Published: Monday 23rd July 2018 | 2.30pm
Access Covers Ltd based in Rugeley has been awarded the Small Business of the Year Award at the Staffordshire Chambers Business Awards 2018.
The event was organised by Staffordshire Chambers of Commerce and saw 37 small businesses enter the Small Business of the Year category, sponsored by Stoke-on-Trent & Staffordshire Growth Hub.
This category is awarded to the company that has achieved consistent growth backed by strong financial performance, while demonstrating a clear understanding of the market it operates in, as well as evidence of commitment to staff.
Access Covers manufactures access covers, steel manhole covers and trash screens for a range of applications. It has supplied its products for local businesses including ASDA, petrol stations in Cannock, as well as Harrods in London. It also produces CAD (Computer Aided Designs) for clients.
The company has worked closely with Cannock Chase Council, which led to the establishment of a three-year programme with Cannock Chase High School.
Echoing TV’s ‘The Apprentice’, 11 children from the age of 11 upwards were given the opportunity to work on interview and CV composing skills, as well as attending regular board meetings. One of the eleven apprentices will eventually become a fully-fledged apprentice for the company, while the others will leave with life skills they’ll need for their future careers.
The programme has seen frequent guided factory tours and access to turnover and forecast figures to make the experience as realistic as possible.
John Tudor, one of Access Covers’ directors, said: “We just try and do things a bit differently to others.
“For example, a look at our company Facebook page shows staff and potential new recruits can enjoy playing table tennis during their free time, or they can even look after our one-year-old puppy dog George.
“Furthermore, we have just achieved the ISO 9001: 2015 certification without a single conformity issue being raised, demonstrating the effectiveness of our quality assurance systems.”
Councillor Gordon Alcott, Economic Development and Planning Portfolio Leader said: “We are delighted for John and his colleagues. We spend a lot of time working with and nurturing local businesses, so to have the county’s small business of the year in our area is a great advert for our enterprising economy.”
Photograph:
Pictured (l to r) are: Nicola Kent from Staffordshire Chambers of Commerce and from Access Covers are Josh Nesbitt, Chris Anderson, Scott Corrigan, Matt Perrin and Jon Machin.