Greenock Arts Guild, Synergy Civil Engineering Ltd and the Hawthorne Boyle Partnership Ltd have been voted the Bee’s Knees 2007, beating strong competition to take the top accolades in the Greenock Chamber of Commerce annual awards, aimed at recognising and rewarding exceptional businesses operating in Inverclyde.
Each business, a winner in one of three categories - Best Business Serving the Community sponsored by Riverside Inverclyde, Best Emerging Business sponsored by Inverclyde Council and Best Established Business - picked up a cheque for £1,000 and a unique hand crafted Bee’s Knees trophy at the awards dinner in Greenock earlier tonight (Fri 8 June ‘06).
Lifting the Bee’s Knees Award for Best Business Serving the Community was Greenock Arts Guild, which celebrated its 60 th anniversary last year and has exciting plans underway for a vibrant, purpose-built arts complex fit for the 21 st century. Best Emerging Business went to Synergy Civil Engineering, which has enjoyed unprecedented success in its first year in business. Building services engineering designers, the Hawthorne Boyle Partnership, took Best Established Business in recognition of its work with multi-million pound projects and in developing lifetime partnerships with clients across the country.
Judges for 2007 were 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; Aubrey Fawcett, Corporate Director, Regeneration and Resources at Inverclyde Council; Bill Nicol, Chief Executive, Riverside Inverclyde: and Charles Shaw, Chairman 5pm.co.uk and Chairman X402 Ltd.
Commenting on the awards initiative and 2007 winners, Donald McRae said: “ The Bee’s Knees Awards are Greenock Chamber’s opportunity to join with our sponsors and showcase the companies that are demonstrating the wealth of talent, great vibrancy and diversity that exists within the Inverclyde business community today.
“ The judges were delighted with the high number, high calibre and broad spectrum of entrants and enlightened by the presentations made by the preliminary short list. As with previous years, judging was a challenging process and while o ur three winners are exceptional, we congratulate all our short list on their tremendous efforts.”
The other short listed businesses were Best Business Serving the Community – Gourock Golf Club and Inverclyde Tourist Group; Best Emerging Business – Funworld Leisure Ltd and Hobo-Web Ltd; Best Established Business – AMG Group Ltd and the Golden Casket Group.
Sponsors for the Bee’s Knees 2007 are
Platinum - Inverclyde Council, Riverside Inverclyde; Gold - Turnberry Homes, Elaine Stewart Public Relations;
Silver – Bank of Scotland, the Greenock Telegraph, James Watt College of Further & Higher Education, National Semiconductor (UK) Ltd, Persimmon Partnerships ( Scotland) and Vested Interest Design.
PROFILES ON THE WINNERS
BEST BUSINESS SERVING THE COMMUNITY
GREENOCK ARTS GUILD
Brian Gavin
Secretary
Greenock Arts Guild
Campbell Street
Greenock PA16 8AP
Tel: 01475 723038
E-mail: louise.price@artsguildtheatre.co.uk
Web site: www.artsguildtheatre.co.uk
It is certainly diamond days for the Greenock Arts Guild, which celebrated its 60 th anniversary in December 2006. It was the first arts centre to be opened on the Scottish mainland after the end of World War II, set up by local enthusiasts as a registered charity and not for profit organisation. The 450-seater theatre was a model for similar developments the length and breadth of the country.
Today, while 100,000 people of all ages use the facility every year – actors, musicians, dancers, photographers, writers and visual artists – its home in Campbell Street is becoming tired. It is time to transform the 120-year-old former Victorian swimming pool, with the stage now occupying what was the deep end, into a vibrant, purpose-built arts complex fit for the 21 st century.
“And we have a exciting plans underway to help us to precisely that,” said Brian Gavin, Secretary of the Arts Guild. “Thanks to the efforts of our Board of Directors, redevelopment plans have been recognised by the Scottish Arts Council as one of six truly outstanding initiatives in Scotland. We have been offered £2.7 million of Lottery money towards the cost of the project, which has brought about many community events as we now take on the challenge of raising match funding.”
Redevelopment plans include i mproved comfort and facilities in a main auditorium, with full disabled access allowing everyone to enjoy a vibrant and adaptable studio theatre offering more intimate performances, comedy, jazz and cabaret. Purpose-built rehearsal rooms will be created for music, theatre, dance or even private meetings, all rounded off with a welcoming café and bar with space for live entertainment.
While all this is ongoing, the Arts Guild is as busy as ever with workshops and classes in music, drama and art available as well as plays, which are on the Higher Curriculum. Backed by its team of volunteer stage-crew, both professional and amateur theatre thrives here. Most of the volunteers who give their time and energy to help run the Guild for the benefit of the local community are also members of user groups. Even most of the Board perform, produce and stage-manage many of the shows.
Three youth theatres rehearse and perform in the Arts Guild, as well as James Watt College students in their final drama year. Now a third generation are learning the ropes. As well as more traditional shows such as Scottish Opera and Scottish Ballet, there are dancing displays, Gang Shows and pantos that have tread the boards for many years, along with tribute bands, family ticketed shows and local charity fundraisers.
“All these people who use the Guild are really embracing our new initiative, putting on car boot sales, ladies nights, shows and concerts to help boost our growing fund,” said Brian. “On top of this, we have a variety of fundraising initiatives in place to encourage businesses and individuals to donate to our cause.”
