SELECT honours Scotland’s electrical industry

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Left to right – Colin Forfar (Schneider Electric), Dennis Coppola and Hamish Miller (Cannongate Communications). Picture by Mike Wilkinson.

A night of achievement, a night of recognition and a night of excellence – that was the theme of a prestigious awards ceremony hosted by SELECT, the campaigning trade body for the electrotechnical industry in Scotland.

International companies and small family firms, from the cities and from local communities, shared in an evening of glamour and excitement as accolades were awarded to worthy winners, as well as the future of the trade – apprentices.

Newell McGuiness, SELECT Managing Director, said at the glittering gathering at the Radisson Blu in the centre of Glasgow: “Scotland’s electrical trade has earned and maintained a reputation for quality, craftsmanship and excellence and SELECT has been instrumental in raising awareness of quality, safety and the highest possible standards.

“The SELECT Awards for 2014 are all about recognising top performers and once again we have been astounded by the response from companies throughout Scotland. Every one is a worthy winner.”

The star of the night, he said, was Campbell & Kennedy, the Clydebank family firm which grew into a nationwide enterprise. It not only scooped the Electrical Contractor of the Year award but also took the prize for Best Delivery of Customer Service.

Mr McGuiness said, “Campbell & Kennedy has been serving its communities for the past 60 years with the primary goal of delivering first rate service  no matter how big or small a job may be. The company is bigger than before, but it still retains the same levels of care and attention that a small family business brings to the business world.”

Other awards were:

  • SJIB/Edmundson Apprentice of the Year, won by David Cumming, from Stirling, who works for FES Ltd. He also wins a study trip to Switzerland.
  • Best New Product, won by Hamilton-based Philips, for a product which integrates an LED light source into a traditional tube form.
  • Best Use of Training, won by Lanarkshire company Crown House Technologies, which carried out the 3D modelling for Glasgow’s spectacular Hydro arena.
  • Best Environmental Project, won by Buckie firm Gateway Control Systems for its work with the whisky industry.
  • Best Electrical Safety Project, won by Fife Council for an innovative collaboration with a partner.
  • Best Promotion of Certification. This award was shared by AKD Systems, of Edinburgh, and John Noble (Electrical Contractors) of Midlothian.
  • Best Small Contractor, won by environmentally friendly Dundee electrical firm RAS Crockett & Partners.

A Lifetime Achievement award was also made to Dennis Coppola, founder of Edinburgh-based electrical wholesalers Scott Coppola, who started his business in his garage and built it into a prominent part of the electrical industry in Scotland. The award, sponsored by Schneider Electric, recognised the fact that Mr Coppola’s working life influenced the industry in Scotland as a result of the pioneering approach he developed as an electrical distributor.