The winners

As ever it was a difficult choice, but between the judging panel and members of the industry who took part in our internet voting, the following winners were chosen.

Student of the Year
Sponsored by Siemens Building Technologies

The Student of the Year award went to a very deserving Ben Butcher of Building Automation Solutions who has embraced every opportunity, and approached his training with both enthusiasm and application, achieving consistently high marks and showing a huge level of commitment.

Engineer of the Year
Sponsored by Trend Control Systems Ltd

The winner of the Engineer of the Year award was Simon Camm of Andromeda. Simon came out at the top of his category for a number of reasons, including his technical expertise, customer-orientated attitude and determination to deliver successful solutions. His continued development, from workshop panel engineer, through to one of the most experienced and reliable engineers in the Andromeda team, illustrates how commitment to going the extra mile gets results.

Frank Dennis OBE Marketing Award
Sponsored by FETA

This award was open to individuals responsible for implementing a successful marketing campaign which has had a positive and demonstrable effect on their company or the industry as a whole. 

The winner, Fred Ranson of Market Information Consultancy, whose illustrious career in the building controls industry stretches back to the early 1980s, has covered all aspects of building controls from energy audits to building controls training. Fred is one of those invaluable ‘all-rounders', able to seamlessly adapt himself to the task in hand, whether training the controls engineers of the future or producing market information and strategies.

Independent Systems Installer of the Year
Sponsored by CentraLine by Honeywell

The winner of the Independent Systems Installer of the Year award was BG Controls for their provision of a one-stop shop of controls, panel manufacture, access control, electrical installation and maintenance services. 

One of the reasons they stood out from the rest is their commitment to the industry with a customer support bureau operating 15 hours a day, 364 days a year supporting eight different BMS product ranges.  As an independent installer, BG has grown by 250% in the last four years with staff numbers growing by 24% annually.

Technical Innovation of the Year
Sponsored by BSEE

Innovation is one area where we will all be looking because it is these new products which will set the trends of the future. The Top Control Select (TC Select) from Priva Building Intelligence proved to be a definite trend setter, scooping the Technical Innovation of the Year Award.

The Top Control Select (TC Select) MS Windows based BMS application engine is fully comprehensive covering project estimation, engineering including generation of graphics, simulation of applications and control strategy, and final commissioning and fine tuning.  Its library of control applications covers 99% of commonly used UK applications, but its real power is in its freely programmable mode that can cater for any application or variation. 

Energy Management Award
Sponsored by Priva Building Intelligence

Energy management is another area which is proving to be a key part of the industry and because of this a keen area for these awards. BMSi's entry proved to be a winner and was based on their role working in partnership with BAA at Heathrow Airport.

Since engaging with BAA Heathrow in 2006 on a number of small projects, BMSi has become a significant partner for BAA's CO2 commitment. BMSi's energy management projects at Terminals 1 and 4, for instance, improved heating, lighting, air conditioning and energy management in behind-the-scenes and customer-facing environments, helping to save £673,000 and reduce CO2 emissions by over 4 million CO2/kg.

Best Service & Maintenance Provider
Sponsored by Building Automation Solutions Ltd

There are so many good companies in the industry that this one was a very difficult choice but BMSi's success has been, and will continue to be the strong emphasis they put on building long term relationships with their clients which won them the award for Best Service & Maintenance Provider.

With 11 years of growth, 72 staff across five offices, a £7m turnover and over 500 service and maintenance contracts, BMSi is one of the leading controls specialists in the UK. It has exceptional retention rates and a highly successful track record. Recent projects for Boots Stores, for instance, delivered over £900,000 of energy savings in 18 months.

Judges Special Award
Sponsored by ECA

This year, the Judges' Special Award had a particular emphasis on recognising a commitment to training. The BCIA has worked closely for a number of years with the ECA to provide some of the most significant training courses for our sector.

The importance of training for our industry can never be underestimated because without it our businesses cannot grow which is why all of the nominations for the BCIA 2009 Judges Special Award were recognised for their commitment, both personal and professional, to supporting high quality training and ensuring that we have a new generation of experts coming up through the industry.

Keith Doherty came out on top for his ongoing work with the BCIA and ECA to which he has dedicated a huge amount of time to ensuring that hundreds of trainees achieve their best. This is more than a job for Keith, who continues to show a personal commitment to high quality training.

Charity support

No awards ceremony would be complete without a charity raffle and this one raised a massive £3,065, which included a generous £1,000 donation from Priva Building Intelligence, for Habitat for Humanity, a charity dedicated to eliminating poverty housing and homelessness worldwide. 

Since its foundation in 1976, it has become a global leader in addressing substandard housing by helping more than one million people to have a simple, decent place to live. Prizes included: two tickets to an RSC production in Stratford-upon-Avon, a case of wine, a magnum of champagne and a bottle of whiskey to name but a few. Our thanks go to everyone who kindly donated a prize and to everyone who supported the raffle on the night.

And finally

I think that you'll agree that every one of these individuals and companies deserved the awards they have received and that because of their commitment to the industry it will continue to improve and meet the challenges which the construction industry is throwing at it.

While that is the end of the 2009 awards it is by no means a time to rest because very soon we will be launching the Building Controls Industry Awards 2010 - so get your thinking caps on and start planning your nomination now.

The Building Controls Industry Awards 2009 is organised by Datateam Publishing Limited in association with BCIA and BSEE.

www.buildingcontrolsindustryawards.com 

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