The magazine for Aycliffe Business Park | 19
The Xcel Centre provides the glittering backdrop to this year’ s annual awards bash.
Workshop Supplies won the Small Business award at the 2015 Make Your Mark event.
was the Middlesbrough and Teesside Philanthropic Foundation, which raises and distributes funds to boost communities across the urban areas of Teesside.
A couple of years later Preston launched a new charity called CEO Sleepout, which holds events across the UK to raise funds to combat homelessness and poverty.
In December 2016 Preston launched a charity restaurant, The Fork in the Road, in Middlesbrough, with the goal of providing employment opportunities for ex-offenders, recovering addicts and the long-term unemployed.
He’ s also chair of Tees Valley Education, which is a three-school academy trust which operates in some of the UK’ s most disadvantaged areas, while he continues to invest in start-up businesses and commercial property. In 2013, through a £ 1m renovation, Preston and his brother Chris converted a 19th Century Middlesbrough building, previously known as the Cleveland Club, into office accommodation called Boho Four Gibson House.
Preston is also urging Aycliffe businesses to enter this year’ s Make Your Mark competition.
He said:“ Success in business comes down to a range of things, but one of the biggest and most important areas is marketing, and marketing in a nutshell is about getting your message out there.
“ Entering awards like this is one of the best, most effective and most affordable, free ways of promoting your company.
“ If you want to stay in front of existing customers and reach new customers, this is an absolute no-brainer.”
The 2016 Make Your Mark ceremony will be the first to be delivered by the new Aycliffe Business Park Community( ABPC) which was formed in 2016.
ABPC chair Kerina Clark said:“ We’ re delighted to have secured two high-profile speakers in Peter and Andy for this year’ s event.
“ A lot of planning has already gone into this year’ s event and we’ re confident it will be another hugely-successful event.”
The winners of last year’ s Company of
Finley Structures were crowned Company of the Year at last year’ s event.
the Year accolade are urging fellow Aycliffe businesses to get involved in what is the third consecutive awards bash on the park. Family-run steel firm Finley Structures beat off competition from Hitachi, Gestamp Tallent, Samwon, Baltic Training Services and Caring Caretaker to scoop the top prize last year.
Managing director John Finley said:“ It was an honour to pick up the Company of the Year award last year and the icing on the cake for us after a fantastic year in business.
“ The Make Your Mark awards is a great way to celebrate all our successes on Aycliffe Business Park, to not only win recognition for ourselves but also to congratulate our neighbours.
“ We look forward to this year’ s event and we’ d urge all companies of all shapes and sizes to consider the categories and to enter.”
An independent panel of judges will decide on 11 awards for this year’ s Make Your Mark event, including Apprenticeships, Employer of the Year, Apprentice of the Year, Engineering and Manufacturing, Export, Heart of the Community,
“ Entering awards like this is one of the best, most effective and most affordable, free ways of promoting your company.”
Innovation, Newcomer, Service Business, Small Business and Company of the Year.
The Make Your Mark 2015 winners included Finley Structures( Company of the Year), Baltic Training( Apprenticeships), Formula Plastics( Engineering and Manufacturing), Lostbox( Innovation), Beaumont Grounds Maintenance( Service), Tekmar Energy( Export), ROF 59( Newcomer), Workshop Supplies( Small Business), Caring Caretaker( Employer), Newton Press( Heart of the Community) and Luke Reynolds from Gregg Little Testing Centre( Apprentice of the Year).
The deadline to enter the 2016 Make Your Mark is Friday February 10, and businesses can enter online easily at www. aycliffeawards. co. uk
Tickets for the evening itself have been subsidised to make them affordable for all, and they’ re priced just £ 29.95 each, while sponsorship packages are also available from www. aycliffeawards. co. uk or by emailing hello @ aycliffeawards. co. uk