Green champion Trelawney Dampney named Entrepreneur of the Year

GREEN champion Trelawney Dampney has been crowned Entrepreneur of the Year at the 2014 Dorset Business Awards.

The Managing Director of Eco Sustainable Solutions – one of the UK’s most successful organics recycling and renewable energy companies – won the prestigious title in the face of stiff competition.

The judges praised his broad network of local and industry connections and “continuous and close attention to market developments and technological advancements.”

They added: “Trelawney’s business achievements in terms of sustained growth and profitability, coupled with his ‘can do’ approach, resilience, energy and clear passion for the Eco business and the sector within which it operates, contributed to the judges’ decision to name him as the overall winner of the Entrepreneur of the Year Award.”

Trelawney said winning the award was a “tremendous honour”, adding: “It is a huge tribute to my family, who have been a continuous and constant support, and my team at Eco who work hard and always strive for the best results.”

This year’s Dorset Business Awards had ten categories. To qualify as Entrepreneur of 2014, the individual or team had to demonstrate the realisation of their entrepreneurial vision and have a clear plan in place to achieve sustained growth in future.

In particular, the judges were looking to recognise outstanding achievement, innovative business concept, growth and good management skills.

Eco was founded by Trelawney in 1993 and now employs 46 people with an annual turnover of £11 million.

The company, based at Parley in Dorset, annually processes 150,000 tonnes of material at Parley, the UK’s leading purpose-built site for organics recycling and renewable energy. End products include enriched topsoil, compost and woodchip.

Eco currently handles 250,000 tonnes of organic material each year across four facilities.

A recent extension to the company’s core business is energy generation through both an anaerobic digestion (AD) plant and a solar farm. In addition, the company has received planning consent to build a biomass to energy plant.

Nearly 700 people attended this year’s Dorset Business Awards at the Bournemouth International Centre. The awards, now in their 20th year, were hosted by stage and screen actor Guy Henry, known for his roles in Holby City, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and Extras.

The Entrepreneur of the Year category was sponsored by Bournemouth University.