6 | Aycliffe Today Business
A CHANCE TO SHINE
Aycliffe Business Park Community’ s third annual Make Your Mark awards event really is a chance to celebrate all the fantastic achievements that are made across the park by companies of all shapes and sizes.
Although only into its third year, we’ ve already seen 20 different businesses from a variety of sectors all pick up at least one award.
And they’ ve varied from small SMEs with as little as two or three staff, to some of the larger better-known firms on the park including the likes of Gestamp Tallent, Ebac, Meditek, Emerald Biogas, Tekmar Energy, Finley Structures and Formula Plastics.
All those in between who have won awards in the first two Make Your Mark events have included Gregg Little Testing Centre, Xcel Centre, Optimum Skills, Thrive Marketing, Baltic Training, Beaumont Grounds Maintenance, ROF 59, Workshop Supplies, Caring Caretaker and Newton Press.
Businesses are now encouraged to enter this year’ s awards – and it couldn’ t be easier to enter!
There are 11 categories in total, including Apprenticeships, Employer of the Year, Apprentice of the Year, Engineering and Manufacturing, Export, Heart of the Community, Innovation, Newcomer, Service Business, Small Business and Company of the Year.
Companies can be nominated by other people or businesses, but they can also nominate themselves, very quickly and easily, via www. aycliffeawards. co. uk
A lot of hard work and preparation has already gone into the third event by the Aycliffe Business Park Community board, and I’ m sure this year’ s event – at the Xcel Centre on Wednesday March 1 – will be another highlight of the year.
Two very high-profile speakers have been secured for Make Your Mark 2016, in successful entrepreneurs Peter Wilcock and Andy Preston – you can read more about them in our special feature on pages 18 and 19.
The ABPC board has also worked very hard in securing sponsorships for the event which enables ticket prices for the evening itself to be kept as affordable as possible(£ 29.95 each!) so that we can all enjoy the celebration.
We look forward to seeing you there on the night.
Martin Walker Editor Aycliffe Today
( Left to right): The Labour Party’ s Shadow Brexit Secretary Sir Kier Starmer, Darlington MP Jenny Chapman, North East MEP Jude Kirsten-Darling and Sedgefield MP Phil Wilson during their visit to the Xcel Centre.
Shadow Brexit Secretary talks to businesses in Aycliffe
The Labour Party’ s Shadow Brexit Secretary Sir Kier Starmer listened to the concerns of local businesses and trade organisations during a round table discussion on Aycliffe Business Park.
Mr Starmer, MP for the London constituency of Holborn and St Pancras, held the discussion at the Xcel Centre on Aycliffe Business Park, along with Sedgefield’ s Labour MP Phil Wilson, Darlington MP Jenny Chapman and North East MEP Jude Kirsten- Darling.
The forum was attended by several local businesses, including Aycliffe firms Inovyn( formerly Ineos), Stiller Warehousing Distribution and Mantis Media, as well as several organisations, with Business Durham, the regional TUC, the Federation of Small Businesses and the North East Automotive Alliance all in attendance.
Mr Starmer told Aycliffe Today:“ The decisions over the next few months and
Newton Aycliffe manufacturer Ebac is celebrating after year-on-year UK sales of its dehumidifiers almost doubled in 2016.
Enhanced distribution with retail partners including Amazon, B & Q, Currys, Tesco and Buy it Direct has been a major factor in the significant increase in sales.
In addition Ebac’ s energy saving Smart Control dehumidifiers have proved popular with consumers, saving up to £ 150 a year on running costs when compared to most other machines.
Smart Control technology is an intelligent software system that automatically controls the operation of the Ebac dehumidifier, ensuring the home is always protected from condensation and damp.
In 1980, founder and Chairman of Ebac John Elliott invented the UK’ s first dehumidifier which was specifically designed to operate in the UK’ s climate of lower temperatures and humidity.
By 1985 Ebac had become the best-selling
years about how we exit the EU are the most important since the war. It’ s really important we get them right.
“ I think we’ re only going to get them right if we absolutely understand, from each region, what the real issues of concern are.
“ So from a Labour Party perspective, we accept the result of the referendum, we absolutely want to get the best deal for everyone everywhere in the UK, and that means coming to places like this to talk to people who are local, running local businesses, and hearing what they’ ve got to say.”
Mr Starmer, who’ s a Queen’ s Counsel barrister and was head of the Crown Prosecution Service( CPS) from 2008 to 2013 before entering politics in 2015, was appointed to Jeremy Corbyn’ s front bench in October, to shadow the Tory’ s Brexit Secretary David Davies.
Ebac doubles UK dehumidifiers sales
dehumidifier in the UK and was exporting to most countries throughout Europe.
Ebac business development manager Tony Hird( pictured) said:“ When John Elliott first introduced dehumidifiers to British homes I don’ t think he ever envisaged that the company would sell millions of machines to UK consumers.
“ The development of Smart Control has taken our products to a new level, with significant energy-saving costs and ease of use and we expect to continue the upward trend of sales in 2017.”