THE critical importance of small firms to the north's recovering economy will be put in the spotlight at the second running this summer of the Business Eye Small Business Awards in association with First Trust Bank.
Hundreds of entries are anticipated across the 12 categories, all open to Northern Ireland businesses with fewer than 50 employees.
The Small Business of the Year Award will be the highlight of the awards evening at La Mon House Hotel & Country Club on Thursday June 2, when entrants will vie to follow in the footsteps of 2015 overall winner Oasis Travel.
There will also be recognition for the top performers in key sectors such as agri food, technology, tourism & hospitality and manufacturing, as well as for leading small business exporters and for areas such as community contribution and customer focus.
Business Eye editor Richard Buckley will head up a panel of judges who will include First Trust Bank’s head of business & corporate banking Richard Ennis.
He said: “These awards, which complement our very own UTV Business Eye Awards, give small businesses right across the spectrum the chance to go head to head with businesses of a similar size and scale, and we’re confident we’ll be considering some first-class case studies between now and June.”
Des Moore, head of First Trust Bank, said: “Small businesses account for the vast majority of the private sector in Northern Ireland and are critically important to the future growth and rebalancing of the local economy.
“As a small regional economy we need to produce more entrepreneurs and support the growth of small businesses, especially those which have the potential to compete successfully in global export markets.
“We need to do more to showcase and celebrate the successful businesses we already have and to encourage more to replicate their success, and this awards scheme is an excellent vehicle to do just that.
“Last year’s awards showcased a fantastic range of some of the innovative small companies Northern Ireland has and we’re looking forward to discovering more of these excellent organisations this time around.”
The closing date for entries is Friday April 29, and businesses can enter via the dedicated awards website at www.businesseyeawards.co.uk
