Finalists looking forward to 2019 Oldham Business Awards

The business awards

Shortened finalists for the 2019 Oldham Business Awards have spoken about their pride and excitement ahead of the awards ceremony taking place at the end of April.
 
Thirty finalists were recently unveiled at a reception hosted by Innovative Technology at its Oldham HQ in Derker. Judges have shortlisted three businesses for each of ten award categories. The ultimate winners will be announced at the awards ceremony held at Queen Elizabeth Hall on Friday, April 26.
 
Award organisers say they received a record number of entries this year and there were a lot of new faces at the Innovative Technology reception for finalists. 

 
Among the new participants is cabinet-making and metal fabrication company RED Manufacturing, based at Greenacres Road in Oldham.  RED is one of three firms shortlisted for the Employer of the Year category, sponsored by Ultimate Products.  The other category finalists are Physio Matters and OMC Motor Group.
 
RED Manufacturing supplies joinery, cabinet-making, engineering and metal fabrication services to business clients in commercial and industrial sectors across Greater Manchester and the north. It supplies sectors including retail, leisure, automotive, street furniture, lighting and security products. 
 
The company’s Greenacres Road base has CNC and laser manufacturing technology with staff including joiners, cabinet-makers, engineers, steel fabricators and welders. It also has in-house creative, technical design and value engineering teams, plus paint-spraying and powder-coating facilities. 
 
RED is led by director Matthew Wolfenden, a former Saddleworth High School pupil from Diggle. The company is part of the Ripple Group, which Matthew joined after school. He worked across a range of roles then moved to RED Manufacturing, becoming commercial director in 2016 and is now director. 
 
Matthew, pictured second from right, said: “RED Manufacturing is delighted to be a finalist in the 2019 Oldham Business Awards. This is the first time we have entered and we’re really looking forward to the ceremony at Queen Elizabeth Hall on April 26. 
 
“The reception at Innovative Technology was an excellent event, giving us the chance to meet other shortlisted businesses along with sponsors, judges and volunteer organisers. It was brilliant to see so many impressive Oldham businesses together in one room and really exceeded our expectations. Good luck to all finalists across all categories – they are all excellent nominees.”
 
Another finalist in the Employer of the Year category is Physio Matters, a chartered neurological physiotherapy practise based at Hollinwood Business Centre. The company provides community-based rehabilitation for people following strokes, head injuries and other neurological conditions.
 
Physio Matters founder and clinical director Colin Green, pictured centre, said: “We first got involved in the Oldham Business Awards through being invited as guests of Remedian IT to a previous awards night. We were really impressed by the quality and variety of businesses taking part, so we decided to enter our own business. 
 
“We’ve enjoyed this year’s judging and shortlisting process so far and hope to book a couple of tables for our staff to attend the dinner in April.” 
 
Colin studied physiotherapy and neurology in Manchester and Sheffield and has 20 years’ experience in rehabilitation work with adults. He has worked in specialist neurological settings including acute hospital wards, brain injury rehabilitation centres and with NHS trusts including in Oldham and Huddersfield.
 
The Oldham Business Awards are now in their 11th year and reputed to be Greater Manchester’s biggest business awards, with almost 600 guests attending the annual ceremony. This year’s headline sponsors are Pearson Solicitors & Financial Advisers, Chambers Business Centre, Oldham Council and the Stoller Charitable Trust.
 
Speaking at the finalists reception, Dayna Patterson, Innovative Technology’s marketing manager and a volunteer business awards organiser, said: “Congratulations to all the businesses who have been shortlisted this year. Being shortlisted is a great achievement in itself, so well done. 

 
“Innovative Technology is really proud to be supporting the Oldham Business Awards again and I want to thank all the sponsors who make the awards possible. The Oldham Business Awards is one of the biggest business award ceremonies in the north-west and is always a sell-out, so please book your tickets in good time.”
 
Richard Eastwood, a partner at Pearson Solicitors & Financial Adviser who heads the company’s Financial Services and Wealth Management department, added: “Huge congratulations go to all the shortlisted finalists. They have put in a tremendous effort and being shortlisted as a finalist is a credit to their businesses.
 
“As a law and financial services firm, Pearson takes care of all our commercial clients’ needs. We already work with a number of businesses linked to the Oldham Business Awards but we want to meet more businesses and entrepreneurs, so being a sponsor is great opportunity to meet many more local business people.”
 
The awards ceremony in April will be hosted by BBC news presenter Louise Minchin and ITV’s Caroline Whitmore, with local media coverage on the Oldham Chronicle, Revolution 96.2 and Oldham Business Edge magazine.
 

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