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Winner

Keltbray

Demolition professionalism has been taken to new heights by Keltbray this year, and its reward was selection to prepare the way for four major new towers going up in London currently. Technical innovation in top-down construction was to the fore at 20 Fenchurch Street. And in the demolition of Arsenal’s old Highbury stadium, Keltbray proved expert at solving temporary engineering conundrums a’plenty. Commitment to training, particularly safety education, underpinned its success (10% of group profits are ploughed into keeping staff fully abreast of latest thinking). Over 600,000 safe working hours were clocked up on the Colchester Garrison job. And a challenging sustainability charter saw 90% recycling on its Barts and Royal London hospital project. Nor were local communities overlooked: an allotment was created for children at St James’s Park, where they learnt about healthy eating and environmental awareness.

Runners-up

Coleman & Company

A runner-up for the second year in a row, Coleman & Company excelled itself in creating strong working relationships with clients. The Peat House project in Birmingham was an object lesson for all specialists in how to adjust to unexpectedly testing circumstances – and won it high plaudits from the developer. New safety thinking following analysis of peak exposures in the summer months led to new positions being created for holiday cover. And a major commitment to environmental procedures saw big advances in recycling and reduced vehicle movements.

Elliott Thomas

Last year’s winner had another strong year, impressing on a wide range of high-profile projects. It grew turnover nearly 30%, invested in the latest software and communications, and scored highly on client-feedback audits. The training budget rose 60%, and membership of the Mace Business School benefited numerous employees. Staff were encouraged to think constantly of ways to streamline and improve the company’s efficiency, not least with energy recycling.