29/11/2017
Express & Star Business Awards 2018: Editor Keith Harrison on Celebrating the Best in Local Business
Join our celebration of all that is best in local business
After more than 140 years the Express & Star can claim to be one of the longest-running businesses in the area. It has reported on the highs and lows of local life for generations of families.
Our roots are deep, and we have always understood the importance of local businesses – large and small – to the community we all serve.
That is why we originally launched our annual Business Awards – to celebrate all that is great about companies in the West Midlands.
From their skilled and talented people to their ability to innovate and adapt to changing times, new technologies and the challenges of trading around the world, our firms prove every day that there is much worth celebrating.
That is why it gives me huge pleasure to be able to launch the Express & Star’s Business Awards for 2018.
As in previous years, this event will bring together both the private and public sectors of our community to mark the contribution of business to our area, both in terms of their economic benefits and the role they play in simply making life better.
We look back on a year that has seen the business community coming to terms with major changes as it faces the constant struggle to bring much-needed growth to our economy, not least the challenges and uncertainties of Brexit.
At such a time we can only express our gratitude at the loyalty and support that has been shown to our awards event by so many of its external sponsors.
Our warmest thanks go to Altodigital, UTC Aerospace Systems, City of Wolverhampton Council, Higgs & Sons, Carvers Building Supplies and Jaguar Land Rover for continuing to make this the premier business event in our region.
And I would like to express our particular delight at welcoming four new sponsors this year: Made in the Midlands, Crowe Clark Whitehill, Sandwell College and HomeServe.
My thanks also go to the Wolverhampton Grand Theatre who are once again sponsoring the drinks reception at the awards night, and to Yarrington, who produce the event.
Without the support of all these people our awards would not be possible.
And our 10 main sponsors will also be playing a crucial role in judging the finalists for this year’s awards. They will be joining us on the site visits that form a vital part of the process, helping us select those firms that represent the very best of local business.
It is those companies and business people who put themselves forward for these awards who are, of course, what the event is all about.
The Express & Star Business Awards provide an unrivalled opportunity for local companies to fly the flag and highlight the role they play in all our lives. I urge every business to seize this opportunity and enter the competition. We look forward to hearing from you.