INVERCLYDE Firms Honoured In Chamber Of Commerce Awards
CONTRACT cleaning businessman and property developer, Pat Bryceland (78), has lifted the Lifetime Achievement award at Inverclyde’s Bee’s Knees Awards 2016.
He joined ten category winners who won the top titles at the 13th annual Greenock Chamber of Commerce awards initiative for businesses, held in front of a capacity audience in the Marquee at the Chartroom, Kip Marina.
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| Scroll Down For Full Winners’ Profiles
Bee’s Knees 2016 category winners are:
Emerging Young Talent — Sarah Lowe of Enchanted Forest Early Learning [Category sponsored by Inverclyde Council]
Best Performing Large Business –- Enchanted Forest Early Learning [Category sponsored by Riverside Inverclyde]
Best Performing Medium Business –- Holiday Inn Express [Category sponsored by Caledonian MacBrayne]
Best Performing Small Business –- Scotcrest [Category sponsored by Business Gateway]
Manufacturer or Producer of the Year –- Ferguson Marine Engineering Ltd [Category sponsored by Kip Marina]
Excellence in Customer Focus –- Ardgowan Hospice [Category sponsored by University of the West of Scotland]
Excellence in Marketing and Communications -– Quarrier’s [Category sponsored by Oak Mall Shopping Centre]
Excellence in Skills and Learning -– Ferguson Marine Engineering Ltd [Category sponsored by West College Scotland]
Best Use of New Technology or Innovation -– RIG Arts [Category sponsored by Auto-Tec Scotland Ltd]
Inverclyde Goes Global — Peel Ports – Clydeport [Category sponsored by Texas Instruments (UK) Ltd]
Greenock Chamber president, and chief executive of Stepwell, Steven Watson said: “We congratulate Pat and all our winners and thank our sponsors and prize partners for helping us make this another memorable occasion, with a strong line-up of finalists demonstrating that Inverclyde is full of great prospects.
“This is a region where business continues to succeed and, importantly, is committed to future generations, making us both proud and inspired, as we celebrate achievement and opportunity here in Inverclyde.”
The Bee’s Knees Awards were open to businesses operating in Inverclyde. Winners were awarded a crystal trophy and certificate. Film production was by media sponsor Gryffe Studios, PR sponsor was Elaine Stewart Public Relations Ltd, and programme sponsor Love & Humphries.
Ocean Youth Trust Scotland, this year’s chosen charity, received a cheque for £3,735 following the fund-raising raffle held during the evening.
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Winners’ Profiles
Lifetime Achievement Winner – Pat Bryceland
Pat Bryceland, Greenock Chamber of Commerce’s Lifetime Achievement Award winner 2016, was born in Greenock 78 years ago. He and two of his brothers were put into an orphanage because of poverty but, thankfully, were later taken out of the home to be cared for by their older brother and sister.
From the age of 11, he walked the streets selling newspapers to bring money into the household. After two years in the army, which he maintains was his making, Pat took to selling scrap at the age of 20 and met his wife, Ina, the following year. The couple settled down, bought their first home, in Bank Street, with Pat working as a pool attendant at the Hector McNeil pool and outdoor pool at the Battery Park in the early years.
It was in the mid 1960s that he entered the cleaning industry taking a job as a window cleaner with Harry Gillan Cleaning. His hard graft attitude was noticed and he quickly became a supervisor, allowing him to display his motivational and leadership attributes, ensuring that staff took a real pride in their work and produced the best results. He continued to work for Harry Gillan for the next ten years, managing numerous contracts throughout Inverclyde including IBM. The high standards delivered by his 100 employees enabled them to maintain this contract for more than 30 years. While continuing his management role at IBM, he undertook his first property development project by converting the family home in Bank Street into two flats. The family lived in one and rented out the other.
The challenging circumstances of his childhood meant Pat missed out on opportunities for education. Realising its importance, he enrolled into night school to learn English at James Watt College. From this point on he grasped every opportunity that came his way.
