Exeter Chamber is celebrating the success of local businesses, announcing its five winning organisations at Exeter Business Dinner on 1 November. The top five organisations were chosen for their huge steps forward over the past year, with each making achieving great results in their field and being a stand-out example of Exeter’s dynamic business community. Presenting the awards, Chamber chair Mark Pellow and fellow board directors, Jo Caine and Julie Hawker, said: “It has been a privilege to read the applications from businesses, sharing their success. Exeter Chamber is proud to represent Exeter’s businesses, and to help celebrate the community’s achievements at the Exeter Business Dinner.”
The five winners are Helpline, Land Rover Experience West Country, Krowdthink, Stephens Scown and Exeter Golf and Country Club.
Helpline.
Helpline, an organisation that provides personal alarms for the elderly, has become proud signatories of the Armed Forces Covenant.
The Armed Forces Covenant is an agreement between organisations and the Ministry of Defence, whereby employers and other groups commit to honour and support the UK Armed Forces and Armed Forces Community. This support can come in many forms, from actively seeking to offer employment to ex-forces personnel, to encouraging and supporting employees who are interested in being reservists or volunteering for the cadet forces. Helpline employs two ex-service personnel and two adult cadet personnel. Helpline continues to advertise all vacancies using the armed forces career transition partnership.
The judges said: “We hope that Helpline’s example will inspire other businesses to recognise and harness the skills and experience of veterans, making a virtuous circle of improved businesses and a healthy, gainfully employed, community.”
Land Rover Experience West Country
Originally a dairy farm, Land Rover Experience West Country was established in 2002 as a way to diversify the business. Now reaching 8,000 people a year, the business has outgrown its premises: through an investment of £350k, funded in part by the EU’s Agricultural Fund for Rural Development, they have extended the building to make three state of the art conference/meeting rooms which give them extra capacity to attract bigger clients and group sizes, bringing business to the South West. from across the UK and beyond.
The judges said: “It was brilliant to hear how the team behind Land Rover Experience have been able to build a success businesses from their farm diversification, and that their success has resulted in more business for others – notably a recent international delegation staying at two local hotels, visiting local attractions and flying in and out of Exeter Airport in their chartered jet!”
Stephens Scown
Now ranked in the prestigious Sunday Times 100 Best Companies To Work For listing for five consecutive years, this forward thinking firm became employee owned in 2016. Committed to promoting positive mental health at work, the firm has signed the Mindful Employer Charter and offers all of its people free counselling and access to an independent advice line. It has also given training in mental health at work to its managers.
Stephens Scown has one of the most active intellectual property and technology law teams in the UK, advising businesses world-wide. Its success rate for trademark filing is 93%.
The judges said: “Stephens Scown is a shining example of a business which puts its team at the centre of all that it does. A stand out firm winning national recognition for its forward thinking approach.”
Krowdthink
An organisation is tackling a huge challenge in digital engagement – providing that it is possible to build a social platform that you can fundamentally trust, last year Krowdthink delivered a project saw them triumph over 67 competitive projects to innovate a social platform for the Home Office and the Office of Security and Counter-Terrorism.
The platform is designed to make crowded places safer through innovation, with the objective of avoiding incidents like the Manchester bomb happening again. Krowdthink’s digital trust model and anti-surveillance stance was a strong part of our bid supported by Devon and Cornwall Police and receiving recognition from
the Home Office Security Minister Ben Wallace MP.
The judges said: “In today’s society, Krowdthink’s work will help to make both the online and the real world safer. This company is a fantastic example of our region’s strong science and technology talent.”
Exeter Golf and Country Club
Exeter Golf and Country Club have achieved extraordinary success this year: winning a national award for Most Welcoming Club at the England Golf Awards in March, bucking the national trend with growth in membership and achieving full membership, with an 18 month waiting list, for the first time in 20 years.
This is a huge achievement for Exeter Golf and Country Club and puts Exeter, and Devon golf on the national map for breaking down boundaries to golf, getting more women into golf, using inventive marketing campaigns and empowering staff with inspirational hospitality training experts. The judges said: “Exeter Golf and Country Club is a fantastic example of
how hard work and innovative thinking bring reward to all business. The Club is a credit to Exeter and helps the city attract more visitors and business.”
