A FREIGHT and international shipping company sailed off with the top award at Tees Valley’s Best New Business Awards.

The well-attended event at Middlesbrough Riverside Stadium attracted industry leaders and entrepreneurs from a wide range of sectors.

The awards recognise firms that are making a valuable contribution to the region’s economic regeneration in their first three years of trading and the near 100 entries was the highest in their 14-year history.

Evolution Forwarding, the shipping and dangerous goods specialist based at Skippers Lane Industrial Estate, was the overall winner and also collected the award for service.

Terry Goldspink, director of the family-run business, said: “We have our customers and fantastic staff to thank for this award – our business has evolved successfully throughout a difficult trading time globally, and it all comes down to offering excellent customer service.”

Another winner on the night was JFS & Associates Ltd, the Stokesley-based anaerobic digestion company who fought off six other entries to win the environment category.

The award follows them securing more than £40m of project funding to be used over the next 18 months, and a local project worth £3.5m.

The company was set up in 2011 and develops partnerships with landowners and farmers to provide anaerobic digestion facilities.

It aims to build, own and operate more than 25 plants in five years.

Director Peter Johnson said: “We are thrilled to have won this award, it is a testament to our team and hard work and it is great to be recognised as a future industry leader by the awards.

“We know the service we offer our clients is second to none. Having specific project and cost management services and creating bespoke schemes in-house allows us to use our specialised knowledge within the farming community and to continue to develop the business in the future.”

The awards are organised by Colin Brown of Lighthouse Financial Services Ltd. He said firms that thrive during a recession are well-placed for success: “It’s only right that we recognise and reward the achievements of new businesses and the enormous part they play in bringing about economic growth.

“Well-run start-ups have the power to change the economic landscape and as their competitors fall by the wayside they are in a much stronger position to take the lion’s share of the marketplace.

“The standard of this year’s entries was truly impressive, and shows the strength of the entrepreneurial spirit in Teesside. Congratulations to all our winners – out of a strong field, we have an outstanding winner in Evolution Forwarding Ltd.”

Other winners were – Community award: Dave Allan Communications, Middlesbrough; Creative Industries: Big Bite Creative, Middlesbrough; Manufacturing: C&A Pumps & Engineering, Hartlepool; Marketing: Anson Corporate Media, Newton Aycliffe; Retail: The Stottie Company, Stockton; Young entrepreneur: Whitewash Laboratories, Middlesbrough.

Each category winner received £500 and the overall winner a further £1,000.