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The finalists for the StokeonTrentLive Business Awards 2021 have been announced – after collecting nominations from the best in the industry in Staffordshire. The award ceremony will take place on April 22nd as a virtual ceremony. We are extremely excited to recognize the achievements of these companies and individuals.

Despite the obstacles posed by the coronavirus, Staffordshire businesses and business people are committed to making it happen – showing incredible determination and skill in the process.

Many companies were able to use the pandemic as an opportunity to improve – innovate and develop new operating methods that made them stronger and more efficient. It is this work and perseverance that the awards will celebrate, and we can’t wait to shed some light on the achievements of the nominees. More information about the awards can be found on the official website.

In preparation for the awards, we have published brief overviews of the individual finalists and their achievements to give people the opportunity to find out more before the awards. Below are the finalists for Startup Company of the Year, Small Business of the Year, and Company of the Year.

Start-up company of the year

The Clay Club

When Jack Laverick’s ceramics studio closed due to the pandemic, he pondered how he could help people enjoy pottery despite the lockdowns. He came up with The Clay Club, which provides people with DIY ceramic kits so they can partake in the art form even when they are at home. This creative outlet was hugely popular during the lockdown, and the kits were stocked by stores such as Urban Outfitters and Selfridges. Jack hopes to keep that momentum going and get people into pottery workshops once his studio reopens.

HERE architecture studio

Since its inception in November 2020, ICI Architecture Studio has proven to be an ambitious company with a knack for customer acquisition. ICI takes a flexible approach that allows customers to make changes during the process without incurring additional costs. With this approach, an extremely impressive 60 contracts have been won in such a short period of time. Although ICI is a team of one consultant with five consultants, ICI is working on the growing demand from clients around the world to become a one-stop shop for flexible architectural services.

Moneyshake.com

Founded in 2019, Moneyshake.com is dedicated to helping people find the best car leasing deals. The company compares different leasing arrangements so employees can find a setup that’s right for them and save money. Customers were eager to reap the benefits and Moneyshake had written contracts worth £ 8 million – backed by commercial partnerships with companies such as ClearScore and Money Supermarket.

Unknown marketing

Unknown Marketing was founded by Joe Yates in 2019 when he was only 19 years old. The company works in the field of social media marketing, helping companies achieve better reach on social media – and Unknown has significantly increased its own success in the past two years. That year the company had sales of £ 120,000 and Joe was able to move to another location and hire four new employees. Joe hopes this trend will continue and eventually make Unknown the leading social media marketing company in Staffordshire.

Small Business of the Year

The best of British beer

As the UK’s longest running online craft beer seller, Best of British Beer knows how to get the most out of their products. For example, during the lockdown, the company put together stay-at-home pub kits that allowed people to have a fun home experience and regain some of the momentum they’d lost with the lockdown. This was part of the excellent job doing Best of British Beer to see a 10X increase in sales and a 4X sales increase for the year.

Haughton Design Ltd.

Originally, Haughton Design Ltd was a company primarily engaged in mechanical design for the aerospace industry, working on oil rigs. Eventually the company started manufacturing medical devices, and today that work accounts for 80% of the company’s sales, with Haughton often developing new products and devices for companies around the world. Haughton uses computer-aided design and his highly skilled team to excel in making medical devices and other products the way they need to be.

Prosurv Consult Ltd.

Prosurv Consult Ltd is a multidisciplinary construction consultancy operating in a wide variety of industries ensuring that clients achieve their goals. The 28-person team, two of whom have worked in the company from trainees to board members, has a wealth of experience that has been used in collaboration with FTSE 250 developers, national home builders and other companies. Prosurv’s professionalism and skill have resulted in the repetition rate being over 90% – 30% above the industry standard.

Business of the year | Funded by the Staffordshire Chambers of Commerce

Erwin Hymer Center Travelworld

Erwin Hymer Center Travelworld is a company that is familiar with perseverance. The company, which moved to Stafford in 2019, has been in the premium motorhome business for more than 40 years and has one of the largest showrooms in the UK. Erwin Hymer had a record month last year despite the lockdown, which severely restricted travel – in July 2020 he sold twice as many houses as in the previous year. and plans to grow that growth further in the hopes that sales will increase 8% over the next year.

Radwell International Ltd.

Radwell is a company that has a proven ability to sustain growth and innovate when needed. As a supplier of parts for industrial automation, the company sells to more than 55,000 customers in 175 countries with nine offices in North America and Europe – and a 58,000 m² site in Staffordshire. The company has seen significant growth every year since its inception in 2011, and it showed why when the pandemic broke out. Affected by its customers’ inability to source appropriate PPE, Radwell began production – selling over 100,000 items last year.

TMT first

TMT First is a phone repair company that has become a trusted name over the years and has even been called a Samsung Authorized Repair Center. Over the past year TMT First has seen rapid and significant growth. Sales increased 100% from £ 4m in 20120 to £ 8m this year. In addition, the company’s workforce doubled to 110 – and contracts were signed with the NHS and government departments. TMT First has aligned the results of this success with business and employee development – the creation of new jobs and the opening of an academy for specialized training.

Each of our finalists have done some extraordinary things in the past year – growing their business, personalizing themselves, and helping the community. We are very happy to celebrate their successes on the evening of April 22nd and to announce the winners. Please visit the official website for more information.