In the late 1970s, Harry Gillan Cleaning Services was bought over by ICC Cleaning Services, which took Pat from delivering services locally to operating at a national level. ICC was owned by the HAT Group and bought over in the 1980s by the MITIE Group. Pat became a shareholder and one of its founding directors. MITIE grew over the next 30 years. Pat maintained his position as director of the West of Scotland branch until 1997, employing thousands of local people over the years. He always inspired people to be proud of their work, with his motto’s being “if a job’s worth doing, it’s worth doing the best you can”.
Throughout the years, Pat continued to convert many more properties locally. Notable properties included the tenement buildings on Shore Street in Gourock, Sandringham Terrace and Seafield Cottage on The Esplanade, the old DHSS building in Regent Street and Castle Levan Hotel in Gourock, which he stripped to a shell and rebuilt internally.
At the age of 60, he retired from MITIE but maintained his shareholding with the company. After several months in retirement, which he didn’t enjoy, he started his own cleaning company, CICS Ltd, with his two sons, opening offices in Greenock and London. Both Scottish and English branches grew substantially over the next ten years and they purchased a janitorial supplies company, which has recently moved from Kilmarnock to Greenock.
CICS is now approaching 500 employees. The London branch has been awarded contracts ranging from Dagenham Motors, Metro Banks and McFarlane’s Solicitors — one of the top 15 firms in London — to the prestigious Grosvenor Estates run by the Duke of Westminster and including property in Mayfair and Belgravia. This contract has just been extended to incorporate security, maintenance and janitorial supplies.
As a local businessman, Pat has many young people in the area coming to him for advice on starting their own company or how to get into the property market. He loves to share his knowledge and always ends discussions with the same advice — “don’t risk more than you can afford!”
Chamber of commerce president Steven Watson said: “The remarkable thing about Pat is that he has never changed and still works extremely hard at 78, sharing his knowledge and inspiring others, especially young people. Continuing to expect and maintain very high standards of work, Pat has also inspired his family to do the same. His daughter Angela Varty along with grandson Stuart-Patrick Workman run the Albany in Greenock, and his daughter-in-law operates the Bluebird Café in Gourock.
“The most remarkable thing is that it has never been about money for Pat. Instead, it has always been about wanting to work and doing a really good job for customers. Pat is a most worthy winner of our Lifetime Achievement Award 2016.”
Emerging Young Talent — Sarah Lowe
Sarah started her career with Enchanted Forest in 2007 as an early years educator and has followed a successful journey to become nursery manager of Enchanted Forest Inverkip. She has been instrumental in its success and continually sets high standards, proving herself as a positive role model. Very driven, it is important to Sarah that her team deliver the best outcomes for children. She works relentlessly with local families, ensuring they have the necessary confidence in Enchanted Forest, allowing them to collaboratively nurture and develop their children. Enchanted Forest Inverkip has been recognised in the Top 10 Recommended Day Nurseries in Scotland, a direct result of her vision and leadership.
Best Performing Large Business — Enchanted Forest Early Learning
Bernie and Mariessa Devlin opened Enchanted Forest ten years ago and now operate five early learning and childcare centres across the West of Scotland, caring every week for more than 550 families. Employing more than 115 highly trained and skilled staff, Enchanted Forest also prides itself on training young people through modern apprenticeship schemes. With settings in Greenock and Inverkip, Enchanted Forest is now a Silver Standard Investors In Young People large employer in Inverclyde. Knowledge, skills and experience enable Enchanted Forest to set the standard for best practice in providing excellence in early learning and childcare, as well as a sustainable business model.
Best Performing Medium Business — Holiday Inn Express
Holiday Inn Express is a 71-bedroom hotel located on the main road into Greenock. The hotel is perfectly situated for a variety of destinations and easy access to the Highland and Islands. The hotel benefits from a strong business and growing leisure market mix that is sustained and has been developed over the past seven years to assist the hotel in achieving recognition locally, companywide and globally. This is a local hotel that is staffed by local people who, together, strive towards ensuring that the team deliver excellence in all that they do.
