A Dunmow businessman says he could “never have imagined” winning big at inaugural Uttlesford Business Awards earlier this month.
George Vassila, director of Electromagnetic Testing Services Ltd (ETS), and his team took home not one, but two coveted prizes on the night, scooping Small Business of the Year and Business of the Year.
The company is an electromagnetic compatibility test laboratory, and ensures electrical systems comply with standards and do not cause other equipment to malfunction before they go to market.
Mr Vassila said: “This is the first time we have entered such a competition and we were thrilled to have been short-listed.
“We were hopeful of the possibility of winning the Small Business of the Year award, and it was a pleasant surprise when we did. Winning the Business of the Year award we could never have imagined.”
The business, near Stebbing, has been trading for more than 20 years and employs eight people as well as offering apprenticeships for upcoming professionals.
The company has come a long way since it started though, having first begun life in a portacabin with an open area test site for its work.
Mr Vassila added: “As the test standards and test requirements evolved, the company expanded.
“Today ETS is proud of its state-of-the-art facility, providing efficient and cost effective certification services to our clients, which is so important in the increasingly competitive environment British industry has to compete.”
Now, the company boasts a 10m open area test site, alongside two echo-free chambers, a screened room, specialist testing cell, and a mobile unit.
It is also capable of testing household, industrial, medical, automotive, and even aerospace products.
Asked what the secret is to the firm’s success, Mr Vassila said: “We have an excellent hard working, conscientious and caring team, enjoying the work we do and challenges.”
He also said the service is professional, cost-effective and that staff get to work in a pleasant environment.
Other winners on the night included Waitrose, Saffron Screen and Holisticare, with awards also being handed to KMD, The Rose Garden and Lodge Coaches.
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