 Inverclyde Leisure, Invec Solutions Ltd and Blairs of Scotland Ltd have been voted the Bee’s Knees 2006, beating stiff competition to take the top accolades in the Greenock Chamber of Commerce annual awards, aimed at recognising and rewarding business talent in Inverclyde. Each business, a winner in one of three categories, picked up a cheque for £1,000 and a unique hand crafted Bee’s Knees trophy at the awards dinner in Greenock in June.
Lifting the Bee’s Knees Award for Best Business Serving the Community was Inverclyde Leisure, which manages the wide variety of sports facilities throughout the area.
Best Emerging Business went to warranty, repair and parts supply management services company, Invec Solutions, and Best Established Business to Blairs of Scotland, the largest designer and manufacturer of high quality, bespoke timber windows and doors in the UK.
Runners up on the evening were Best Business Serving the Community – Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park; Best Emerging Business – Funworld Leisure Ltd and Synergy Civil Engineering Ltd; Best Established Business – AMG Group Ltd, CIGNA HealthCare and Smiths of Greenock.
The judging panel was Donald McRae Chamber Vice- President and Finance Director of National Semiconductor (UK) Ltd; Bruce Drummond Chamber Past President and Retail Operations Director, Thomas Auld & Sons Ltd; Mick McHugh, Director of Growing Businesses, Scottish Enterprise Renfrewshire; Gerard Malone Depute Chief Executive, Inverclyde Council; and Charles Shaw Chairman 5pm.co.uk and Chairman X402 Ltd.
Commenting on the winners and the awards initiative, Donald McRae said: “The awards are open to companies of all sizes and across all market sectors and we had a tremendous response this year with many exceptional nominations giving our judges a great challenge. We were delighted with the high number, high calibre and broad spectrum of entrants and congratulate our three Bee’s Knees winners and, indeed, the entire preliminary short list for their efforts.
“This is Chamber’s opportunity to throw the spotlight on companies that are doing precisely the same for Inverclyde - demonstrating that this is an increasingly vibrant and diverse business community. We would like to thank our sponsors for helping to make all this possible.”
Bee’s Knees 2006 sponsors were
- Scottish Enterprise Renfrewshire (SER),
- Inverclyde Council,
- Turnberry Homes,
- Elaine Stewart Public Relations,
- Greenock Telegraph,
- IBM (UK) Ltd,
- James Watt College of Further and Higher Education,
- Lenovo Technology UK Ltd,
- National Semiconductor (UK) Ltd,
- Royal Bank of Scotland plc,
- Tontine Hotel
- Vested Interest Design.
Guest speaker at the awards dinner was Willie Haughey OBE, best known as the entrepreneur whose drive has seen City Refrigeration Holdings Ltd become one of the largest specialist refrigeration and facilities management companies in the UK.
In Profile - the Bee’s Knees Winners 2006
BEST EMERGING BUSINESS INVEC SOLUTIONS LTD
In the first year of trading, Invec Solutions Ltd has secured contracts with some notable blue
chip companies in the global IT and consumer electronics sectors. The company specialises in display products and is targeting the rapidly growing market in LCD and plasma TVs.
From Invec’s workshop and warehouse in Greenock, its four directors are busy driving warranty, repair and parts supply management services with clients that include Phillips, Fujitsu, Packard Bell, AOC and Hitachi. They are well on track to exceed a turnover of £1 million and double their staff to 20 by the end of this year. Invec employs
a team of qualifi ed and dedicated staff with extensive experience in
the electronics industry. The company also works with a network of
leading international logistics companies to support reverse logistics
for defective product and distribution of new product.
Invec aims to provide a superior quality of service to its competitors,
due to the strength of its management systems. The company has
made a considerable investment in developing its class leading web-based
total service management system, which manages all after sales activities,
from customer contact centre and warranty management to multi site stock
control, logistics controls and tracking. It also allows customers of Invec to
view a wide variety of information using a web browser 24/7 from anywhere in
the world, whether it’s a repair status report or stock tracking details.
“At Invec, we aim is to provide high quality, innovative, cost effective services
to our customers and a best in class customer experience to end users,” said
managing director, John Scott. “By providing integrated services to manage
after-sales activity for our customers, we allow them to focus on growing their
businesses and improving their core activities.”
