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INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS: Impressive ambassador for Calderdale
IN just one year, Andy Thornton Ltd tripled its export trade.
The story behind the Elland-based company, which has over 30 years experience as interior fit-out contractors to the international hospitality market, has been described as a phenomenon.
Andy and Kate Thornton started the company over 30 years ago, supplying architectural antiques to the hospitality industry.
They began exporting architectural antiques to the USA for sale at specialist auctions.
Their early customers were American restaurateurs and bar owners but the UK quickly picked up on the market and the resulting increase in demand meant the company's success continued throughout the 1980s and 1990s.
It is now known across the world as a supplier of furniture, lighting and accessories as well as interior fit-out services for hotels, restaurants and bars.
The company - now headed by Peter Siddall - employs 190 staff at its three sites in Calderdale.
Ambitious export sales targets have not been hampered, even when global conditions were expected to be an obstacle.
Major export projects have included shopping centre shop fronts in Bucharest, a clubhouse interior for Mumbai Cricket Academy in India, and restaurants in Portugal and Spain.
Andy Thornton Ltd has been given the Queen's Award for export.
The judges were staggered by the export growth, with exports now providing half of its income - a triumph for this region.
On receiving the award, managing director Peter Siddall said the success was down to the hard work of all the staff.
"It's not just about what has been achieved but it's all the dedicated work that has gone into it," he said.
Also short-listed was Hebden Bridge-based Aspire, a computer software and services company which judges hailed as an effective ambassador for Calderdale.
It supplies to some of the largest global companies, including IBM, Hewlett-Packard and Intel.
And Aquaspersions UK Ltd, of Beacon Hill Road in Halifax, was short-listed as a major global exporter of its manufactured water-based ingredients for a wide range of applications.
The company was presented with the Queen's Award for Enterprise.
The award was sponsored by HSBC.
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