The Cumbria Business Awards 2007

Award Winning Cumbrian Businesses

Business of the Year 2007 is Bells of Lazonby
Award kindly sponsored by Washington Group International

Customer Service Excellence Award
sponsored by
Performance House

Outstanding Achievement Award
sponsored by
Invest in Cumbria

Manufacturing & Engineering Award
sponsored by
The Manufacturing Institute

Retail & Leisure Business of the Year
sponsored by
NCS Cumbria

Innovation & Technology Award
sponsored by
Commendium Ltd

Social Enterprise Business of the Year
sponsored by
Cumbria Social Enterprise Partnership

Professional Business of the Year
sponsored by
Cumbria Media Ltd

Community Impact Award
sponsored by
SBB Nuclear

Employer of the Year
sponsored by
Invest in Cumbria

Employee of the Year
sponsored by
Business Link North West

Young Business Person of the Year
sponsored by
Cumbria Vision

Business Man of the Year
sponsored by
the Business Gazette

Business Woman of the Year
sponsored by
Allerdale Borough Council

Lifetime Contribution to Cumbria
sponsored by
Business Link North West

Cumbria Business Awards 2007

Celebrate Your Success & Promote Your Services to Cumbria!

Sponsored by

More about the Washington Group International

Washington Group International are sponsors of the Cumbria Business of the Year Award

Washington Group International is proud to support Cumbria, as one of the world's leading engineering, construction and management companies, with approximately 25,000 employees and projects in over 40 countries Cumbria is a key location for the business. It is the market leader in the environmental management and clean-up of nuclear sites for the US Government. Involved in the UK nuclear industry since 1999, it leads the UK Nuclear Waste Management consortium which is the NDA's preferred bidder to manage and operate the UK low level waste repository near Drigg.
 
Click on the heading above to find out more about the Washington Group International.

Other Award Sponsors include: -

• The Manufacturing Institute,  
• Serco,  
• Commendium Ltd,  
• Invest in Cumbria,  
• Cumbria Vision,  
• Cumbria Social Enterprise Partnership  
• Business Link North West 
• Allerdale Borough Council 
• NCS and  
• Performance House 

The Manufacturing Institute

Manufacturing Institute are sponsors of the Manufacturing & Engineering Award

For the past decade, The Manufacturing Institute has helped transform manufacturing performance, working with over 4,000 companies to gain competitive advantage from high-impact skills and productivity improvement programmes.
 
As part of our work, we deliver the DTI's Manufacturing Advisory Service in the North West providing free diagnostic visits and subsidised project support to help boost manufacturing performance. Since 2002, we have helped manufacturers deliver financial benefits worth over £400m, typically increasing productivity by 27%, improving on-time delivery by 30% and reducing scrap by 23%.
 
As an independent charity, any profit created is returned to the charity and used to support our work with manufacturers and young people.

Manufacturing Institute Services

• Free diagnostic day to review processes, supply chain or innovation 
• Project support – 50% subsidy available for SME's 
• Manufacturing and leadership training courses 
• One day Masterclasses 
• Manufacturing conferences 
• Factory visits 
• Manufacturers networking breakfasts 
• Environmental Audits 
• Manufacturing web site development & commerce 

NCS Cumbria Ltd

NCS Cumbria Ltd are sponsors of the Retail & Leisure Business of the Year

NCS Cumbria is a Kendal based company specialising in the control and monitoring of refrigeration systems and the installation of control systems that dramatically reduce energy consumption.
 
The company is part of a group of companies with a turnover in excess of £6million and boasts a nationwide customer base with leading names such as Marks & Spencer, Crown Worldwide, Bella Italia, KFC, and Tesco.
 
The company's traditional areas of activity have been in providing total technology solutions to control and monitor refrigeration systems. In the past two years the company has changed substantially and is now capitalising on its vast technical knowledge base to offer complete ‘Energy Management Solutions' to help organisations significantly reduce their energy consumption which results in saving clients thousands of pounds. By fitting simple controls on boilers, refrigeration units, and lighting, NCS customers are seeing dramatic reductions in their energy bills, in some cases as much as 55% in just a few months.
 
The company is a well known and respected local employer in the Kendal area who have recently grown their team to 38, with more job opportunities planned as their innovative energy management expertise attracts more clients keen to reduce their carbon footprint, minimise their impact on the environment. The company supports and participates in local apprenticeship schemes and work placements.

SBB Nuclear

SBB Nuclear (Serco) are sponsors of the Community Impact Award

SBB Nuclear has been formed by the UK service company Serco in partnership with the engineering-construction firm Bechtel and the nuclear operations company BWXT, both from the United States. The consortium is competing for the opportunity to be the parent company for Sellafield.
 
