Husqvarna manufacturing director Caraline Robinson presents the Company of the Year award to 3M plant manager Paul Hind .
THE FINALISTS
3M plant manager Paul Hind has ambitions of expanding the firm ’ s operations on Aycliffe Business Park .
hard to see what we can do to help this town grow even further .
“ We ’ re embarking on a programme now that ’ s going to take us back to basics and attract more business .
“ I ‘ ve sold a vision – we ’ ve got three huge fields out of the back of 3M and we want to fill them – we want to bring more people in , we want to expand . Aycliffe is a flagship site within 3M .
“ 3M is a business of 95,000 people . We want to bring more here , and I can ’ t wait until that happens . I ’ m confident that if we do the right things and take the right steps , we are going to grow this business .”
Husqvarna were the headline sponsors of the 2022 Make Your Mark Awards , which included sponsorship of the Company of the Year category .
The firm ’ s manufacturing director Caraline Robinson said : “ It was a fantastic opportunity to be headline sponsors , it gave Husqvarna so many benefits .
“ As a leadership team we want to support more local events , and it goes without saying that there are great advertising opportunities linked to the awards , across social media , through local publications and during the event itself .
“ We learned more about our closest neighbours . The diversity that we have on the business park and the realisation that many businesses have actually thrived during the pandemic was great to see .
“ We also took the awards as an opportunity to reward Husqvarna team members who embody the culture of our business with a ‘ seat at the table ’ for the awards event itself , as a way of saying thank you to them for their support of their colleagues and of our business .”
Caraline says she enjoyed being part of the judging process for the Make Your Mark Awards , adding : “ As the awards had not taken place for several years , it was agreed by the judging panel that we would consider how the nominees for the Company of the Year award had performed over this extended period .
“ The main reason that 3M were selected as the winner was due to the outstanding contribution that they had made , producing 250m face masks thereby keeping millions of people safe during the Covid pandemic .
“ I think that the enormity of that task was appreciated by everyone on the judging panel , and in particular the obvious dedication and passion of 3M people to support this endeavour .”
Valhalla North Valhalla North has received thousands of reviews and recommendations across Facebook , Google and Trip Advisor .
It is also affiliated with the International Axe Throwing Federation ( IATF ) with affiliated venues across the world ( one of only three in the UK ) and the first affiliated venue in the UK outside of London .
It has held a number of IATF leagues , including the UK ' s first marathon league , the UK ' s first female only league , the UK ' s first elite level league and the UK ' s first charity axe throwing tournament .
Valhalla North was also the first axe throwing venue in the UK to host regular weekly sessions for members , creating a social space for people to take part in sport and physical activity .
BTS Facades and Fabrications After its substantial investment in its site , people and facilities , BTS Facades and Fabrications has ambitions of becoming the UK ’ s leading manufacturer of rainscreen systems and metal fabrications . Lead by husband-and-wife team Phil and Marcia Atkinson – with several family members also employed by BTS – the firm ’ s mission statement insists it will have an uncompromising approach to quality and precision , along with an unflinching attention to detail through investment in automation and design .
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