THE finalists for Warrington Business Awards have been announced.
Business leaders gathered at the Halliwell Jones Stadium last Thursday to share their visions for future growth and development at the first Warrington Business Conference.
A total of 64 organisations were represented at the event, which featured speaker John Timpson, who has 1,300 stores nationwide delivering a turnout of £195 million.
Those in attendance also got the chance to quiz a panel made up of four business leaders during the night.
Organiser Lisa Edmunds worked with Warrington & Co managing director Steve Park and Warrington Wolves chief executive Roger Draper to stage the conference, and the 36-year-old is also tipping the town for continued success in years to come.
She said: "Warrington is a great place and very appealing to businesses – the location is one of the things I think attracts people here.
"I am delighted to have organised the first conference – we have worked hard together."
Mr Park was keen to praise the current business climate in the area but also revealed his vision for next year's conference.
The 46-year-old said: "I am really pleased to have this conference. It is not funded by the public sector, it is private sector funded.
"Warrington is a successful town – the business community is making it happen.
"We are driving growth and getting the skills base in place. We had 64 here this time but next year I want to have 120 and there is no reason why we can't do that."
Host Penny Haslam, who has fronted two BBC Panorama investigations and is a reporter for The One Show, said she was delighted to have been asked to be involved.
The Lymm resident added: "It is a chance to find out the business stories from leaders in the town.
"Big companies from across the country are moving here and I think it will continue. I believe Warrington will keep thriving."
The evening concluded with the announcement of finalists for Warrington Business Awards, which have been labelled as the 'Oscars' of the business community.
Read more at warringtonguardian.co.uk