Lifetime achievement award for Tipton business founder

Founder of Tipton-based Panesar Foods, Bill Panesar, received his award at Wolverhampton Racecourse on Friday during the Nachural Summer Business Awards.

He has built a business turning over £60 million and employing almost 300 people. It supplies sauces to many supermarkets throughout the UK.

Business person of the year went to Richard Andrews, managing director of Midtherm, Dudley.

Wolverhampton-born founder of Poundland Steve Smith was the keynote speaker who said that in times of uncertainty, focus was key to success.

Mr Smith said his success had been down to the quality of the workforce who lived in Wolverhampton and had worked for him.

"Without doubt, it was the people of Wolverhampton who worked for me who made the company successful – I am so indebted to them. The people of Wolverhampton are simply the best," added Mr Smith who started the company in 1990 went onto build it into a national chain with over a million customers per week employing 5,500 people. He eventually sold it in 2002 with the chain now turning over £5 billion annually.

Ninder Johal, chief executive of Wednesbury-based Nachural, which organises the awards, spoke about the ongoing cost of living crisis and the risk to business in the West Midlands.

He said despite a testing 36 months, the future of the region was bright. He pointed out many positive indicators including the full letting of high premium office space like i9 and i10 in Wolverhampton.

Mr Johal added that the manufacturing sector was recovering strongly with aerospace leading the way and foreign direct investment in the West Midlands region also extraordinarily strong.

The overall business of the year went to Telford-based Denso Manufacturing UK who since 1990 have been manufacturing plastic mouldings, aluminium pressings, heat exchangers and pipe and hose components. With a turnover of over £130 million and employing over 700 people, the company was judged to have been the best in creating a people centric business who are well embedded in the local community and have placed diversity and inclusion centre of their operations.

Other award winners included: business start-up of the year, Black Country Innovative Manufacturing Organisation, Dudley; excellence in technology, School of Coding, Wolverhampton; promoting apprenticeships, Argus Fire, Stourbridge; excellence in diversity and inclusion, Memories Greetings Cards, Dudley; excellence in customer service, Mercure Telford Centre Hotel; small business of the year, Nant, Wolverhampton; excellence in innovation, Energy From Waste Project, Dudley and enterprise of the Year, Cozy N Safe,Wolverhampton.