How the BIBAs can help your Lancashire business to grow

Utiligroup, the Chorley-based firm which provides software and services to the energy and utility industry nationwide, was named Business of the Year at the Be Inspired Business Awards, the BIBAs, last September.

Mark Coyle, the firm’s Chief Marketing & Strategy Officer, said the judging process had allowed it to “look deep in to the foundations of the business” to promote the areas which saw it win the prestigious award.

The BIBAs opens for applications to this year’s award next Tuesday with 20 prizes up for grabs to Lancashire businesses.

Mr Coyle said: “The judging process allowed us to show off our workforce, our facilities and our culture and to involve as many people from across the business as we could in doing it.

“Despite being a large company, we pride ourselves on every individual within our business and the culture within which they work within every day.

“The BIBAs allowed us to showcase this to the judges and the whole of Lancashire and allow us to celebrate this with all our people.”

Babs Murphy, chief executive of awards organisers the North & Western Lancashire Chamber of Commerce, said this year’s awards would offer firms in the county even more chances to promote their excellence.

She said: “The BIBAs have always been a byword for excellence in the Lancashire business community and you can see that in all the winners of our awards from 2018.

“In 2019, we will have even more categories to be able to celebrate the achievements of the diverse and growing economy of our county.

“We cannot wait to begin that journey for another year and get under the skin of what makes great businesses tick in the way only the BIBAs can.”

The BIBAs will open for applications next Tuesday with full details of categories and how to apply available on the awards’ website at www.thebibas.co.uk.

In 2018, the lifetime achievement award, Lancastrian of the Year, went to Tony Attard, the High Sheriff of Lancashire and founder of Burnley-based textiles firm, Panaz.

Other winners included Preston-based Sunshine Events and Blackburn’s Flavour Warehouse which both picked up two awards, Creative Business of the Year and Service Business of the Year and Manufacturer of the Year and Exporter of the Year respectively.