The competition held jointly between Prescient Business Consulting and the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce has come to an end, and the two parties are delighted to announce Evac+Chair as winners of the three-day consulting package worth £15,000 from Prescient.
The judging panel, comprised of David Thomson and Kate Marsh from Prescient and Mike Kelly from Finance4Business, joined to select a winner. Their job was not an easy one given the qualified entries and passion for Birmingham companies to succeed and grow their businesses.
The three judges unanimously chose Evac+Chair as winners of the competition. David Thomson commented “I am delighted that Evac+Chair International were selected. They have a highly regarded reputation in their market and were recently awarded the Excellence in Manufacturing award by the Chamber. Their application showed that they have the ambition to take their business even further, despite the headwinds of COVID and BREXIT. We can’t wait to start working with them to help them make their ambitions reality”.
During the selection process, the judges focused on selecting a winner that shows similarity to Prescient’s expertise and values. Kate Marsh said: “Evac+Chair showed passion not only towards their products, but also towards people – customers, employees or local communities. They are proud to be a valuable member of the West Midlands, creating jobs and supply chain opportunities and raising awareness on improved safety standards for people throughout the country.”
Prescient’s consulting package will revolve around their model of Strategy-People-Processes and will of course be tailored to Evac+Chair International’s particular circumstances. It will comprise three main elements: (1) deep dive into the business and its market to research strengths, weaknesses and opportunities; (2) time on-site to interview key members of the management teams, as well other key personnel; (3) presentation to the leadership team to report back and create an action plan based on the findings and recommendations.
David Thomson shared his plans for Evac+Chair “We are confident that Evac+Chair is well-managed, and their application clearly showed that they are taking decisions strategically. Our job will be to help them look at the future of the business from various perspectives and define a clear vision that can help them capitalize on opportunities and avoid threats.”
In addition to the main winner of the competition, Prescient and GBC announced a one-day consulting package provided to the runners up Chemique Adhesives Ltd.. Mike Kelly said “Chemique’s submission was noteworthy and I believe Prescient will be the right company to support them with their objectives for growth and market penetration.”
What came as a very pleasant surprise was Prescient’s decision to introduce the new ‘Highly Commended’ award category as a response to the application of Birmingham Streams Ltd. The judges explained “Birmingham Streams is one of the companies that does not comply with our competition criteria. However, their enthusiasm stood out and we couldn’t help but notice their energy and courage to start a business despite the challenges of 2020. Their ambition inspired us and we would love to support them with a consulting session that encourages them to continue this journey of success.”
The Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce also congratulated the winners and expressed their support. Paul Faulkner, CEO of the chambers, commented: “ I am very happy to see members of the chamber supporting each other especially during these tough times. Congratulations to Evac+Chair on their well-deserved win of the Prescient business consulting package, and to Chemique and Birmingham Streams as well for their recognition. I am confident great progress will be achieved from the collaborations between Prescient and each of the winners.”