Hartlepool firm celebrates 40th birthday with town's top business award

Delighted bosses at Seymour Civil Engineering lifted the trophy for the Overall Business of the Year at the Hartlepool Business Awards.

The glittering finale for this year’s awards was held at the Borough Hall, and it was a double night of celebration for Seymour. The Harbour Walk-based firm also won the Investment in Training category.

What a year it has been for Seymour, which has carried out a string of flagship projects in the last 12 months alone.

Its excellent work has been carried out on the Headland Town Wall sea defences and on the revitalisation of Church Street and Church Square. But Seymour was just one winner on a night when the cream of Hartlepool industry was honoured.

Judges chose Rob Collier as the Business Leader of the Year after they heard how he was running a multi-million pound group of businesses in Hartlepool and all by the age of 37.

He spearheads a string of firms such as Advanced Retail Solutions, Advanced House, Advanced House Media, Advanced Skills Academy, CompareTheUtilityMarket.com, and Collier & Wood – all from a revitalised base at Advanced House, in Wesley Square.

And there was more good news for Rob as Advanced Retail Solutions won the Service Sector category. The firm has taken on more staff in the last six months.

The winner of the Hartlepool Mail-sponsored Community category was Familes First North East, which is 30 years old this year and has grown to have 50 staff, a huge support network and helps hundreds of families every year.

The Manufacturing category winners were The Expanded Metal Company, which has undergone a huge transformation which has included a huge rise in turnover, and new investors on board.

Young Entrepreneur of the Year is Reece Hugill, who runs Donzoko Brewing Company. Reece is not long out of his university studies in Newcastle but has already set up a Hartlepool brewing company, which makes an ultra-fresh lager.

The winner of the Tourism Leisure and Hospitality category was the National Museum of the Royal Navy, which has seen a 25% increase in visitors coming to town for an overnight stay.

Two-year-old town firm Couch Potato Films won the Creative Industries category for making great strides in the industry of film production.

Former police officer Simon Corbett was overjoyed when his company Orange Box Solutions lifted the trophy in the Most Promising New Business Category.

And JDM Earth – which specialises in electricial vehicle charging – is the winner of the Best Small Business title after a year which has seen the workforce grow from three people to seven workers.

Awards co-ordinator Andrew Steel praised the “very high quality of applications and increased number of entrants” and said just reaching the shortlist in this year’s categories was an achievement in itself.

For the full roll of honour, click here.

Watch out for a supplement filled with interviews and photographs from the evening, in the Hartlepool Mail next Tuesday.