Find out more about the Arts Guild programme, activities and exciting development plans at www.artsguildtheatre.co.uk.
BEST EMERGING BUSINESS
SYNERGY CIVIL ENGINEERING LTD
Kenneth Campbell
Director
Synergy Civil Engineering Ltrd
Victoria House
5 East Blackhall Street
Greenock PA15 IHD
Tel: 01475 807166
E-mail: kenny@synergycivils.co.uk
Synergy Civil Engineering Ltd has enjoyed unprecedented success in its first year of business. It began trading in January 2006 from its base in Victoria House, Greenock, with projections for first year turnover set at £2.3m.
In reality, Synergy has more than doubled its turnover to £4.8m, bringing employment to a staff of 110 including management and administration, technical and construction, and a skilled labour force of direct and sub contract workers.
This is a great accomplishment in a short period of time for the founding team of Kenny Campbell and Richard Alexander, who saw great potential in the investment and regeneration planned for Inverclyde. Their original aim had been to develop their civil engineering business and offer permanent employment to an additional six staff within a year, although it soon became apparent that they were going to need even more people and a bigger office space.
“The past year has been extremely successful for us and the future is looking brighter than we could have possibly dreamt,” said director Kenny Campbell. “Although Richard and I had essentially been running another civil engineering business for a number of years, it still was not our own company. When you go it alone, there is a lot more pressure but we were encouraged every step of the way by sound support from the Business Store Inverclyde team who really helped us a lot.
“In a world of partnering, our aim is to make Synergy first choice of our clients through quality, professionalism, safety and value for money. We also hope to work and grow together with Inverclyde Council, as it moves more positively into the next decade alongside the exciting developments that are being brought by the Riverside Inverclyde initiative.”
Synergy clients include A L King, Crudens, MacTaggart & Mickel, CBC, Dickie & Moore, John Henry Homes, Burrell Homes and Tulloch. Going forward, its marketing strategy is to consolidate existing business and discuss future work with clients, particularly public sector contracts.
With turnover and employment levels set to continue to spectacularly break targets, Synergy can confidently claim that its vision for success is being achieved.
BEST ESTABLISHED BUSINESS
THE HAWTHORN BOYLE PARTNERSHIP LTD
Bill Hawthorne
Managing Director
The Hawthorne Boyle Partnership Ltd
Roxburgh House
102 Roxburgh Street
Greenock PA15 4JT
Tel: 01475 805080
Email: billh@hawthorneboyle.co.uk
www.hawthorneboyle.co.uk
Perhaps one of the Hawthorne Boyle Partnership’s most challenging but well known contracts over the years has been the renewal of the electrical installation at the Forth Rail Bridge. The Greenock-based building services engineering designers had to overcome an arduous, dangerous environment to ensure the spectacular illumination of this iconic structure.
Reward for its rapid 12 week turnaround and accident free programme came with the Guinness Book of Records verification of the project as the largest floodlighting scheme in the world. It used more than 1,000 lamps and 25 miles of wiring.
Today, Hawthorne Boyle’s large portfolio of clients are found across a wide variety of sectors including commercial, education, environmental, healthcare, housing, industrial, leisure and retail. It offers a full professional service in all disciplines of building services engineering from initial inception, feasibility reports, cost estimating and design, to supervision and commissioning including all stages of pre and post tendering cost control.
The business offers a unique blend of skills with clients benefiting from the personal attention of its four directors. Along with a staff of 30, the team ensure a cost effective and energy conscious solution to the services problems presented by new and refurbished building projects.
“Our business has evolved from its initial role of providing purely M & E design assistance to a position where we now also provide facilities management support services from our HBFM division and planning supervisor services from our HBPS division,” said Managing Director, Bill Hawthorne.
“And thanks to our approach to business, we develop lifetime partnerships with our clients, as we carefully consider and cater for their continuing needs. From modest alterations or upgrading projects through to the largest fully air conditioned installation, we provide a design package produced to provide a value for money solution to the constantly developing and complex nature of mechanical and electrical services in today’s modern building.”
Amongst many projects currently underway, Hawthorne Boyle is providing a comprehensive package of M & E services for the spectacular new Glasgow Harbour Development. The regeneration project is seeing former derelict dockland on the north banks of the River Clyde transformed into a breathtaking development of 155 apartments, town houses and penthouses.
It is also busy with the exciting £80 million Loch Lomond Shores phase 2 development of a hotel, marina, timeshare properties and expansion of existing retail. Other projects include the £23 million new build South Lanarkshire College, expansion of Cumbernauld Shopping Centre, a £12 million iconic eight storey office block in Glasgow city centre, four new schools and four residential nursing homes for Glasgow City Council.
Previous winners
Bee’s Knees Awards 2006
Bee’s Knees Award for Service to Community
Bee’s Knees Award for Best Developed Business
Bee’s Knees Award for Best Emerging Entrepreneur
Bee’s Knees Awards 2005
Bee’s Knees Award for Service to Community
- Greenock Medical Aid Society
Bee’s Knees Award for Best Developed Business
- Royal Bank of Scotland Mortgage Centre
Bee’s Knees Award for Best Emerging Entrepreneur
Bee’s Knees Awards 2004
Bee’s Knees Award for Innovation/Growth
- Cardwell Garden Nursery Centre
Bee’s Knees Award for Revival
Bee’s Knees Award for Service
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