Best Performing Small Business –- Scotcrest
Scotcrest has been designing, manufacturing and supplying the finest quality handmade gifts for more than 40 years. Products include traditional fully authentic Scottish Clan gifts, contemporary personalised gifts and bespoke designs for trade and private customers worldwide. Scotcrest is the largest manufacturer of Scottish clan plaques in the world and stocks more than 500 tartans to provide customers with as much choice as possible. The team carefully source the highest quality materials from local suppliers and use traditional skills to hand craft each piece from a wide range of materials including wood, slate, tartan, leather and glass.
Manufacturer or Producer of the Year — Ferguson Marine Engineering Ltd
Ferguson Marine Engineering Ltd has seen a new management team and an initial investment of £12million in redevelopment mark a new beginning for the business and consolidate the future of commercial shipbuilding on the Clyde. By the end of 2016, Ferguson will be one of the most advanced shipyards in the world and already leads the way in green ship technology, with the launch of a third hybrid ferry, the build of two new liquid natural gas ferries, and now renewables. With a state-of-the-art shipyard and an expanding, skilled workforce, Ferguson Marine is reclaiming Port Glasgow and Clydeside’s place in the maritime world, in what has been described as a rebirth for the Clyde.
Excellence in Customer Focus –- Ardgowan Hospice
Ardgowan Hospice has been supporting local people for more than 33 years, providing the highest quality of care to patients and their families living with a life-limiting illness. Foundations are based on key values -– quality of life, dignity, privacy, compassion and individual choice. The majority of Ardgowan’s services focus on symptom management, rehabilitation and respite assistance, psychological support for patients, partners and their children plus dedicated end-of-life care. Ardgowan’s services are free of charge to the community of Inverclyde and this includes its eight beds for in-patient care, day support services, bereavement counselling, consultants in palliative medicine, lymphoedema clinics, complementary therapies and volunteer transport services.
Excellence in Marketing & Communications — Quarrier’s
Quarrier’s is a unique, inspirational Scottish charity, which grew from one man’s vision into an organisation that supports thousands of people and helps them reach their potential. It challenges poverty and inequality of opportunity to bring about positive changes in people’s lives. The team support families to deal with the challenges life brings. They help transform lives for people affected by epilepsy. Young homeless people are offered support to work towards a brighter future. Quarrier’s also gives adults with disabilities more opportunities in life and, importantly, a voice.
Excellence in Skills and Learning — Ferguson Marine Engineering Ltd
Ferguson Marine Engineering Ltd is now under the ownership of Clyde Blowers Capital and, with an impressive new management team, has consolidated the future for skills in commercial shipbuilding and engineering on the Clyde. Coming out of administration in 2014 with only a handful of employees in an experienced but ageing workforce, a highly ambitious apprenticeship programme was launched, with 15 new apprentices in 2015, 30 more this year and a target of 150 by 2020. Each apprentice has an individually tailored development plan, with teaching at West College Scotland and in the shipyard, where they are individually mentored in the development of multiple skills.
Best Use of New Technology or Innovation –- RIG Arts
RIG Arts is a socially-engaged arts charity that brings artists and the community together in a collaborative and creative way using art, film, media and animation. The team create and deliver a dynamic programme of visual arts, film and media projects, workshops, lessons, training, community events and exhibitions. They engage young people through cultural activities and heritage, enhancing their lives, developing new skills, and encouraging citizenship, community development and education.
Inverclyde Goes Global — Peel Ports – Clydeport
Peel Ports – Clydeport operates Greenock Ocean Terminal, which has been a focal point of the town for many years. It has adapted and changed to service Scotland’s imports and exports since 1876. Greenock Ocean Terminal serves as a global gateway for containers, cargo and thousands of passengers each year. Its success has truly been a team effort.
