Whiting and Partners is proud to be sponsoring the Business of the Year category in this year’s Ely Business Awards.

The 2016 winner has quite a lot to live up to following in the footsteps of Ellgia Recycling who not only picked up this award last year, but also won the Customer Service Award, the Medium Business and the Business Person of the year categories.

The judges heaped praise of Ellgia and said: “As you have heard tonight, Ellgia Recycling is an outstanding business worthy of this award. Steve Crooks is a very successful businessman who has built a profitable business through sheer determination and business acumen. The staff he employs complements his style of leadership which creates a formidable Company.”

On their Customer Service award win they said: “Ellgia Recycling demonstrated excellent examples of customer service training, control systems and strategies to ensure future improvement which provides total customer satisfaction. The staff are committed to providing the best service in their industry and are providing it to their competitors.”

For the Medium Business award they said: “Ellgia have gone from a two person start to over 125 people in three years. The main business has not only grown very strongly but has also introduced some magical new features to waste collection and recycling. This is a model of how to grow a business and Ellgia Recycling is a very clear winner.”

They said about Steve Crook winner of the Business Person of the Year: “Steve Crook is exceptional – a true entrepreneur. Steve has a passion for waste. Steve keeps a very close eye on all aspects of the business and makes excellent use of modern technology to ensure his customers receive the best possible service.”

Whiting and Partners, who are proud to support the Business of the Year category, are among the most familiar and respected names in the area’s business circles.

The firm was founded in 1928 by Walter Whiting, who spotted an opportunity to meet the demands of the area’s thriving farming communities.

Over 80-years on and this independent firm of chartered accountants and business advisers is still firmly rooted in East Anglia with 15 partners and nearly 150 staff in eight key locations, including its local base within the thriving Angel Drove Business Park.

“We’re delighted to be involved with the Ely Business Awards,” says partner Ian Piper from Whiting’s Ely office. “Everyone is working hard to trade out of the previous flat five years of recession. Across Fenland we have some long-established businesses plus a raft of exciting entrepreneurial start-ups and they are meeting those challenges. The Business Awards allow a comparison of the old against the new and it’s amazing just how much they learn from each other.”

Barbara Nicholas, private client tax partner at the Ely office, specialises in looking after the firm’s personal tax, trust and payroll clients. “Our investment in experienced staff and technology enables us to deal with virtually every aspect of personal taxes, regardless of size or complexity, at competitive fee levels”, she commented. “We offer both compliance and tax planning services. We are not just form fillers – always looking to identity tax planning opportunities that can make all the difference to spendable income levels as a standard part of our service.”

Agricultural clients still constitute a significant proportion of Whiting’s client base. However, just as commercial activities have developed and expanded over time, the firm has expanded its commercial portfolio to include manufacturing, service sector and technology-based enterprises. The firm is also a leader in the tax and financial affairs of the construction and consultancy sectors. It also acts as accountants and advisers to a number of clubs and charities. There is also a growing list of private tax clients, dealing with income tax, capital gains tax and inheritance tax.

The Ely offices of Whiting and Partners is based in newly refurbished modern offices. Barbara and Ian head up a team of around 25 professional and administrative staff, who look after nearly 1,000 business, personal and not for profit clients.

Whiting and Partners is genuinely ‘partner-led’, a unique selling point, says Ian Piper: “Our first exploratory conversation with a new client is free. From then on, the main client relationship will be with one of our partners, with a nominated qualified manager also available to provide a second point of contact. We believe in getting to know our clients from the beginning, helping them to expand and become successful.”

Whiting and Partners is a member of the Corporate Finance Network, a leading national network that provides the SME-specific expertise required for deals of up to £5m. Over the past few years there has been an increased demand from clients requiring guidance in relation to business acquisitions and disposals.

For further information please visit: www.whitingandpartners.co.uk

Networking Opportunity coming soon!

Gearing up for the eighth annual Ely Standard East Cambridgeshire Business Awards, we are offering businesses a chance to hear from previous winners and learn about the entry process.

Come and participate in our networking event, meet some of our sponsors and judges, and network established and budding companies in Ely.

The event will take place on Tuesday May 24 from 4.30pm to 6.45pm at The Maltings, Ship Lane, Ely, CB7 4BB

FREE TO ATTEND, register for your tickets on www.elybusinessawards.co.uk