Allied Vehicles Group has been named Best Family Business of the year at the Glasgow Business Awards.
The accolade came at a Glasgow Chamber of Commerce ceremony sponsored by Royal Bank of Scotland with The Herald as media sponsor, in the DoubleTree by Hilton Glasgow Central hotel and was collected by Allied owner Gerry Facenna.
Managing Director, Peter Facenna, paid tribute to the Allied workforce on what he called a “fantastic night”.
“Winning this award wouldn’t have been possible without the amazing people we employ and the passion and commitment they demonstrate every day,” he said. “This award isn’t for the Facenna family; it’s for the entire Allied family! Thank you to each and every one of you.”
Deputy Chief Executive of Glasgow Chamber of Commerce, Richard Muir, said: “This year’s awards ceremony comes at a time where many of our members are entering into more uncertain, challenging and unprecedented times.”
“It feels pertinent to recognise the hard work undertaken by Glasgow’s business community to continue to flourish at this time. Glasgow Chamber of Commerce has been highly impressed by the high standard and variety of nominees celebrated tonight. It demonstrates the unwavering passion and entrepreneurship present in Glasgow and its pivotal role in re-strengthening the Scottish economy.”
This is the latest award Allied has won, having earlier scooped the Digitally Transformed Business prize for their new Virtual Travel Pack (VTP) at The Herald Digital Transformation Awards.
The judges for the biggest prize of that night found the VTP met their requirements as an example of large-scale change that made a difference to customers, staff, and the organisation itself.
Allied Vehicles Group’s Bodyshop – which employs 60 people – has also been shortlisted as Bodyshop of the Year in this year’s Motor Trader Industry Awards. The winners will be announced at a ceremony in London next month.
The company’s wheelchair accessible Peugeot Rifter Inspire is on another shortlist for a major award by the manufacturers’ organisation Make UK.
Greg Barnard, the lead design engineer on the project said: “With no automation experience, myself and the rest of the engineering team had to quickly benchmark the competition and create solutions that surpassed current market offerings.”
Ambitious targets were set for the Peugeot Inspire, including more than £2 million sales within the first 12 months, and nationwide awareness – and Allied said they had been achieved, with a “hugely positive” response.
Operations Director George McAdam said: “We have gone from having no offering in this area to matching the leading competitor on sales within three months of launch.”
“External feedback continuously highlights a step change in the quality of vehicle interior finish, which has seen a new customer standard set in the market. But more importantly this new product will have an immeasurable impact to its users, providing a new level of independence and inclusion that wasn’t previously possible.”
