Magherafelt manufacturer scoops prestigious business award

Magherafelt-based Bloc Blinds has been crowned a winner in Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry's Chamber Business Awards for 2016.
Cormac Diamond (Bloc Blinds); Nick Coburn (NI Chamber) and Kiera Scullion (Bloc Blinds).Cormac Diamond (Bloc Blinds); Nick Coburn (NI Chamber) and Kiera Scullion (Bloc Blinds).
Cormac Diamond (Bloc Blinds); Nick Coburn (NI Chamber) and Kiera Scullion (Bloc Blinds).

The manufacturer of innovative roller blinds has received the ‘Export Business of the Year’ award from Northern Ireland’s largest business network, which represents over 1,200 businesses across Northern Ireland.

The Chamber Awards is a highlight of the business calendar, showcasing the pivotal role local businesses play in the UK’s continuing growth story. Bloc Blinds will now compete with other regional winners in the national finals in a bid to win the top UK business accolade in their category and a chance, as overall winner, to open the London Stock Exchange in early 2017.

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The national winners will be announced at a ceremony at the Chamber Awards Gala Dinner on 24 November at the Brewery in London.

Commenting on the firm’s success, Cormac Diamond, Managing Director of Bloc Blinds, said: “We are delighted to win the Export Business of the Year. It is such a privilege to be acknowledged locally for the progress we have made on an international level.

“We have been working hard to make our brand and products known globally and to be recognized as an innovator and leader in the blinds industry. With our recent expansion into the US market with our first office in Boston, MA, we have been able to offer customer service and sales support throughout the US as well as being able to offer extended support hours to our customers closer to home.

“Opening our Boston office has allowed us to be seen as a real competitor to more established businesses in that market, as well as providing us with an in market platform to make local connections with some of the big names out there which will really form an integral part of our strategic and continued long term growth plan. It would be fantastic to go on to win the national award as it will continue to boost our brand both at home and beyond.”

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Nick Coburn, President of Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NI Chamber), said: “Businesses are the driving force of the UK economy and they deserve recognition for the crucial role that they play.

“Our judging teams across the country are consistently impressed by the number of high calibre entrants in the awards, and this year’s competitors are no different. The creativity and determination shown by these businesses is a source of encouragement, knowing that the Northern Ireland economy is being driven by such hard-working and talented professionals.

“It’s important that we recognise and celebrate these businesses and ensure that we can provide the support and assistance they need to help them realise their growth ambitions. I wish Bloc Blinds well as they go into the UK finals with a sense of pride in what they have achieved to date.”

A Highly Commended award for ‘Export Business of the Year’ was claimed by Cookstown’s CDE Global - the world’s number one wet processing equipment company for sand and aggregates, mining, C&D waste recycling and industrial sands.