It’s a great pleasure to announce that we have won two prestigious awards in the highly renowned Queen’s Awards for Enterprise for Innovation and International Trade. The awards are available for British businesses, enterprises and organizations who excel in categories such as innovation, international trade, sustainable development and promoting opportunity through social mobility.
An appointment with the Queen
Moving forward to July 2017, Ecotile was invited to the Queen’s Awards Ceremony at Buckingham Palace. Our CEO attended of course, along with Marketing Director, Lucinda O’Reilly, Senior Sales Export Officer, Vera Turner and one of our long-standing Team Leaders in Production, Derek Sparrow. The ceremony was hosted by Her Majesty: Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Phillip, the Earl and Countess of Wessex and the Duke & Duchess of Kent.
Held in the Green Room (next to the Throne Room) all the members of the Royal Family individually took the time to speak with their guests to find out about what each company does and the special achievements that had won them the awards. Generous servings of delicious canapes and champagne ensured the evening went with a swing!
Lord-Lieutenant continues the praise and celebrations
A couple of days later, the official awards were presented to us at Ecotile’s HQ in Luton. The Queen’s Award ceremony was conducted by HM Lord-Lieutenant of Bedfordshire, Helen Nellis acompanied by Deputy Lieutenant,Chris Kilroy. The Mayor of Luton and his wife also attended, and gave a speech about Ecotile’s success. The entire Ecotile team were present to see Vera and Alex collect the beautiful awards from the Lord-Lieutenant.
You can see the entire award ceremony here:
HM Lord-Lieutenant of Bedfordshire also left this message for us prior to the event:
“I was delighted to receive news that Bedfordshire businesses have again received recognition in the Queen’s Awards for Enterprise this year. The three awards demonstrate the excellence of the businesses and their ability to innovate, flex and be adaptable in a rapidly changing global market. Bedfordshire is an outstanding place in which to do business with a convenient geographical position, excellent national and international transport links, and access to a skilled workforce and a culture which encourages a modern, entrepreneurial environment. My sincere congratulations to Ecotile Flooring Ltd for achieving such great success”
After the ceremony, we all tucked into some Lebanese food from a local restaurant – a perfect way to end a perfect day!
To conclude, it was a grand week and a brilliant way to enter the third decade of Ecotile. With our new conquests in the UAE and in the Americas, we are confident that with the Queen’s stamp of approval, we will become a much stronger brand overseas. As our CEO likes to say, owards & upwards!
CEO and founder James Gedye has established Ecotile as the leading provider of interlocking floor tiles to the UK and around the world. Founded in 1996 from his bedroom turned office, James has built Ecotile into a multi-million-pound business, with sustainability still at the heart of his vision.
Based in Luton, Bedfordshire, Ecotile remains a privately owned UK manufacturing company, precision engineering all products in a purpose-built ISO accredited factory.
Leading the company to 2 prestigious Queens Awards in 2017 for Enterprise for Innovation and International Trade, these accolades underline James’ desire to create the highest quality products and fly the flag for British manufacturing. Working directly with leading businesses for over 25 years, James’ Ecotile brand has become synonymous with trust.
Used by 1000s of leading businesses, trusted by the MoD and specified by contractors, Ecotile floor tiles can be found across the world.
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