Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Astro Dartford & Gravesham Business Awards Overall Winners 2016
Astro Overall Winners of Dartford & Gravesham Business Awards, one of the most prestigious awards in the South East.
Astro is delighted to have been voted as winners in the Dartford & Gravesham Business Awards 2016 in a packed Woodville Halls in Gravesend. These awards are one of the most prestigious in the South East, and are fantastic recognition to the hard work and entrepreneurship of companies based in Dartford and Gravesham. Companies must be privately owned and run and more than one-year old to enter the awards.
Steve Smith, co-founder and CTO of Astro said “This is fantastic recognition of the capability and dedication of our entire team and testament that our business transformation – launched in 2013 – is well on track. I realise I am in danger of consistently repeating myself but, I am as excited for the future now as I was when Rob and I founded the business in 1984. It is extremely rewarding to see how Astro has successfully transformed without losing our inherent customer focus values. I am extremely proud and pleased that the hard work and dedication of our team has been recognised by winning this award.”
The Dartford & Gravesham Business Awards are in their 11th year. The awards were originally prompted by the extensive Thames Gateway regeneration plans as a means of recognising the large number of skilled companies in the area. The local Kent Messenger papers run the awards supported by Dartford and Gravesham Borough councils.
The judging panel go through all applications to arrive a shortlist for each category. They then visit each of the shortlisted companies and subsequently decide on the top Dartford, Gravesham and overall winner for each category. The judges are also able to make some special merit awards if they deem it appropriate.
Steve Hodges, Managing Director of Astro went on to say “We have an amazing team of people at all levels of the business and that is reflected in the people representing us at the awards this evening. Everyone present here has played a major part in us winning this award and I thank them all, and the entire Astro team, for all their dedication and focus. I am absolutely delighted that all their hard work has been recognised by this award, I know it means a great deal to everyone.”
“What is specifically significant to me about this award is that it looked at the culture of the business, the way we look after our team and the manner in which we treat our customers. The judges examined the fundamentals of the business along with financial performance. So to win this award against a backdrop of growth in excess of 35% and 45% for the last couple of years shows to me that we can grow and develop a business, organically, without compromising customer service or the engagement of the team. Without being too critical, I think that is something that is pretty rare in our industry right now. I am immensely proud of “team Astro” and would like to thank each and every one of them.” Hodges continued.
Steve Smith concluded “This really is a fantastic night in our history, one that I see as a big milestone in our future. We have won awards in the past, but this is the first for the new Astro and I know it will not be the last!”
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For further information, please contact:
Astro – Steve Smith, steve.smith@astro.co.uk or Steve Hodges steve.hodges@astro.co.uk on +44 (0)203 058 7770
About Astro
Astro has been delivering technical solutions to solve business challenges for nearly 30 years. Founded by two former employees of BT and Cable and Wireless, Astro has gone on to deliver some of the most technically challenging and complex solutions in the market.
Providing services ranging from physical cabling and wireless LAN’s to cloud-based video conferencing and SIP services, key clients include Bourne Leisure Limited, Impellam Group PLC, Capital FM Arena, TGI Friday’s and Wightlink Ferries.
Astro is headquartered in Hawley Manor, Dartford with staff based all over the country and partner organisations across the globe.
Images
Dartford & Gravesham Business Awards 2016 Overall Winners Team Photo (linked to media file)
Dartford & Gravesham Business Awards 2016 Overall Winners Logo (linked to .png media file)