Invec also offers a single source solution for warranty management and
repair across Europe, through an integrated network of service partners.
Already with the ISO 9001 international quality standard and ISO 14001
environmental standard to its name, the company is now working towards
Investors in People accreditation. This is all part of Invec’s drive to build a
sustainable electronics business in Inverclyde.
Contact: John Scott, Managing Director,
1 Springkell Street,
GREENOCK
PA15 4RE,
Tel: 01475 553702
john.scott@invec.com
www.invec.com
RUNNERS UP
FUNWORLD LEISURE LTD
Funworld Leisure Ltd, the burgeoning family entertainment centre. has
welcomed more than 100,000 customers through its doors at Fort Matilda,
Greenock since it opened last July. In under a year it has become one of
Inverclyde’s greatest tourist successes attracting UK and overseas visitors.
All have enjoyed its clever mix of play, sports and party facilities suitable for
all age groups.
Contact: Sharon Murdoch, Managing Director,
Unit 1-2 Fort Matilda Estate,
Eldon Street,
GREENOCK PA16 7QB
Tel: 01475 783003
Email: sharon.murdoch@funworld-leisure.co.uk
www.funworld-leisure.co.uk
SYNERGY CIVIL ENGINEERING LTD
Synergy Civil Engineering moved into Greenock at the start of the New Year
with a dream and an appetite for hard work. Now with barely six months
under its belt, Synergy has a management and administration staff of four
plus technical and construction team of eight. Add to that a skilled labour
force of more than 40 direct and sub contract workers and you begin to see
the employment potential.
Contact: Kenneth Campbell, Director,
Victoria House,
5 East Blackhall
Street,
GREENOCK PA15 1HD
Tel: 01475 807167
Email: Kenny@synergycivils.co.uk
BEST ESTABLISHED BUSINESS
BLAIRS OF SCOTLAND LTD
Although the country’s largest designer and manufacturer of high
quality, bespoke timber windows and doors, Greenock based Blairs
of Scotland is never one to rest on those old laurels. It is in the midst
of a £2 million regeneration of its custom built Baker Street facility,
an upgrade that will allow it to almost double capacity and profi ts and
safeguard the future for its 150-strong workforce.
Nearly a century old, Blairs has had its base in Greenock since 1908
where it still employs the majority of its workforce to design, engineer
and manufacture its uniquely comprehensive range. With a reputation
as a trusted partner in the construction industry, it blends skills and
craftsmanship with technology to produce high volumes of complex
products.
“We see ourselves as part and parcel of the local community and that
is a claim we are extremely proud to make,” said Managing Director
Owen Quinn. “Indeed, in an age of global outsourcing and geographic
disparity, we believe our strength lies in our community routes.
“Over the past eight years in particular, we have worked hard to
develop an outstanding generation of employees. Our investment
strategy extends to our current programme, which will see our entire
manufacturing capability replaced with state of the art equipment
over the next four years. To us this is a sound investment. When
completed, capacity will expand from 25,000 units to 40,000 each year,
taking revenue from £9 million to £15 million.”
Today, Blairs supplies all market sectors from private dwellings, tower
blocks, social housing and stately
homes, to schools, public buildings
and industrial constructions. One
of its most recent projects has been
the spectacular Ropeworks in Port
Glasgow.
Blairs has also worked hard to
improve its operational processes
and environmental policies, recognised with the ISO 9001 and ISO 14001
accreditations.
As it now gears up for centenary celebrations in March 2008, it will continue to
focus on one of its key strengths - marrying the best of tradition with leading
edge technology to ensure it continues as a leader in its fi eld for the next 100
years.
Contact: Allan French, Engineering Director,
9 Baker Street,
GREENOCK
PA15 4TU
Tel: 01475 721256
Email: allan.french@blairsofscotland.co.uk
www.blairsofscotland.co.uk
RUNNERS UP
AMG GROUP LTD
The past four years have been a rollercoaster ride for Port Glasgow based
AMG group ltd, the UK’s leading owner and distributor of lifestyle equipment
including an impressive portfolio of premier outdoor brands such as Vango,
Lichfi eld and Force Ten. It has achieved remarkable business growth doubling
its turnover from £9 million to more than £18 million last year while growing its
staff to 74.
