Sponsored by UKSE
TURNOVER
SMALL BUSINESS (£ 250,000- £ 3M )
FINALIST
COCOON & BAUER , Yarm
Based on Yarm High Street , Cocoon & Bauer creates spectacular interiors for high-end residential homes and the commercial and hospitality sectors .
With a creative flair honed on Teesside , and with a talented local team headed up by MD Peter Turner , the firm ’ s attention to detail , artistic flair and devotion to each client has seen it win contracts with prestigious hotels , restaurants and large-scale projects .
Business development manager Peter Taylor , of sponsor UKSE , with Radical Forge chief operating officer Tom Didymus .
WINNER
RADICAL FORGE , MIDDLESBROUGH
A games firm ’ s CEO shared the credit – and predicted an “ exciting future ” – after picking up a VelociTees award for its increased turnover .
Tom Didymus , of Middlesbrough-based Radical Forge , was speaking after accepting the Small Business Turnover prize , sponsored by UKSE , which rewarded the firm ’ s 257 per cent increase in one year , from £ 306,150 to £ 1,094,321 .
Radical Forge started out in 2017 as two people making “ radical stuff ” to do with video games . Since then , this sharp , adaptive and daring Middlesbrough company has gone from strength to strength .
Now an established name within the game development industry , Radical Forge handles many projects across multiple platforms . But after picking up the prize , a “ surprised and delighted ” Tom stressed : “ We didn ’ t do this on our own .”
He said : “ Companies like Double Eleven , who gave us our start and projects early on when the company was getting going , companies like SockMonkey and other games studios , our amazing accountants and all the other support we ’ ve had – we really didn ’ t do this on our own and it ’ s been a team effort .
“ We ’ ve grown considerably since entering this award , so maybe we ’ ll be back in another category next year ! We ’ re definitely going to continue to grow , so it ’ s an exciting future .”
SPONSOR MESSAGE
Peter Taylor , business development manager , UKSE , said : “ It was a real privilege to sponsor a VelociTees award . Our category recognised flourishing new businesses and those undergoing a step-change in their growth . Huge congratulations to the winner , the rapidly growing games development specialist , Radical Forge . We hope all those shortlisted continue to show growth in both turnover and prosperity .”
FINALIST
HIFISOUND , Stockton
Based in a former spice mill , Hifisound stocks only products its staff believe in – with the ultimate aim of putting a smile on a customer ’ s face .
A rebuild of its Hifisound and Turntableworld websites boosted its online market share , while a refurbishment of its Castlegate Mill premises allows customers to view products in the top-floor showroom or listen to their chosen system in a demonstration room .
FINALIST
SOCKMONKEY STUDIOS , Middlesbrough
A videogames specialist founded in 2013 , SockMonkey Studios has continued to improve its portfolio and standing in the industry by consistently providing high-quality game development services .
This has , in turn , ensured a steady flow of projects that have increased in quality , scope and budget . Working on everything from partial to full-scale game development , clients have included big names such as SEGA , Sumo and Moonbug Entertainment .
FINALIST
WAVECON , Hartlepool
Wavecon specialises in the design , manufacture , assembly and testing of cabling solutions and wired assemblies for the subsea industry .
Its team comprises engineers from a broad range of industries , including subsea , rail and aerospace , while a significant level of research and investment has gone into obtaining the right equipment from the outset . A commitment to never outsource allows Wavecon to constantly manage quality .
The voice of business in the Tees region | 35