Last night The Wee Hemp Company bagged the highly sought after Spirit of Enterprise Award, sponsored by The Princes Trust, at the Elevator UK Awards 2019 sponsored by Royal Bank of Scotland.

The 2019 Elevator Awards, a ceremony dedicated to celebrating the north east’s business talent, are now in its 20th year and recognise entrepreneurial achievements, contributions to the north-east economy and innovative thinking.

Elevator, the largest provider of Business Gateway services in Scotland, working across three of the country’s seven cities – Aberdeen, Dundee and Perth, has built its success by creating an entrepreneurial culture.

Professor Gary McEwan, CEO at Elevator, said: “At Elevator we encourage individuals to be brave with ambition, to think differently and drive change, which contributes towards building a profitable and sustainable local economy. Our awards, once again, highlight the north east as a pioneering, entrepreneurial and inspiring place.

Elevator works across Scotland to help facilitate the start-up, acceleration and growth of new and existing businesses through its unique delivery of Business Gateway services and a range of accelerator programmes.

Providing Business Gateway services across two Scottish regions – Aberdeen City and Shire and Tayside – Elevator supports around 20% of Scotland’s Business Gateway start-up companies.

The 2019 Finalists & Winners:

Ten companies and individuals were celebrated in front of an audience of 400 people, with categories covering business success, contributions to the region’s economy and innovative mindset. 

Most Promising New Business - Sponsored by Business Gateway

• Eco Cup Ads
• Innoflate Scotland
• Texo Group

The Winner: Texo Group

Business Success Under 3 Years - Sponsored by Aberdein Considine

• Beast Gear Ltd
• SEM Energy Ltd
• Viewport3 Ltd

The Winner: SEM Energy Ltd

Business Success Over 3 Years - Sponsored by Royal Bank of Scotland

• 20/20 Project Management
• Fyffe Moir
• Pressure Test Solutions Ltd

The Winner: 20/20 Project Management

The Innovation Award - Sponsored by Murgitroyd

• AJ Equestrian Ltd
• DeltaTek Global
• Ecosse IP Limited

The Winner: Ecosse IP Limited

Spirit of Enterprise - Sponsored by Prince’s Trust

• Kaerlig Beauty
• Rulana Events
• The Wee Hemp Company

The Winner: The Wee Hemp Company

Enterprising Communities - Sponsored by Aberdeenshire Council

• Charlie House
• Gathimba Foundation
• Sport Aberdeen

The Winner: Sport Aberdeen

Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year - Sponsored by University of Aberdeen

• Ben Leonard
• Daniel Crozier
• Tristam Horn

The Winner: Ben Leonard

Inspirational Mentor of the Year - Sponsored by TechX at the Oil and Gas Technology Centre

• Gary McDonald
• John MacGillvray
• Jonathan Smith

The Winner: Jonathan Smith

A massive congratulations to all the finalists & winners.

SPIRIT OF ENTERPRISE

This Spirit of Enterprise Award, sponsored by The Princes Trust, gives special recognition to an individual, group or organisation which has had to overcome significant personal, economical, physical or business challenges to establish their business.

The Wee Hemp Company was born after Rebecca had great success using CBD as part of her health recovery from two chronic illnesses.  

Rebecca has suffered with Crohn’s disease since the age of 5. Crohn's disease is an auto immune disease that affects the entire GI tract and reeks-havoc with the immune system. This condition effects over 115,000 people in the UK alone.

She has undergone 4 major operations- 2 of which were emergencies, numerous procedures & has been pumped full of pharmaceutical medication that took a toll on other functions of her body. 

Then, in late 2016 she was also diagnosed with Fibromyalgia.

The help available on the NHS for this condition is extremely limited & in most cases old school anti-depressants & pain-killers are prescribed, which are not ideal. After two days of trying what had been prescribed her body started reacting & rejecting them. It was like it had reached its limit- enough was enough & realised she needed to get to the root causes & heal herself via a natural, holistic route. CBD was an integral part of Rebeccas recovery & today she off all pharmaceuticals & considers herself Crohn's & Fibromyalgia free.

Rebecca said: "Winning this award is a massive achievement, from both a personal & business perspective. As many know, my journey through life has not been the easiest, but it has led me to where and what we are doing today. Having it acknowledged and recognised means a great deal. Helping others on their own health & wellbeing journey is what inspires and drives us everyday, gaining this award helps give us the confidence to know that we are on the right path and to keep doing what we are doing. Honestly so happy!"

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

The highly anticipated lifetime achievement accolade went to Stewart Milne after dedicating four decades to shaping and influencing the UK construction industry.

A leading figure in Aberdeen, Mr Milne was recognised for his “grit and passion” which led him to build the largest timber frame manufacturer in the UK.