Companies line up to fight for awards

From a record 152 entrants, judges have shortlisted 31.

A dozen awards are up for grabs including best new business, sponsored by The Argus, and the coveted company of the year and businessman/woman of the year.

The names of the winners will remain a secret until the gala awards dinner at Copthorne Effingham Park, near Gatwick, on November 18.

The finalists of the ten awards are:

Company of the year - B&W Loudspeakers, Worthing; Brighton and Hove Bus and Coach Company; Mistral Internet, Brighton; South Down Housing Association, Lewes; TR Fastenings Limited, Uckfield.

Small business award - Abacus Family Solutions, Burgess Hill; Academy Internet, Brighton; Cotton Bottoms, Storrington; Eezehaul, Crawley.

Sussex businessman/woman of the year - Glenn Mishon, partner, Mishon Mackay, Hove; Ann Smith, principal, City College Brighton and Hove; Maggie Taylor, managing director, Hunters Recruitment, Shoreham.

Best new business award - The Abacus Family Solutions, Burgess Hill; Priory Emergency Treatment Services (PETS), Brighton; The Other Room, Brighton; Weatherfront, Eastbourne.

Innovation and growth award - Cotton Bottoms, Storrington; East Grinstead Orthodontic Centre; Softech Global, Albourne.

Manufacturer of the year - B&W Loudspeakers, Worthing; Brighton Sheet Metal; Plastipak, St Leonards.

Learning Pays! - George Stone, St Leonards; Manor Hall Middle School, Southwick; Sussex Healthcare, Horsham.

Entrepreneur of the year - Marc Abraham, partner, Priory Emergency Treatment Services, Brighton; Joanne Freer, managing director, Cotton Bottoms, Storrington; Marc Koska, managing director, Star Syringe, Forest Row.

Tourism award - Little Marshfoot Farmhouse, Hailsham; Old Chapel Forge B&B, Chichester; Quay Quarters, Chichester.

University enterprise award - FastNet International, Brighton; Graduate Recruitment Bureau, Hove; Paxton Access, Brighton.

For ticket availability, visit www.sussex-business-awards.co.uk or call Caroline Thorpe on 01273 207155.