Celebrating the achievements of companies and individuals who are the very best at what they do

STEELITE were joined in their celebrations at the King's Hall in March by some of the region's most successful companies.

Art gallery Barewall triumphed in the category of Start-up Business of the Year. Their impressive achievements saw the Burslem-based gallery sell more than £55,000 worth of their works in their first year, a figure topping £10,000 a month by the end of 2011. Judges were also impressed by their other achievements; an online shop helping Potteries artists and ceramicists exhibit and sell their works to an increasingly global audience and the sale of 2,500 works promoted through the gallery.

Solidor managing director Gareth Mobley picked up the Young Business Person of the Year Award. Mr Mobley was credited with steering the Fenton-based firm from an emerging start-up to a multi-million pound market leader. Solidor was formed to pioneer composite doors with solid wooden cores. Staffing levels had risen from 15 to more than 50. Mr Mobley restructured the company from top to bottom. Rebranding, investment in a new plant, winning major new clients and head-hunting key staff all impressed the competition judges.

Accutronics won the Small Business of the Year Award. In 2011, the Newcastle battery firm, with its Li-on (lithium ion) range, was selling more than 90 per cent of its output overseas.

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Business administration apprentice Liam Nicholls took home the Apprentice of the Year Award. An apprentice at Newcastle social housing group Aspire, Liam left school without qualifications but turned his life around to the extent that he was delivering inspirational speeches to gatherings of bosses.

KMF (Precision Sheet Metal) won the Training Excellence Award. The Newcastle company has a hand in everything from passenger check-in desks at Heathrow to Airbus jetliner seats and Costa Coffee machines. Its highly-trained engineers make sheet metal components for all those, and a whole lot more besides.

Beechenhill Farm won the Environmental Business Award. Set in Ilam, in the Peak District National Park, close by Dovedale Gorge, the farm's features include electric bikes, rainwater harvesting and biomass boiler heating to guest cottages, which also have low-energy lighting, solar panels and high insulation.

Engineering design consultancy Haughton Design carried off the Business Innovation Award for the second year running. The Stafford-based consultancy took a hard look at an implement produced by agricultural machinery maker Simba, and then came up with ways to make it both stunningly attractive to potential customers, and more efficient to manufacture.

The result was a sales success for Simba, and another notch on Haughton's record of having helped others produce things better and more cheaply than they used to.

Ian Dudson CBE, chairman of Tunstall pottery firm Dudson, was handed the Lifetime Achievement Award.