Tom Randall MP has congratulated Gedling’s Shane Jones and Dean Jones of Prestige Furniture Art in Burton Joyce for being named as one of winners of the Entrepreneur Awards launched by Octopus Group’s Springboard initiative.
The challenging conditions presented by the pandemic have, in many instances, brought out the very best from entrepreneurs right across the UK. That is why Octopus Group, the financial services and energy firm, created the awards and asked MPs to nominate entrepreneurs in their constituencies who have thrived during this challenging period, be that by starting and growing their business against the odds or by using their company’s resources and expertise to support their local communities.
The awards were judged by a panel of politicians and entrepreneurs, including Octopus Founder Chris Hulatt, Shadow Employment Minister Seema Malhotra MP, Katherine Fletcher MP and Andy Carter MP, who both started their own businesses before entering Parliament, and Karen Taylor, Founder of Parent Cloud, a beneficiary of Octopus Group’s internal Springboard scheme.
After much deliberations, the panel announced Shane Jones and Dean Jones of Prestige Furniture Art as a winner because the business was set-up during the first lockdown of the Coronavirus pandemic, building handmade furniture out of a garage in Burton Joyce to support people across Gedling and Nottinghamshire with working from home. Prestige Furniture Art has grown throughout the pandemic, creating 30 local jobs and opening an office and stores within the local area. They continue to support local businesses by sourcing soft pinewood from a Nottingham based timber merchants and using metal from a local steel merchants and fabricators based in Colwick, which means they are supporting the growth of other local businesses as theirs grows, whilst also being conscious of their environmental responsibility and keeping their carbon footprint low.
Tom Randall MP presented the award along with Octopus Founder Chris Hulatt in a virtual ceremony to celebrate of Prestige Furniture Art’s success. By celebrating the successes of our world-leading entrepreneurs, Octopus Group’s Springboard initiative and Tom Randall MP hope to inspire others who may be considering starting their own business, showing them that it is a viable option for anyone, regardless of background, gender or race.
Commenting on the awards, Tom Randall MP said:
“I was very happy to nominate Burton Joyce’s very own Prestige Furniture Art for the Octopus Entrepreneur Award.
“Prestige Furniture Art has been one of Gedling’s real success stories in what has been a very difficult year. The business is less than a year old, was set up out of a garage in Burton Joyce during the Coronavirus pandemic by Shane Jones and Dean Jones and has progressed from that, creating over 30 local jobs and opening a premises in Burton Joyce.
“Prestige Furniture Art are creating high quality homemade furniture, which has assisted many of us with working from home, and have employed a lot of local people whose jobs would have otherwise been at risk due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
“They are a massive success in what has been a difficult period and I am proud of what they have achieved. I wish them all the luck in the world for the forthcoming year”
Chris Hulatt, Founder of Octopus, commented:
“When we asked Members of Parliament to nominate entrepreneurs in their constituency deserving recognition and celebration of their efforts during the pandemic, we didn’t anticipatejust how many wonderful stories we would receive.
“We’ve been so impressed by the range of business founders who have thrived against the odds during this challenging period by starting and growing their businesses, and using their company’s resources and expertise to support their local communities.
“As the UK looks to build back better through 2021, these small businesses will be vital to create the jobs that will be needed. The awards are a great way to celebrate local entrepreneurs with their MPs and highlight some of the brilliant work they have been doing.
“As a company that works closely with many entrepreneurs, we’re excited to be able to help recognise some of the brilliant work that is being done across the nation and I send my heartfelt congratulations to all of the winners.”
