Liverpool bio-refining expert, H2 Energy Group has landed a hat-trick of awards at the inaugural Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) Liverpool City Region business awards.

The brand new awards celebrated the massive contribution that small companies make to the city region’s economy and were open to all with fewer than 250 employees based in Liverpool, Knowsley, Sefton, St Helens and Wirral.

The FSB exists to protect and promote the interests of the UK’s Real-Life Entrepreneurs, and all those who run their own business.

H2 Energy Group, which has only been operating in Liverpool for two years announced, last December, a £50m bio-refinery deal with 2 Sisters Food Group which will transform their energy requirements by converting food waste and animal by-products into power and heat.

The deal will create 150 jobs, the majority of them in Liverpool, over the next three years.

At the awards ceremony, H2 Energy Group walked away with the Best New Business and best Training and Development awards as well as being named Overall Winner.

Bill Shotton, Chief Executive of H2 Energy said:

“Since moving to the city region, we have gone from strength to strength and we anticipate even more exciting developments in 2016.

“The support we have had from everyone in Liverpool has been nothing short of spectacular and this fantastic recognition from the business community is both very welcome and a great testament to the outstanding team we have recruited from within the region.

“It is wonderful to have won three awards, including the FSB Overall Winner award, given that the nominees were all outstanding, but I am particularly delighted that H2 Energy’s approach to training and development has been rewarded in this way.”

Other winners on the night were:

• Entrepreneur of the Year: Karen Bellion, Othella LLP (Liverpool City Centre)
• Apprentice of the Year: Ryan Gorst, Coaching Connexions (Kirkby)
• Best E-Business: Brightvue (Liverpool City Centre)
• Community Business of the Year: Hitch Marketing (Wirral)
• Green Award :The Printroom UK (Bootle)
• Business Innovation : Vision One Research (Liverpool City Centre)
• Employee of the Year: Kelly Ann Hargreaves, Parry & Company Solicitors (Liverpool City Centre)
• Service Excellence: Installing IT (Runcorn)
• Networking Group of the Year: Downtown in Business (Liverpool City Centre)
• Not for Profit Business or Organisation of the Year: Agent Academy CIC (Liverpool City Centre)

Karen Bellion, of Othella LLP, who picked up Entrepreneur of the Year, said:

“I am delighted to have won the award. It feels like a vindication of the work we are doing at Othella LLP. There was such a fantastic line-up so to have come out as winner is brilliant.”

Chris Burgess, Chairman of FSB Merseyside, West Cheshire and Wigan, said:

“Winning an award for your business is an excellent achievement and the fact that this is the first-ever FSB Liverpool City Region Business Awards makes it that extra bit special. I would like to congratulate all finalists, particularly overall winner H2 Group, which bagged a hat-trick of awards on the night.

“Already there is a sense of excitement about the 2016 awards, which will take place in the year of the International Festival for Business in Liverpool.”

Speakers at the ceremony, which took place at Liverpool’s Crowne Plaza hotel, included FSB National Chairman John Allan and Bill Esterson, MP for Sefton Central and Shadow Small Business Minister.

Sponsors for 2015 were Williams BMW Liverpool, Liverpool John Moores University, Tooley Media, Shop Direct, Invest Liverpool, Aurile, FM Group, SOS Digital Communications and Events and PR and Crown Plaza Liverpool.