Superstars of the Bedfordshire business world will be putting the
credit crunch to one side for a plush night of praise and reward on
Thursday, November 6.

Judges of the Rising Stars 2008 Business Excellence Awards have done their bit and nominees are waiting to see if they have bagged one of the
prestigious prizes.

Organiser Tracey Schoales said: "This is our 15th year of a
fabulous gala evening at the Park Inn Bedford. It promises to be glamorous, fun and filled with excitement."

Master of ceremonies will be BBC TV sports presenter Ray Stubbs while wit and raconteur Gyles Brandreth is the main speaker.

One of the major sponsors is the Beds and Luton Learning and Skills Council (LSC), which is helping Premier Newspapers, publisher of Times & Citizen, organise the event.

Services for the evening are being sponsored by Bedford Audi. And the Chamber Of Commerce is sponsoring the search for Company Of The Year.


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SHORTLIST:

Shining Star Award
sponsored by Barnfield College:
Catherine Holt, Ru Bikha.

Employee Of The Year Award
sponsored by Keens Shay Keens:
Simon Adams, Renata Bernotiene, Iain Pink.

Champions Of Learning Award
sponsored by the LSC:
The Cutting Corner, Team Beds and Luton, Learning in Action, Wooden Hill UK Ltd.

The Green Business Award
sponsored by Bedfordshire County Council:
Hain Celestial UK Ltd, Champneys, Green-link (Luton).

The Customer Care Excellence Award
sponsored by Premier Newspapers:
The Cutting Corner, Maxwells Hair and beauty, Steve Hilliard Hairdressing.

www.business award
sponsored by Bedford Borough Council:
Asset Resourcing, The Cutting Corner, Buy-Local.Net.Ltd, Known Future (Vox hub).

Best Retail/Leisure Award:
Buy-Local.Net.Ltd, The White Horse.

New Business Of The Year Award:
Preen Community Interest Co, The Best Of Bedford, Nadeem Brothers, Magic Dust Wedding Planning.

Small/Medium Sized Business Award
sponsored by Axis Electronics:
The Cutting Corner, Maxwells Hair and Beauty, Parallel Ltd, M&DH Insurance Services, News Transport Ltd.

Innovation Award
sponsored by the University of Bedfordshire:
Dental Services Direct Equipment, CLAS, Bedford.

The Business Training Award
sponsored by Bedford College:
The Cutting Corner, Maxwells Hair and Beauty.