Night of celebration for county’s successful businesses

There were celebrations all round for some of the county’s best businesses this month, as they received much-deserved acclaim and recognition at the Essex Business Excellence Awards, co sponsored by Bird Luckin.

The annual event culminates in a glittering awards ceremony which this year was held at Stockbrook Manor in Billericay, and to which all the shortlisted finalists and sponsors were invited. And it was certainly a night to remember for Colchester-based logistics company Systematic, which won both the Overall Business of the Year and the Excellence in Marketing Awards, came runner-up in the Customer Care and Service Category, and whose Managing Director, Richard Triolo, was named Outstanding Business Person of the Year.

Speaking to Bird Luckin Directors Jenny Cook and Caroline Peters (both judges for the Awards) the day after Systematic’s success, Richard said: “I’m on cloud nine, I cannot believe it, absolutely amazed to have achieved so much in one night. We initially thought we were on the losers table as we had all failed to win something and then it completely changed – incredible! It was a wonderful venue, superbly organised, a great meal and an absolutely fantastic night.

“It has not sunk in yet; the first thing I did this morning was drive to my Mum’s to show her the awards, and she cried with happiness. It’s been a very emotional rollercoaster, and my productivity is not so good today!”

Bird Luckin has supported the Awards – organised by the Essex Chronicle Series – for more than a decade, both as a category sponsor for the Customer Care and Service category, and as a joint overall sponsor with law firm Birketts. These two roles mean we are closely involved in assessing the level of entries in the competition, and for Caroline, who was a judge for the first time this year alongside Jenny, the high standards were very impressive.

“It really is a fantastic event; from the level of businesses who enter, to the competition between those who are shortlisted, to the awards ceremony and the atmosphere of the night itself, everything is first class,” said Caroline. “As a company we love to be involved in supporting events which promote the best the county has to offer, and that has certainly been the case again this year.”

The winners in the Customer Care category were the Spinal Health Centre, based in Brentwood and Maldon (who took the small business title), Westcliff-based Crown College (medium business), and the Springfield Hospital (large business).

Speaking the day after the Awards, Springfield Hospital General Manager David Hewitt said: “It was a fantastic evening and we were so pleased to win. I have been round the whole hospital today photographing staff with the award!”

Other Award winners on the night included Perrywood Garden Centre, the Meadows Shopping Centre, Essex Boot Camp, and Owls Hall Environmental. You can find out more about the Awards and see the full list of winners at www.thisistotalessex.co.uk/businessawards.