The Birmingham Post Business Awards take place at the ICC on September 20. Here, Post editor Alun Thorne introduces the Company of the Year Category.
Over the past few weeks we have been looking at the strengths of the region’s businesses in the vast range of sectors which make up the West Midlands’ diverse economy.
This week’s award – Company of the Year – is the most exciting one of them all as it offers a chance for the brightest stars of the region’s business community to shine.
We know it’s been a tough couple of years, but the West Midlands is a tough region built on innovation and hard work – and this category gives us a chance to celebrate this.
The region competes on a global stage and we have a wealth of world-class companies right on our doorstep.
But often our achievements go unnoticed as we as a region are often better known for just getting on with the job rather than blowing our own trumpet.
But we want this to change.
We are looking for those unsung heros to step into the limelight and share their success stories with the rest of us – and give us a reason to be proud of what we have here.
The Company of the Year award is open to businesses of any size operating in any sector, but to enter you must show how you stand shoulders above the crowd.
This could be connected to facet of your business – not just your performance on the bottom line, although that might be part of it.
Maybe you excel in building relationships with employees and know how to motivate your team to the benefit of your business as well as the wellbeing of your staff and your wider community. Or your entry could be a chance to shout about your capacity for innovation and ingenuity – have you developed a new product or process that does something really clever that we should know about?
Maybe you are putting West Midland-produced products or services in front of an international audience, driving forward the export-led recovery we so desperately need in this country.
Or are you part of the vanguard of low-carbon firms that can give the region an edge in the changing world we live in?
Equally, it could come down to something more prosaic.
Maybe you have put in a stellar performance in terms of turnover that could propel you to the podium at the Birmingham Post Business Awards.
This is about celebrating the positives in the region’s business community.
But at The Birmingham Post, we know all too well the headwinds companies in the region have faced over the last few years in terms of banks shrinking back from lending, rising costs or the recession eating into demand.
So we’re also looking for entries from those companies who have faced down these adverse conditions and come back stronger for it.
We want to see those of you who have provided an example to the rest of us of the resilience and true grit we have here in the region.
So the challenge is on – tell us why you are the best of the best and why you make the region proud.
