Thirty-one family businesses from the East Midlands have secured a place in the final stage of the Midlands Family 
Business Awards, the only independent initiative to celebrate and recognise the region’s family run and owned enterprises.
They are joined by twenty family businesses from the West Midlands and between them take the coveted finalist places across the ten categories in this the seventh year of the annual awards.
Amongst them are businesses from the healthcare, construction, manufacturing, retail, logistics, hospitality, pharmaceutical, recruitment and agricultural sectors, businesses today headed by the fourth generation of their founding families, and family firms that began as far back as 1925 and as recently as 2012.
Amongst the finalists from the East Midlands are Derbyshire’s Flair Rugs and Owen Taylor & Sons, and Nottingham’s John Pye Auctions, all of which are finalists in the headline Family Business of the Year.
Nottingham family firms Distinction and Trent Oil Lubricants are finalists in the Best Small Family Business award, whilst Boughton Loam & Turf Management of Kettering, Nottingham’s The Workplace Depot, Leicestershire’s Dalycom and MiaFleur are each finalists in the new Best Use of Digital award.
East Midlands family businesses have taken all six of the finalists’ places in the Fastest Growing category – Peterborough’s Country Court Care, Nottingham-based Distinction, John Pye Auctions, Midland Conference Services, National Locums and Lincoln’s Orderwise.
Nottingham family business A1 Flue Systems is finalist in two awards this year – the firm’s TJ Duncan-Moir is a finalist in the Director of the Year, and the company is one of six finalists in the Manufacturing Excellence category.
Judging for the Bedrock sponsored Best Small Family Business category takes place in Ilkeston on the 15th September. The winners of all the categories will be unveiled at the prestigious Awards Dinner at Birmingham’s Great Hall on Thursday 17th November 2016.
All finalists will now face the Awards’ individual category judging panels that include a senior family business figure and a leading industry expert.
Heading the judging panel of the Awards’ headline Family Business of the Year award, sponsored by family business and 2015 finalists Bonnington Plastics, is Mark Samworth, who is the fourth generation of the Samworth family to work in the family’s food business, Samworth Brothers.
The full line-up of finalists in the ten categories for 2016 is:
Family Business of the Year – sponsored by Bonnington Plastics
• Cotteswold Dairy (Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire)
• Flair Rugs (Hadfield, Derbyshire)
• Infomedia Services Limited (Northampton)
• John Pye Auctions (Nottingham)
• Owen Taylor & Sons Limited (Alfreton, Derbyshire)
• PAL Group (Wednesbury)
Best Small Family Business – sponsored by Bedrock Tax
• Bambino Mio Limited (Northampton)
• Butterflies Healthcare (Banbury)
• Chapmans Electrical (Cradley Heath)
• Core Clinics (Warwick)
• Distinction (Nottingham)
• Trent Oil Lubricants Limited (Nottingham)
Best Use of Digital – sponsored by Midland Conference Services
• Boughton Loam & Turf Management Limited (Kettering)
• The Workplace Depot (Nottingham)
• Dalycom (Mount Sorrell, Leicestershire)
• Ideal Manufacturing (Northamptonshire)
• Lane Roofing Contractors (Birmingham)
• MiaFleur (Leicester)
Corporate Social Responsibility – sponsored by Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust
• Avalon Cabins Ltd (Nottingham)
• Chapmans Electrical (Cradley Heath)
• G. Seller & Co. Ltd (Hinckley, Leicestershire)
• Oakland International (Redditch)
• Systematic Print Management (Caistor, Lincolnshire)
• The Elite Fish & Chip Company (Lincoln)
Director of the Year – sponsored by RSA
• TJ Duncan-Moir, A1 Flue Systems (Nottingham)
• Mark Esho, East Internet Services (Leicester)
• Elliot Sheasby, Eventmasters Limited (Birmingham)
• Jason Chauhan, JC Metalworks Ltd (Loughborough)
• Paul Williams, KFE Ltd (Peterborough)
• Emma Brealey, Petwood Hotel (Woodall Spa)
Employer of the Year – sponsored by Royal London
• Hallmark Consumer Services (Melton Mowbray)
• Hogarths Hotels (Solihull)
• ISO Quality Services Ltd (Worcester)
• National Locums (Milton Keynes)
• Obam Stairlifts (Lincoln)
• OrderWise (Lincoln)
Entrepreneur of the Year – sponsored by Barclays
• Cupitt Jeweller (Bromsgrove)
• Mansfield Manor Hotel (Nottinghamshire)
• Morningside Pharmaceuticals Ltd (Loughborough)
• Ramsden International (Grimsby)
• The Wool Packaging Company Ltd (Stone, Staffordshire)
Fastest Growing Family Business – sponsored by PwC
• Country Court Care (Peterborough)
• Distinction (Nottingham)
• John Pye Auctions (Nottingham)
• Midland Conference Services (Nottingham)
• National Locums (Milton Keynes)
• OrderWise (Lincoln)
Manufacturing Excellence – sponsored by The Wilson Organisation
• A1 Flue Systems (Nottingham)
• GemPort Jewellery.co.uk (Birmingham)
• Glazedale Ltd (Nottingham)
• Moss Valley Fine Meats (Derbyshire)
• Owen Taylor & Sons Ltd (Derby)
• The Mereway Group of Companies (Birmingham)
Service Excellence – sponsored by Stencil
• Ballards Removals Ltd (Newark)
• Best Western Ullesthorpe Court Hotel & Golf Club (Leicestershire)
• Broad Street DIY Ltd (Bromsgrove)
• Corporate Solutions (Logistics) Limited (Solihull)
• Fairlawns Hotel & Spa (Aldridge, West Midlands)
• Oakland International (Redditch).
All fifty-one finalists are now automatically entered in to the People’s Choice Award – brand new for 2106 and sponsored by Streets Accountants – which will see them face the public vote to find the overall Winner and Highly Commended businesses.
Now in their seventh year, the not-for-profit Midlands Family Business Awards are backed and run by The Wilson Organisation. The firm’s MD Charlotte Perkins, the third generation of the family to lead the business alongside her sister Annabel Prow, explains: “The Awards are the regions only independent initiative to recognise the work and achievements of family businesses.
“This year’s entries demonstrate the exceptional pedigree of the Midlands’ family businesses, and the finalists together prove the family business sector’s vital contribution to the region’s economy. We wish all fifty-one finalists the very best in the final round.”
For the full list of finalists and more information about the Awards and the categories, visit: www.familybusinessawards.co.uk.
The Awards are the only independent not-for-profit Awards for family businesses in the Midlands. Their organiser The Wilson Organisation provides innovative insurance and financial solutions to businesses and individuals both regionally and nationally.
