What it's like to win a BAHBA

From Dr Justin Butler, managing director of Ambiental.co.uk - the Brighton based flood risk assessment company.

Winning the award of Best Environmental Business in Brighton last year was a real milestone in the development of my business. At Ambiental, we build ultra high-resolution digital Flood Maps covering entire countries. So far we have mapped the UK, Australia, Switzerland, Latin American cities, and much of the Asia-Pacific region. These digital maps are used by insurance companies, the World Bank, and other major organisations to make better decisions regarding flood management and the pricing of insurance. There are a number of important environmental benefits for the products and services we deliver to our clients so this award was great recognition for Ambiental’s team success and hard work over the years.

Winning the award has helped in a number of ways, some of which were quite unexpected.  For example, once the word got out into the Brighton business networks we found that the number of good candidates applying for positions increased. It seems that new recruits really value working for an award-winning company and feel that the increased exposure is a real positive. Second, given that we were coming out of a recession in the property market, and starting to grow very rapidly, this success was a real galvanising event for the team and brought us closer together. There is nothing like winning an award in the company of your colleagues and the award ceremony and party on the night itself was certainly one to remember! However, I don't think I'll ever live down being the last man standing on the stage at the karaoke having to be dragged off the pier at the end of the evening. Everybody has to let their hair down sometime.

I would very much encourage anybody thinking of it to put in a little time and apply for a Brighton and Hove Business Award. You never know… you might come out on top. Our win at the BAHBAs led on to us reaching the finals of the Sussex Business Awards last year which was also a great achievement for us. Here’s to continuation of the winning streak, and best of luck to all the great companies in Brighton that will be applying this year.

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