The best and brightest Suffolk businesses will be honoured at the EADT Business Awards 2024, which are now open for entries.
Here we learn a bit more about some of the varied categories available for entry this year.
Start Up of the Year
The winner of the Start Up of the Year award will be a business that is less than three years old at the point when applications close. It will show clear financial activity that has translated into inward investment, increased turnover and/or acceleration towards the profit stage.
This award category is returning after some years absent from the EADT Business Awards in order to give those inspiring newcomers in the Suffolk business community a chance to shine and network with established businesses across the county.
The award will help businesses take their next step in their growth, acting as a marker of early success that can prove vital at the beginning of a company’s journey.
It is essential for entrants in this category to have a clear purpose and a defined set of values that can help to steer them in the right direction at this early stage.
Clear managerial leadership is also key, as a new, burgeoning business needs a confident leader at the helm to help it grow and succeed.
Evidence should be provided of entrants’ forecasted financial growth and investment, and the judges will also be looking for examples of innovation of a specific product or service. So, consider what makes your business stand out most when applying.
Now more than ever, it is crucial for businesses to step up and commit to sustainable goals and practices, not just to support their long-term success, but that of the planet.
This is no different – and perhaps even more pertinent – for new businesses as it is for established ones, so Start Up of the Year entrants should be able to show a clear understanding of their environmental impact and have a sound sustainability strategy in place.
Environmental & Sustainability Award
The Environmental & Sustainability Award winner will be committed to reducing its carbon footprint through innovative and sustainable practices and will be able to provide clear evidence of the steps taken to achieve this.
The judges will be looking for businesses that have demonstrated how they have enhanced their environmental performance across their operations – as well as their future sustainability plans – and promoted the importance of greener business models over the last 18 months.
As we navigate new ways of tackling the sustainability challenge, knowledge sharing is essential, and so entrants should also show their process of learning and sharing their experiences with others to push the move to a green economy.
Judges also want to see evidence of a clear and defined strategy for environmental and sustainable practices – and a commitment to this within company values, communication and engagement with employees, the supply chain and stakeholders.
Evidence is also required of the use of green initiatives and grants, and clear methods for how businesses track and report their environmental impact.
The winner of last year’s Environmental & Sustainability Award, as well as the Suffolk Business of the Year award, was Denny Bros – an independent, employee-owned specialist printing company headquartered in Bury St Edmunds.
The judges were impressed by the ways it has modernised despite being founded in 1945 and commented how it has “expanded its environmental strategy”.
When asked for comment at last year’s ceremony, Denny Bros’ managing director Graham Denny said that winning the award was “recognition of the environmental journey we’ve been on over several years now” and “recognition of the effort of our team”.
Positive Impact in the Community
In an ever-changing world, businesses of all sizes are no strangers to challenges that push them to innovate and adapt – often for the good of the wider community.
The Positive Impact in the Community award was created in recognition of this, and aims to highlight local companies that have gone the extra mile and changed their products or services to benefit a crisis, lent their team to assist elsewhere, or supported the community in some other way.
The judges will be looking for businesses with a defined set of values and a clear focus on supporting the local community, whether through investment, enrichment or volunteering.
They should also be contributing to the wider business community and should have a sustainability strategy that recognises their environmental impact and what they can do to reduce it.
Judges will not only be looking at how businesses plan to create a positive impact in the long-term, but what they are currently doing or have done in the past six months to implement these plans.
Sunrise Studios, a community production company based in Lowestoft, won the Positive Impact in the Community award in 2023.
It was established by filmmaker Joshua Freemantle when he was just 18, within the regional charity Access Community Trust, and offers media production services for a range of local organisations.
Commenting at last year’s award ceremony, Joshua Freemantle said: “Nearly three years ago, Access opened doors to me and let me do what I love.
“I happened to be able to make money out of that and enjoy every day and support even more young people along the way.”
The judges were impressed by the “incredible” achievements that Joshua made with the “very limited resources he has and at the age he is”.
To enter the EADT Business Awards 2024, please visit eadtbusinessawards.co.uk
To find out more about all categories, please click here.
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