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- > 2008 Winner
- > Previous Winners
Tenon's Award
As the leading adviser to entrepreneurs in the UK, Tenon wants to identify and reward entrepreneurial ambition and success through a high-profile awards programme. We have created and sponsored a category at the National Business Awards entitled The Tenon Award for Entrepreneurial Spirit. To learn more about the National Business Awards click here or to visit their website click here.
Achieving a National Business Award is recognised as the highest business accolade in the UK and the awards programme is supported by The Daily Telegraph & The Sunday Telegraph as the media sponsors. This is the second year Tenon has sponsored the awards.
The 2008 Tenon Award for Entrepreneurial Spirit was won by McLaren Construction, a design and construction specialist
Kevin Taylor, Chairman of McLaren Construction, comments: "We are delighted to win The Tenon Award for Entrepreneurial Spirit which is clearly recognised as being very prestigious. As a company, we are committed to developing long lasting relationships with our valued customers, work colleagues, subcontractors and consultants by delivering exceptional service repeatedly. This is reflected in the huge volume of repeat order business entrusted to us and highlights the hard work my employees have put in over the years."
To learn more about the winner of 2008 click here
The Tenon Award for Entrepreneurial Spirit aims to recognise entrepreneurial success throughout the UK. The judges, who include Tenon’s Chief Executive Andy Raynor are looking for a dynamic organisation that has a creative appetite, entrepreneurial drive and an exciting track record of identifying and exploiting market opportunities. The organisation will be striving to better serve the needs of existing customers and/or create new customer segments which contribute to the improvement of their own business performance.
About the National Business Awards
The National Business Awards are referred to by the Chancellor of the Exchequer as the ‘Business Oscars’. The awards started in 2002 and every year it represents a third of the UK’s GDP.
The coveted National Business Awards has approximately 1200 business leaders, Parliamentarians and other VIPs in attendance at a prestigious gala ceremony at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel.
The Awards recognise and reward excellence, innovation and success and is uniquely open to organisations of all sizes and from any industry sector – public or private. The purpose of the awards is to allow the best British businesses to showcase their achievements and benchmark their successes against firms and bodies of all types.
Many businesses apply for the awards including well know large businesses such as Barclays, Innocent Drinks and Jaguar as well as smaller entrepreneurial businesses.
The 2008 Finalists
The 2008 finalists for The Tenon Award for Entrepreneurial Spirit have been announced as:
- > First People Solutions Group - a recruitment and HR consultancy based in Glasgow
- > Landmark Information Group - a digital mapping and land data intelligence business based in Exeter
- > McKinney Rogers - a global business performance consultancy based in London
- > 4C Associates - a procurement solutions company based in London who are a client of Tenon.
- > University of Hertfordshire - a special unit within the University has been nominated. The Graduate Consulting Unit is a pioneering idea where graduates complete short term commercial research projects and are mentored by experienced professionals.
- > SpiriTel - an integrated business communications provider based in London
- > Trimega Technologies - a drug & alcohol testing company based in London
- > Trimega Technologies - a drug & alcohol testing company based in London
- > McLaren Construction - a design and project company based in Brentwood, Essex
- > Lowell Group - a consumer debt company based in Leeds
- > CPL Training - a learning provider based in Birkenhead
The winner will be announced on 18th November at the Grosvenor House Hotel London.
2008 Winner
McLaren Construction is a design and construction specialist. This national business with their HQ in Essex has complementary offices in Winchester, Birmingham and Leeds. Their sector experience caters individual projects up to £40m in value in the commercial, industrial, retail, leisure, hotel and educational sectors.

Andy Raynor, CEO of Tenon with Kevin Taylor, Chairman and the McLaren Construction Team
To learn more about McLaren Construction visit: www.mclarenconstruction.co.uk
Previous Winners
Winner of the 2007 Award - Summit Media
Summit Media is an online marketing and strategy company that also provides specialist e-commerce platforms. With its passion, enthusiasm and 'Summit Spirit' the company takes a holistic approach to online communications assisting clients at every point. It has a policy of rehabilitating ex-offenders and reinvesting in product development.

Winner Hedley Aylott of Summit Media and presenter Andy Raynor of Tenon
The finalists for Tenon's Entrepreneurial Spirit Award 2007 were as follows:
- > IntraLinks - Produces online work spaces (London)
- > The Book People - Book seller direct to workplaces (Godalming)
- > Rare Basic - supplies innovative and cutting-edge display and design solutions to the retail industry (London)
- > Call Connection - Call Handling Centre (Ipswich)
- > Plantec Holdings - Claims Management Company, specialising in motorcycle claims. (Southport)
- > Disruptive - Producer of audio equipment for Ipods, MP3 players and mobile phones. (High Wycombe)
- > Hill McGlynn - Construction recruitment specialists (Southampton)
- > Seal Events and Lime Food Design - Events Management Company and boutique catering company (Aldwick)
- > Inscape Interiors - manufacture, supply, installation and plumbing of high performance washroom and changing facilities to the commercial construction industry (Chorley)
- > Summit Media - online marketing and strategy company (East Yorkshire)