Contact: Bernie McGown, Operations Director,
2 Kelburn Business Park,
PORT GLASGOW PA14 6TD
Tel: 01475 746000
Email: bernie.mcgown@amg-group.co.uk
www.amg-group.co.uk
CIGNA HEALTHCARE
Since relocation to Greenock in 1989, CIGNA HealthCare has built its
business with a vision to be the most innovative and successful company at
the leading edge of healthcare management. While private medical insurance
continues to provide the foundation for CIGNA’s business, it now also deals
with dental insurance, absence management, occupational health and health
management services.
Contact: Ann Dougan, Marketing Director,
1 Knowe Road,
GREENOCK PA15
4RJ
Tel: 01475 492222
Email: ann.dougan@cigna.com
www.cigna.co.uk
SMITHS OF GREENOCK
Smiths of Greenock has been a very familiar face in the town centre since
it was founded 110 years ago. It remains an independent family business
operating successfully in a sector where many private businesses have
been competed out of the market. It has achieved steady growth by creating
a business model based on understanding the needs of its local market,
customer service, innovation and careful fi nancial management.
Contact: Keith Wilson, Managing Director,
36 West Blackhall Street,
Greenock PA15 1UU
Tel: 01475 888555
Email: keith.wilson101@btinternet.com
www.smithsofgreenock.com
BEST BUSINESS SERVING THE COMMUNITY
INVERCLYDE LEISURE
Inverclyde Leisure has not looked back
since Inverclyde Council transferred the
management of its sports facilities to the
independent leisure trust in 2001. It has
gone from strength to strength and now
employs more than 150 staff with a
turnover fast approaching £4 million.
A £1.5 million investment across its facilities
has brought great benefi ts and helped ensure that Inverclyde Leisure is on a par
with the many private facilities that operate across Scotland. Greenock Sports
Centre now has one of Scotland’s fi rst indoor Fieldturf fi ve a side football courts
and two further outdoor courts have been installed at Lady Octavia Sports Centre.
Ravenscraig Sports Centre has also been given a new sports hall fl oor, in addition
to a general refurbishment.
A new gym, which provides some breathtaking scenery of the River Clyde
and Argyll hills as you pound the treadmill, along with high quality changing
accommodation, have been added to the popular Waterfront Leisure Complex,
which carries a four star VisitScotland accreditation.
“Our investment has certainly paid off,” said development manager, Andy McGilp.
“Audit Scotland’s national performance indicator for 2005 positions Inverclyde
Leisure third top of its table for the number of attendances per head of population
who use indoor sports facilities and ninth for swimming pool attendances.
Attendances have increased at all our facilities including the hugely popular
Gourock Outdoor Pool, which continues to attract the crowds year after year.
“A recent customer survey helped us establish that our customer base is drawn
from throughout the west of Scotland and that 99% of those interviewed would
recommend the service to others. It demonstrates that our mix of facilities is
hitting the mark while appealing to as wide an audience as possible.”
Although Inverclyde Council pays an annual management fee to the leisure trust,
this has reduced in real terms since 2001. Inverclyde Leisure actively seeks other
funding sources and has successfully secured lottery funding, which has been
used to appoint three full time staff. Their role is to deliver activities to people
living within the disadvantaged communities in Inverclyde, in particular the pre 5s,
young people and those over 60.
Contact: Andy McGilp, Development Manager,
Greenock Sports Centre,
Nelson
St,
Greenock PA15 1QH
Tel: 01475 715766
Email: andy.mcgilp@hotmail.com
RUNNER UP
CLYDE MUIRSHIEL REGIONAL PARK
Covering an impressive 108 square miles of magnifi cent countryside, lochside
and coastal scenery, Clyde Muirshiel is Scotland’s largest Regional Park with
VisitScotland 3 star accreditation. Whilst balancing conservation with recreation,
its year-round services attract an estimated 1.5 million people each year, achieving
growth rates well above average for this sector.
Contact: Charles Woodward, Regional Park Manager,
Cornalees Visitor Centre,
Loch Thom,
Near Inverkip PA16 9LX
Tel: 01505 842882
www.clydemuirshiel.co.uk
Email: charles.woodward@clydemuirshiel.co.uk |
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