Business Insider and Scott-Moncrieff E250 2008
Recognising the achievements of Scotland's growing companies
Simon Howie picks up the top award at the 2008 Insider & Scott-Moncrieff E250 Awards
A business which started as single butchers shop in Perth and grew into a major supplier of meat products to the big supermarket chains as well as a number of other major retailers was awarded with the title of Enterprise 250 Company of the Year at this year’s awards on the 29 October. About the awards >more
Simon Howie Butchers also picked up the award for Business Leadership recognising his success in leading multiple businesses across a range of sectors over the last twenty years.
Stewart MacDonald, Head of Corporate Finance, described Simon Howie Butchers as a ‘truly great business story. Someone who started as a butcher at 16, has reinvented the business he is in and become a millionaire in the process”.
“He is a born entrepreneur who gets involved in every aspect of his business”.
Click here for the E250 Winners in full
The judges of the E250 awards - Mary Campbell, Managing Director, Blas Ltd, Alasdair Northrup, Business Insider editor, Vivien Kyles, Chief Executive Hamilton Park Racecourse, Gio Benedetti, Chairman, Wallace Cameron, John Anderson, Chief Executive, Entrepreneurial Exchange and Murray Cromar, Client Management Director Aon – which are organised by Business Insider and Scott-Moncrieff, with Heriot Watt providing business research and company interviews support, ran their rule over a wide variety of company nominations before deciding on the eventual winners.
The winner of the Most Focused E250 Business Award was precision metal engineering company, Wallace McDowell. The judges said the Ayrshire business, whose products include football goalposts, had set out a very clear vision and objectives for the business, stuck to it and was now reaping the rewards.
Professional law firm, Harper MacLeod, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, picked up the award for Best E250 Employer. “Their very different model and low staff turnover rate” impressed the judges. PR firm, The Big Partnership, led by Alex Barr and Neil Gibson also picked up a special commendation on the evening for their progressive employee policies and talent management strategies.
The E250 Award for Innovation was picked up by Bruichladdich Distillery. The company was set up by Mark Reynier in 2001 to acquire the whisky stock and assets of the distillery which was then mothballed and owned by Jim Bean Brands. Over a period of time the distillery undertook their own labelling and bottling as well as persuading local farmers to grow barley again to supply the distillery.
In a relatively short time the distillery has acquired a unique brand identity and now supplies 45 whiskies and, although as an independently owned distillery its market share is still relatively small, it achieved a 28.3% increase in turnover in 2007 which is substantially in excess of the average for the industry. The judges said Mark Reynier has shown both courage and innovation in building a new whisky business in a highly
competitive market. Gordon Armour, Chairman of Scott-Moncrieff summed up the success of Bruichladdich by describing the distiller as “Islay from barrel to bottle”.
“Authenticity is paramount at the premium end of the whisky market. Without significant distribution or marketing muscle, integrity, originality, traceability, quality and variety are the essential ingredients of Bruichladdich’s success story”.
Fastest Growing E250 Company was awarded to Indigo Vision. The Edinburgh based digital surveillance firm has almost doubled sales and tripled operating profits over the past 12 months. Best E250 Newcomer was Intense a Glasgow University spin out company.
The awards which are open to the 250 best performing Scottish businesses with turnover between £5m to £15m recognise exceptional business achievement were presented at a glittering awards ceremony in Glasgow’s Radisson Hotel on Wednesday 29th October. For more information on the awards, visit www.e250.co.uk.
The E250 2008 winners in full:
Clydesdale Bank Fastest Growing E250 Company
Winner: IndigoVision Group plc
Intrum Justitia Best E250 Newcomer
Winner: Intense Ltd
Scott-Moncrieff E250 Innovation Award
Bruichladdich Distillery
Marsh Most Focused E250 Company
Wallace McDowall Ltd
Scott-Moncrieff E250 Leadership Award
Simon Howie Butchers Ltd
Abica Best E250 Employer
Harper MacLeod LLP
Scott-Moncrieff E250 Company of the Year
Simon Howie Butchers Ltd
About the Insider & Scott-Moncrieff E250 Awards
The Enterprise 250 is a survey which monitors the performance of companies with turnover between £5m and £15m. The list only includes companies which are Scottish owned and headquartered in Scotland and generate 90% of their turnover in the area.
The Enterprise 250 Awards received a warm reception when they were launched last year to recognise the achievement of Scotland's best performing smaller companies.
The Awards recognise exceptional achievement by Scottish companies in a number of areas including leadership, innovation and focus. Also recognised are the people who continue to drive Scotland’s SME sector forward.
Click on the links below for more information on each award:
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Award categories: Most Focused E250 Business, Business Leadership, Innovation & Design, Best Employer, Best Newcomer, Fastest Growing and E250 Company of the Year.
Strategic approaches to being successful in the marketplace often means that an organisation is focussed on key objectives and plans to meet the goals set by the organisation’s management. This award is for the organisation that demonstrates that planning strategically has resulted in the achievement of their mission.
