SPONSORED BY MOONRISE 24HR RECRUITMENT
TEES BUSINESS OF THE YEAR
Moonrise 24hr Recruitment finance director John Gwaringa( right) with RS Industrial Services CEO Mark Cawley.
WINNER
RS INDUSTRIAL SERVICES
When RS Industrial Services CEO Mark Cawley accepted the coveted Business of the Year trophy at the Tees Business Awards, he could barely contain his excitement, declaring Teesside as“ the best place in the world” to run an engineering or manufacturing firm.
Joyously accepting the trophy from John Gwaringa, finance director of the Tees Business Awards’ headline sponsor, Moonrise, Mark said to win the“ big one” in the face of such tough competition was“ incredible”.
And as well as singing the praises of Teesside, he said the RS mantra of“ purpose beyond pay cheque” was a key reason for its success.
Founded in 2001 but under new ownership since 2023, the Billingham-based firm specialises in overhead cranes and lifting.
Mark explained:“ We are production-critical. So, if your crane breaks, we’ ll be there within hours or even minutes – others will take weeks to fix it but we’ ll be there straight away.
“ We have got genuine experts and work with massive companies where if the crane stops, work stops – but we’ re there within minutes 24 / 7 and that’ s the difference.
“ But I’ m just a gatekeeper – the lucky boy who gets to lead these people. Our people are the heroes – they are helping keep Teesside going and are the future of the region.
“ I’ ve had many roles in business but when you get past 50, you’ re looking for purpose. I was looking for purpose and I found it here on Teesside and in this business, with people who really want to do the right thing for the customer.“ You’ ve also got to give people‘ purpose beyond pay cheque’ and that’ s what RS does.” Originally from Chester, Manchester United fan Mark came to Teesside two years ago with his family after a spell in Spain – and he says he was thrilled with what he found.
He said:“ Come to Teesside 10 years ago and you might have walked away – now, if you want to set up an engineering or manufacturing-based business, this is the place to be.
“ We’ ve doubled our engineering resource in the last two years. We’ ve gone from 15 engineers to 30 and these are highly-skilled, well-paid, hardworking guys. We’ ve also engaged with Middlesbrough College, so we’ ve got apprenticeships and work experience – it’ s like a rising tide and we all rise together.”
FINALIST JACKSONS
It’ s been around since 1876 – but a whirlwind past 12 months made 2024 the best ever year for Stockton-based Jacksons Law Firm. Financially, net profit reached £ 1.9m while commercial property achieved its highest ever revenue(£ 1.6m), with more than 2,700 residential property transactions completed.
But it’ s about much more than profitability for Jacksons, which continues to develop its people and build a culture and management structure not often seen in larger law firms.
The firm has acted in some of the most prominent legal matters in the region, but never loses sight of its duty to provide firstrate service and excellent client care. It has also acted as a strong ambassador for Teesside, alongside its firm commitment to developing the lawyers of the future.
FINALIST JMAC GROUP
Recognised as one of the North-East’ s 50 fastest-growing companies, construction firm JMAC has demonstrated exceptional growth, innovation and community impact.
Achieving record-breaking profits in 2024 and expanding its workforce to more than 200 employees, significant investments by the Stockton-based firm include more than £ 1m for a complete fleet renewal, £ 500,000 in new assets and £ 300,000 in software integration to enhance efficiency and client service.
The company has played pivotal roles in major projects, including the £ 140m Darlington railway station renovation and the SeAH Wind development. Committed to community and diversity, JMAC actively supports the Teesside Family Foundation, raising £ 20,000, and encourages a diverse workforce, with women in senior roles.
SPONSOR’ S REFLECTIONS:
John Gwaringa, finance manager, Moonrise 24hr Recruitment:“ At Moonrise, we aim to give back to the community so we try to support other businesses. We’ re proud of what we do but we always want to make the Tees Valley thrive and sponsoring this category, and the Tees Business Awards in general, is one way we can help do that.”
The voice of business in the Tees region | 111