Scott’s
Paddy & Scott’s is a Suffolk-based business that supplies coffee for the hospitality industry, as well as running its own coffee shops and selling direct to consumers online and in stores. It works directly with coffee farmers to ensure fairer coffee supply and aims to “change the world through coffee.”
As well as praising Paddy and Scott’s ambitious growth plans and investment in new tech, the judges said that “this is a business that truly cares for the industry and those involved in the supply chain from start to finish.”
They called the business’ Lunchbox Coffee programme – where every bag sold of its Lunchbox coffee buys one school meal for a child in need – “a great initiative”, and said that Paddy & Scott’s “is committed to the communities in which it operates.”
Unity Online
Unity Online is a digital marketing agency headquartered in Needham Market which specialises in SEO, website design, copywriting and pay-per-click advertising.
From its humble beginnings in managing director Alex Pattenden’s car in 2014, Unity now boasts more than 230 clients across the UK.
By negotiating with clients and recruiting new staff, Unity was able to use the pandemic as an opportunity to grow. This caught the eye of the judges, who were impressed by the opportunities it had created for clients during lockdown through the creation of multiple trade portals.
Praising Unity’s support for staff through a platform that monitors and encourages progression, the judges said that the business has “created a great office atmosphere” and that “it is able to provide most services in house with the growing and multi-talented team.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here