The judges will be looking for:
Company description and goals
- Vision, mission and values
- Description of organisation
- Service provided
- Innovation involved (product/service or process)
- Market share
Strategy
- Short, medium and long term business objectives clear
- Strategies for meeting objectives clearly communicated
- Evidence of successfully deployed strategy
Resourcing for objectives
- Targets communicated to appropriate actors
- Staff appropriately resourced and deployed
- Appropriate finance arrangements put in place
- External stakeholders involved appropriately
Monitoring
- Targets/objectives set and documented
- Documentation reviewed appropriately
- Evidence of target achievement or
- Contingency planning in order to meet overall objectives
- Evidence of achieving overall objectives
E250 Business Leadership Award
Leadership is vitally important to the success of any company and, in this award, leadership can mean the actions of an individual at the top of an organisation, or an individual may be nominated by an organisation based on how they lead part of an organisation. In many companies it is the team effort that ensures project completion and success and the efforts of a team, leading a major initiative for an organisation, can also be recognised.
The judges will be looking for:
Company description and goals
- Vision, mission and values
- Description of organisation
- Service provided
- Innovation involved (product/service or process)
- Market share
Relationship with staff
- Evidence of clear communications
- Evidence of encouragement of CPD, educational development
- Promotion and resourcing of CPD, educational development
- Rewards system in place for staff experience and achievement
- Inclusive strategy and decision-making environment
- Involvement of staff
- Intrapreneurship fostered and rewarded
Relationship with external agents
- Evidence of clear communications
- Evidence of relationships with financiers, suppliers and other stakeholders fostered
- Relationships with customers and clients fostered
- Evidence of use of customer/client feedback in-firm
General Leadership
- Leadership conveys enthusiasm and entrepreneurship
- Objectives/strategy communicated throughout and outwith the firm effectively
- Leadership presents a firm-wide vision
- Evidence of in-firm shared vision
E250 Award for Innovation & Design
This award can be for design or innovation or both. Design can apply to many things including products, business systems or processes, software development, service delivery and designs of company logos. Innovation though means that it is something new to reach the marketplace and this can be a product, process or service.
The judges will be looking for:
Company description and goals
- Vision, mission and values
- Description of organisation
- Key area of design and/ or Innovation identified eg product/service, design process, solutions provision etc.
- Description of above in business context
Description of the innovation(s) - (products, services or processes)
- Evidence of successfully launched design
- Product, service or process – new way of business operation, – impact on customer, and strategic direction of the organisation
- Evidence of the idea generation, research and development – including personnel involvement, creativity and the use of knowledge.
Resourcing for objectives
- Targets communicated to appropriate actors
- Staff appropriately resourced and deployed
- Appropriate idea generation arrangements/methods put in place
- External stakeholders involved appropriately
Monitoring
- Marketing intelligence
- Innovation and marketing plan
- Development of strategy
- Reviewing and updating strategy
- Evidence of success e.g. innovation awards, peer recognition, customer perception etc.
This award relates to aspects of the organisation and how the company looks after its employees. Reward and motivation of employees are key drivers in this award. Rewards can take many forms including structural (such as part ownership through shares) financial (such as special payments or bonuses), educational or training (for example, degree or masters programme support), or through other means such as underwriting a company football team. The company values and CSR activities are also important key areas to explore.
The judges will be looking for:
Company description and goals
- Vision, mission and values
- Description of organisation
- Key area of employee involvement and sense of belonging
- Description of above in the business context
- Corporate Social Responsibility involvement
- Activities defined
- Extent of personnel development
- Monitoring of CSR e.g. impact
Description of the motivation systems in place
- Evidence of successful induction programme
- Reward systems in place – types and extent of involvement
- Comparison with other like organisations
- Evidence of the idea generation from staff – including personnel involvement, creativity and the use of knowledge.
Resourcing for objectives
- Targets communicated to appropriate staff members
- Support for staff appropriately resourced and deployed
- Appropriate idea generation arrangements/methods put in place, including feedback to staff members
- External stakeholders involved appropriately
Monitoring and Support Information
- Personal Development plans
- Personnel survey results
- Involvement in idea generation
- Educational achievements supprted through company
- Training plans – individual, team etc.
- CSR activities
- Feedback from other sources e.g. FSB, or Chamber
- Evidence of achieving overall objectives
Fastest Growing E250 Company of the Year
An award will be given to the company which has achieved strong growth. However it will not merely be awarded to a company with the highest turnover increase. The judges will also look as past performance and also bear in mind any rises due to one off factors such as property sales.
Best E250 Newcomer of the Year
This award will go to exciting companies which have entered the Enterprise 250 for the first time and, in the judges view, have the potential for future growth.
The judging panel will select one of the nominated deals from the categories above.
More quick links:
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E250 website: more information on the awards
