Seafront hotel entrepreneur in running for major national business award

An entrepreneur who helped transform a historic seafront hotel is in the running for one of the biggest prizes at this year’s National Entrepreneur Awards.

Andrew Threadgold, co-owner of the Norton Hotel in Seaton Carew, has been named as a finalist after helping turn around the fortunes of the landmark hotel alongside his wife Nicola.

When the couple took on the Norton, the hotel was operating at occupancy levels of around just 20 per cent.

Since then, they have invested heavily in the business and set about transforming the hotel, building occupancy, improving the venue and developing it into a destination that can play a bigger role in the local community and economy.

Now Andrew’s entrepreneurial journey has earned him national recognition at the National Entrepreneur Awards, organised by Entrepreneurs Circle and celebrating some of the UK’s most ambitious business owners.

But Andrew says one of the most rewarding parts of the Norton’s transformation has been using the hotel’s success to create opportunities for other entrepreneurs.

One example is independent bakery Butterfold, which was given the opportunity to establish itself at the Norton while building its business and customer base.

The bakery has since successfully outgrown the hotel and moved into premises of its own, something Andrew sees as exactly the kind of entrepreneurial success the Norton can help encourage.

Andrew said: “When Nicola and I took on the Norton, we could see the potential, but we also knew there was a huge amount of work ahead of us.

“To go from where the hotel was then to where it is today has taken a lot of investment, hard work and belief in what this place could become.

“But entrepreneurship shouldn’t only be about growing your own businesses. If what you build can create opportunities for other people to grow theirs too, that makes it even more worthwhile.

“Butterfold is a great example. We were able to give them an opportunity here at the Norton and they grabbed it with both hands. Seeing them succeed to the point where they have now moved on into their own premises is something Nicola and I are genuinely proud of.

“We want the Norton to contribute to the wider area, support other local entrepreneurs and give people more reasons to come to Seaton Carew.”

The hotel is one part of Andrew’s wider business portfolio. He also co-owns Halo, a physiotherapy practice in the West Midlands, and Hawthorne Security in Norwich, which he acquired late last year.

However, the Norton has become a particularly personal project for Andrew and Nicola, who have worked to breathe new life into a hotel with more than two centuries of history.

Andrew added: “Being recognised nationally is obviously fantastic, but the Norton is a great example of what entrepreneurship means to me.

“You can look at a business that is struggling and simply see the problems, or you can look at what it could become.

“We chose the latter.

“There is still plenty more we want to do here, but seeing the hotel busy, seeing people enjoying it and knowing that we’ve also been able to help another business take its next step makes me incredibly proud of how far we’ve come.”

Run by Entrepreneurs Circle, the National Entrepreneur Awards are now in their 14th year, celebrating the entrepreneurs who build, inspire and transform the UK economy.

Nigel Botterill, founder of Entrepreneurs Circle, said:

“Andrew is a brilliant example of what entrepreneurship is really about. He doesn’t just see businesses as they are. He sees what they could become.

“The transformation of the Norton Hotel is a great example of that. Andrew and Nicola took on a historic hotel with occupancy at around 20 per cent and backed themselves to turn its fortunes around.

“What I particularly love about Andrew’s story is that the success they have created is now opening doors for other entrepreneurs too. Giving a young business like Butterfold the opportunity to establish itself at the Norton, then watching it grow to the point where it could move into premises of its own, is entrepreneurship creating more entrepreneurship.

“Andrew has built and invested in businesses in very different sectors across the country, but the common thread is that willingness to spot potential, take action and make things happen.

“He thoroughly deserves his place in the final.”

The winners of the National Entrepreneur Awards will be announced on Monday 7 September at the ICC Birmingham across 10 categories, including the prestigious Entrepreneur of the Year.

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