The King congratulates MD at Buckingham Palace Reception

Managing director of East Sussex based premium electrical accessories manufacturer Focus SB, Mr Gary Stevens is honoured to receive an invitation from The Master of the King’s Household commanded by His Majesty The King inviting him to to a reception to be given at Buckingham Palace on 27th June 2023 for recipients of The King’s Awards for Enterprise 2023 - East Sussex, United Kingdom, 2023-06-29

The reception hosted a real mix of companies, from drugs packaging companies, to medical equipment manufacturers and IT/graphics developers and charities. 

Mr Stevens shares his account of the prestigious event: “ I arrived at 17.15 at the gates of Buckingham Palace - felt like a bit of a celebrity because the general public were all milling around outside, probably wondering who all these suited and booted people were who were being ushered into the grounds!

“We were then led into the Palace and one of the first things we had to do was deposit our mobile phones in the cloakroom to prevent anything other than the official photographers taking shots (and I assume for security purposes too!).

“We then proceeded up some flights of grand staircases with walls adorned with works of art that would not look out of place in some of the world's greatest art museums. Wonderful ornate ceilings of gilded plasterwork and intricate designs and the most amazing chandeliers!  We entered what I later found out to be the very impressive Blue Drawing Room.

“After networking with a number of fellow winners (148 in total), some of whom were there for the first time and some were there for their second award (one company took 20 years to win their award - so that just demonstrates how difficult it is to win this prestigious award!) The King entered the room and was duly introduced to the first of the winners by their Lord Lieutenant. As you would expect, there were the covert protection officers who were identifiable with their ear pieces in place! There were also two military officers whose main task was to keep the King flowing and the main crowd well back to enable His Majesty to roam freely and interact with the winning representatives. The first impression I got was of someone who seems to be very relaxed and comfortable in such events, which has the effect of rubbing off on his very keen audience! he seemed very engaged and more than eager to stop and chat and with a genuine interest in what the winners had won their awards for!

“During this time, I asked one of the officers which regiment he was attached to because I recognised his colours, and my hunch was right, he was a Coldstream Guard, which happens to be the regiment that my late father served in during the mid to late fifties and reached the rank of sergeant. I happened to have a photo of my father pinned to the inside of my jacket, which I shared with the officer and we immediately sparked! He obviously had a job to do, so I left him to it.

“I chatted to a fellow winner, Graeme Dell of Cableflow, who had won for the second time, this time for innovation. I have known Graeme for over thirty years and he is one of Focus SB's valued customers! We were then approached by The Duchess of Edinburgh (Sophie). She asked what business we were in and she seemed very knowledgeable in British manufacturing and the value of the sector for the UK economy and was very interested in our story of selling premium products into China.

“The King by this time had moved further into the room and eventually, luckily my turn arrived (not everyone was guaranteed to personally meet him, but I was fortunate to be one who did! We shook hands and he asked me what business I was in. I told him who we were and that we had a "coals to Newcastle" story, selling premium electrical products into China and he commented on the level of difficulty that must have posed and asked how business was since the pandemic. I told him that one of the key success factors was to ensure that you have the right partner in territory - that goes for any territory overseas. He congratulated me on our award and moved onto the next recipient.”

Gary concludes: “Winning The King's Awards for Enterprise is not only an endorsement of the hard work that we have done in building our export market, but it is also one of the highest accolades a business can achieve. I feel even more proud and privileged to be part of what is a very select few companies who receive this prestigious recognition each year and am looking forward to making sure that Focus SB take full advantage of being a recipient.”

Ends

Editors notes

Focus SB® is an award winning innovative British manufacturer renowned for the design, development and specialist hand finishing of premium electrical wiring accessories, blending traditional artisan techniques with the latest technology; specified for world class hospitality and leisure resorts, prime residential developments, heritage buildings, royal residences, superyachts and commercial projects both domestically and internationally.

In 2017 Focus SB made history in its industry when the company became the first and only British and European manufacturer to gain CQC factory accreditation to supply and sell wiring accessories directly from Europe to China, also gaining full CCC licence for all of its products for the Chinese marketplace.

The company’s specialist capabilities include electrical accessory design, development and testing; bespoke metal plate design and manufacture; specialist metal finishing and complex supply chain project management. Focus SB commenced trading in 1979 and exports to Asia, the Middle East, Malta and West Africa. Projects include Aspen at Consort Place, Twenty Grosvenor Square, Belmond Cadogan Hotel, Corinthia London, Royal Lancaster London, Chelsea Barracks, No.1 Grosvenor Square, The Glebe, Hampton Court Palace, Windsor Castle, The Londoner Macao and Pudong Airport Satellite Terminal VIP lounges.

Focus SB is committed to reducing its carbon footprint by taking all appropriate measures to minimise any impact on the environment throughout the business from operational to manufacturing processes. The company's green energy investment plans have included solar panel, LED lighting and electric car charging points installation. Laser marking technology enables Focus SB to offer a standard alternative to screen printing, for improved fine detail quality and to significantly limit the use of environmentally damaging consumables and reduce waste.

Focus SB is a Disability Confident Employer since 2017 and is committed to creating equal opportunities and a diverse and inclusive workforce, seeing the company work closely with local charity Little Gate Supported Employment for over four years.

UK press contact: Suzi Baker, Balance Web Marketing +PR suzi@balancewebmarketing.co.uk