Queen's Awards go to two local employers (From Romsey Advertiser)

Queen's Awards go to two local employers

6:40pm Thursday 26th April 2012 in Hampshire Business By Richard Garfield

TREMENDOUS growth in exports has won a gem of a business a Queen’s Award for Outstanding Performance in International Trade.

Staff at Cirrus Logistics, based on MEPC Chine-ham Park, in Basingstoke, were delighted with the news, especially in the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee year.

Established in the late 1980s, Cirrus Logistics, which employs around 20 people at Chineham Park, provide easy-to-use decision support software solutions through applying advanced scheduling, simulation and optimisation techniques.

Two of the company’s major products have helped drive sales growth – a leading warehouse layout design and simulation tool called CLASS, and SEABERTH, which is an operational berth scheduling tool for busy international ports, principally used in the oil and gas sectors, including at Qatar’s RasLaffan port, one of the largest in the world, helped drives sales growth.

They contributed to an overseas earnings growth of 148 per cent between 2009 and 2011, with total turnover increasing by 92 per cent.

Managing director Simon Shore said: “We’re extremely proud to have received this award. It’s a great acknowledgement of our efforts, as a small business that has grown into overseas markets over the last three years.

“It’s also very rewarding to the team at Cirrus Logistics, who have been responsible for these impressive results. Today we still have the same aim of providing easy to use, reliable products that we’ve developed to solve real world problems, complemented by a strong customer-centric service ethos.

“We’re launching the new generation of CLASS this summer and we have many other exciting product developments in the pipeline.”

Simon said that between 2009 and 2011, the company entered 11 new markets across Europe, Asia and America, resulting in the company exporting to 25 countries across five continents.

He said Cirrus Logistics continues to invest in new markets to ensure future growth and opened an office in Chicago last year.

Another organisation to be honoured is Greenham Common Trust which has been awarded the Queen’s Award for Enterprise: Sustainable Development 2012. It is the first charity ever to win the prestigious business award three times.

Having previously won the coveted accolade in 2008 and in 2003, when Greenham Business Park, on the Hampshire-Berkshire border, was the first commercial property development ever to receive the commendation, the trust has once again been recognised for its continued regeneration of RAF Greenham Common airbase into a sustainable business park.

Delighted with the news, Sir Peter Michael, chairman and co-founder of the Greenham Common Trust, said: “Fifteen years ago, we formed a charitable trust with the philanthropic vision of regenerating and transforming a redundant nuclear airbase.

“We wanted to safeguard Greenham Common from piecemeal development and create a sustainable commercial venture which would not only boost the local economy but create a self-sufficient charitable income, benefiting the lives of thousands of local residents.”

Since 1997, the trust has distributed over £16million to support over 700 local good causes, supporting hundreds of social, educational, environmental and artistic projects.

The trust’s chief executive Stuart Tagg, said: “The long-term vision for Greenham Business Park has always been to produce a commercial development capable of producing a secure, sustainable income that would support the local voluntary sector and charitable and environmental projects.

“The management of the trust’s investment has enabled millions of pounds to be channelled into the community through its focus on economic development, social projects and ecological balance.”