South Coast Business Awards: Companies bucking international trend

Judge Paul Duckworth, a tax partner with the category sponsors, said he was impressed with the standard of entries and the breadth of sectors represented.

“Companies in this region seem to be bucking the trend when it comes to international growth, “ he told the Echo. “I was impressed by the profit numbers show by the entrants.”

He said all the written submissions showed a real passion for the businesses concerned.

“We had a very calibre of entrant which made it hard to choose the finalists.”

The four companies shortlisted for the award are:

Camps International

"Camps International delivers life enhancing travel experiences for young people across the world. The company believe the academic success of its volunteers is just one element of what should be a broad education encompassing global perspectives, cultural understanding and development of key life skills, outside the classroom. With this in mind its objective is to establish Camps as a world leader in ethical travel. Camps is ‘for profit’, and believes passionately that ethical businesses are the most effective model for delivering sustainable change. The more commercially successful Camps is, the bigger its positive impact on the planet."

Aqua Cooling Solutions

"South coast engineering specialist, Aqua Cooling, based in Fareham, is emerging as one of the UK’s leading names in industrial and process cooling systems and services.

"Offering a range of innovative products and cooling systems to clients across the globe, the firm won a 2015 Queen’s Award for Enterprise (Innovation) for its Leak Prevention System, a unique design solution that has helped Aqua break into new markets, including the data centre sector.

"The company now exports to customers across four continents and provides cooling solutions for major-league clients in a variety of industries.

"For more information on Aqua Cooling please visit www.aquacooling.co.uk or call 0800 808 5580."

Harwin Europe

"Founded in 1952 in North London, Harwin relocated to Portsmouth in 1958, where it manufactures standard interconnect components, hi-reliability connectors and surface-mount PCB board hardware. The company’s products serve a number of major markets: aerospace; defence, industrial, marine, medical oil and gas, rail and transportation, sports vehicles and test and measurement. Thanks to its global reputation for high quality products and exceptional customer service, Harwin continues to grow and today its sales and service also encompass offices and manufacturing facilities in the USA, Germany, France, Singapore and a worldwide distribution network."

Cannon Technologies

"Cannon Technologies is a successful, multi internationally awarded, New Milton-based manufacturer of high tech infrastructure for the IT and communications sector.

"Cannon is positioned particularly to exploit the dynamic data centre sector around the globe, servicing governments, military and global blue chip organisations on a growing international basis.

"In addition Cannon exploits the Telco external infrastructure sector, with it's extensive data com solutions.

"Cannon has supplied some of the world’s biggest brands and best known organisations with best of breed solutions in virtually every trading continent and has an impressive pedigree which is growing and increasingly exploitable."

See tomorrow’s Echo when we’ll reveal the finalists in the Southampton City Council Award for Young Entrepreneur of the Year and the Lakesmere Growth Business of the Year Award.

To find out which of the finalists will take home the prestigious South Coast Business Awards, why not join us for the black tie awards ceremony being held on Thursday 14 July at the Hilton at the Ageas Bowl, West End, Southampton?

Tickets cost £70 plus vat per person, a table of 10 costs £650 plus vat. For further information, visit dailyecho.co.uk/scba, contact jess.butts@dailyecho.co.uk or call 023 8042 4710.