‘Floform’ wins big at Powys awards

The company that rose from the ashes of the now defunct Floform was a big winner at the Powys Business Awards, held at The Hafren, Newtown, on Friday night.

Dawson Shanahan (Wales) Ltd, a Welshpool precision manufacturing business, took the Judges’ Special Award on a night that saw the cream of local business recognised.

Members of the management team at Floform, once one of the area’s biggest employers, refused to accept that they were finished when the business went into administration. They convinced their main competitor to take a chance and invest in them and now the new company, Dawson Shanahan (Wales) Ltd, has a £4.3 million turnover and employs 38 people.

Managing director David Dawson, who remortgaged his house and risked everything to buy the business, paid tribute to his team at Welshpool.

“I have been in manufacturing for 40 years and I have never received anything like this,” he said. “I owe everything to the engineers in our Welshpool factory whose innovation, dedication, hard work and enthusiasm are second to none. They are truly amazing and I’m so proud of this award.”

Successful Newtown-based company Quartix Ltd, which specialises in vehicle tracking technology, has been named Powys Business of the Year.

The business, which has grown its workforce from three to 55 in 12 years, received the overall accolade, sponsored by Powys County Council, at the ceremony attended by 250 guests.

Quartix Ltd, which also collected the Growth Award sponsored by Finance Wales and was a finalist for the Innovation Award, has become a leading player in the telematics industry, competing successfully from its head office in Newtown.

The awards, organised by Mid Wales Manufacturing Group, recognise and celebrate business excellence at all levels in Powys. Thirty-four business from across the county were shortlisted for the 13 awards on offer.

The Small Business Award, sponsored by Turner Peachey Chartered Accountants, went to Castle Ring Oak Frames, Presteigne, which specialises in the design and construction of traditional timber framed structures.

The Social Enterprise/Charity Award, sponsored by Mid Wales Housing Association Ltd, went to Beacons Creative Wales Ltd of Brecon, which is in the process of expanding to increase the number of disabled people employed to 63.

Newtown company Zip-Clip Ltd, which makes wire suspension systems for the construction industry, was back in the spotlight for the second year running, as it added the Achievement in International Trade Award, sponsored by NPTC Group, to the small business award that it won in 2012.

A “world class” company, which is the largest employer in Llanwrtyd Wells, won the Manufacturing Award sponsored by Mid Wales Manufacturing Group. Charcroft Electronics Limited, which has a turnover of £8 million, specialises in the distribution and manufacture of electronic components for use in high-end and often life-critical applications, such as the Eurofighter.

Entrepreneur Layla Bennett, of Hawksdrift Falconry, Rhayader, flew away with the Entrepreneurship Award sponsored by The Cambrian News and Brecon & Radnor Express.

Dynamic Newtown marine and safety hardware manufacturer Makefast Ltd continued its run of success by collecting the Innovation Award sponsored by Welsh Government.

The Green Tourism Award, supported by Sustainable Tourism Powys, went to The Drovers Rest Restaurant and J & R School of Cooking, Llanwrtyd Wells. The judges were impressed by the attention to detail throughout the business and its involvement in sustainable community events.

Chartered accountants Whittingham Riddell enjoyed the sweet taste of success for the second year running. The business added the Business in the Community Award to the Excellence in People Development Award that it collected in 2012.

Newtown-based civil engineering and construction company, EvaBuild Ltd, which has exceeded its growth expectations since forming in 2011, won the Start-up Business Award sponsored by The County Times.

The Lion Hotel, Llandinam, winner of the Powys Business Start Up Award last year, followed up with the Excellence in People Development Award sponsored by Leadership & Management Wales.

A family who refused to let a major farmhouse fire halt their bid to establish an eco-friendly tourist development was rewarded with the Farm Diversification Award supported by farm diversification grant scheme, www.glasu.org.uk. Judges were impressed with the planning that had gone into constructing Beacons Geo Park Study Centre, Crai, near Brecon.

PICTURES: All the winners on stage at the end of the awards with compere Jamie Roberts.