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WE'VE WON |
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Company director Steve Crowson and his wife, Lisa, share the overwhelming emotional moment when he heard his firm had won first prize in the best small business category.
Picture: PAUL FRANKS |
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MULTIFAB TEAM |
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WINNERS: Steve Robertson, of Business Link, second left, presenting the directors of Mulifab Metals Engineering, from left, Adrian Crowson, Steve Crowson and Franc D'Agnano. |
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JUDGING CRITERIA |
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THE Small Business of the Year Award is given to the business which has increased its profitability and potential over the latest financial year.
The size and age of such an enterprise is considered against the financial performance. The judges were also interested in innovative products, services or processes, and expansion into new markets and areas of business activity. |
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BUSINESS AWARDS 2005: Tears of emotion for triumphant winners
THE tears of emotion said it all.
It's right to say it's not about the winning, but the taking part. But it all became just too overwhelming for words for company director Steve Crowson the moment his firm was crowned Small Business of the Year 2005 at the Evening Telegraph's 10th Business Awards on Monday 21 November 2005.
It was the ultimate accolade for Steve, his brother Adrian Crowson and Franc D'Agnano, who are founder directors of Multifab Metals Engineering Ltd in Peterborough.
The entrepreneurs had come back to the awards with a fiery determination to make it to the top spot after acquiring a taste for success when they reached the finals last year.
And so it's no surprise that the team was ecstatic to be called on stage to collect the coveted award from host presenter Dermot Murnaghan and Steve Robertson, of the sponsors, Business Link for Cambridgeshire.
Steve was lost for words, but his brother Adrian said: "We tried to win this award last year, and we're absolutely overjoyed to get it this time.
"This is another 12 months on, and in that time we have learned a great deal. Our business has gone from strength to strength, and gets better and better. It's always down to the people that work for you."
Franc added: "We have been driven by the desire to achieve even more than last year, and this is absolutely fantastic."
Multifab Metals Engineering Ltd began trading in December 2001 as a three-man partnership between Franc, Steve and Adrian.
It continuously increased its sales figures by huge margins for its first three years, and in 2004/5 notched up a £1 million turnover – representing an increase of 45 per cent on the previous year.
In the last 12 months alone they have invested in new machinery, increased the volume and diversity of their client base, and purchased a 16,000 sqft factory unit in Newark Road, Fengate, Peterborough, where they relocated in September. They have taken on an extra four staff, bringing their total workforce up to 10 people.
More than 230 of the region's business leaders attended the glittering gala dinner at Peterborough's Moat House Hotel, to mark a decade of business excellence.
Dermot Murnaghan, presenter of BBC Breakfast, was this year's guest host at the event which began with a champagne reception sponsored by Badenoch & Clark, followed by a sumptuous four-course meal. |