The companies in SBB Nuclear have a combined proven track record of safely and securely delivering high performance at nuclear sites and in other industries in the UK and US through partnership with employees and local communities. From delivery of the West Coast Main Line Modernisation and the Channel Tunnel Rail link; to the successful management of the Atomic Weapons Establishment in Aldermaston and the National Physical Laboratory which accurately keeps time for the UK, the companies which have formed SBB Nuclear have successfully led many different and complex projects.

Commendium Ltd

Commendium Ltd are sponsors of the Innovation & Technology Award

Commendium is an Independent ICT Consultancy concentrating the communication between businesses and their customers. In Cumbria, we are best known for our involvement in Project ACCESS, taken on because without a comprehensive affordable telecommunication system in place, Cumbrian businesses would have lost out to the vast improvements to customer communications that high speed Internet services can deliver. Now that this is largely done, Commendium is encouraging businesses to address improvements in customer communications. Curiously, it is not always necessary to invest in expense new systems, just by using existing technology more effectively can yield huge benefits. Commendium's independence permits us to suggest the best way forward for any particular company.

Invest in Cumbria

Invest in Cumbria are sponsors of the Outstanding Achievement Award

Invest in Cumbria are sponsors of the Employer of the Year Award

Invest in Cumbria is a wholly owned subsidiary of Cumbria County Council. It has been established since 1997 and has a dual remit. Firstly to work at attracting new inward investment to Cumbria, and secondly to work with the large companies already established in the County on expansion projects.

Cumbria Vision

Cumbria Vision are sponsors of the Young Business Person of the Year Award

For the first time Cumbria Vision is uniting the urban and rural regeneration agendas to create a single strategy for economic development in England's most beautiful and unique county.
 
Cumbria has faced many challenges over the past 12 years. By building on our status as a world-leader in the maritime, manufacturing and nuclear industries; and utilising our position as a popular global tourism destination, we are driving the County towards a more prosperous future.
 
Our major projects include the Lowther and Castle Gardens, Carlisle Renaissance, The Energy Coast Masterplan™, University of Cumbria and Derwent Forest.
 
We are working closely with our many partners in the private and public sectors to;

• identify clear priorities for investment 
• bring together skills and higher paid jobs 
• promote private sector investment and growth 

Allerdale Borough Council

Allerdale Borough Council are sponsors of the Business Woman of the Year Award

Allerdale is a borough of great variety, covering nearly 480 square miles of North and west Cumbria. Ranging from the fells of the Central Lake District to the Solway Plain and coast, much of the area lies within the Lake District National Park. Situated at the western end of the A66 scenic route from the M6 at Penrith, it boasts good links with the main road and rail networks at Carlisle.
 
The Borough is home to around 93,000 people. Nearly two-thirds of the population live and work within the triangle formed by Cockermouth, Maryport and Workington. There is also a large rural landscape, of dispersed hill farms, forests, mountains and lakes covering the fertile Solway Plain stretching north towards Carlisle; other towns include Keswick, Silloth, Wigton and Aspatria.
 
Each of these areas and towns has its own unique character and charm. Silloth's Victorian seaside flavour contrasts with the traditional red sandstone of Wigton; Keswick and Cockermouth (home of William Wordsworth) are tourist magnets with fascinating histories; and on the coast Maryport and Workington recall the area's long maritime and industrial links.
 
Allerdale has a wide range of manufacturing employment and increasingly important service sector with a growing tourism offer. The district has many attractions to developing Industry. Recent regeneration activity, much of it led by Allerdale Borough Council has brought significant inward investment, but tackling unemployment and promoting economic development and diversification remain key priorities for the Council.

Business Link Northwest

Business Link Northwest are sponsors of the Lifetime Contribution to Cumbria Award

Business Link Northwest is an impartial, free-to-use business support and information service providing relevant and up-to-date information for all businesses and individuals in Cumbria and the whole of the North West.
 
Since we launched in April 2007, we have helped thousands of companies to tackle their business challenges, from marketing and sales to managing people and finance.
 
 We recognise that businesses don't just operate ‘9 to 5 so our service can be accessed in a number of ways; via our Business Information and Enquiry team which is on hand to take your calls and emails between 8am-8pm Monday to Friday, as well as from 8am to 2pm at weekends and bank holidays, or through our award winning website.
 
Business Link Northwest has also increased its business-facing resource of brokers working on the ground throughout Cumbria to provide free and impartial support. Equipped with in-depth industry knowledge and expertise, our team works closely with businesses to help them move forward by linking business goals with practical solutions.
 
Our aim is simple. We want to help Cumbrian businesses to flourish and grow, and in turn, contribute to the region's prosperity.
 
To find out more call 0845 00 66 888 or email info@businesslinknw.co.uk

Cumbria Social Enterprise Partnership

Cumbria Social Enterprise Partnership are sponsors of the Cumbria Social Enterprise Business of the Year Award