Who will be coming up roses this year?

ENTRIES for the 2010 One Oldham Business Awards have closed — and the numbers have crashed through last year’s impressive totals.

Sixty-four Oldham businesses have entered 91 nominations for the 10 categories — two more than the 2009 inaugural awards — and the judging panels, which began their deliberations this week, have some tough times ahead.

The initial lists are exciting and challenging for the sponsors, who will chair each judging panel.

For instance, there are 20 nominations in the section for businesses with less than £1 million turnover, ranging from the retail sector and moving through catering and hospitality and into property maintenance.

Each of the other business categories — turnover over between £1 million and £5 million and more than £5 million — has attracted 12 entries.

The entry list for the £5 million-plus section illustrates the depth of blue riband businesses we have here in the borough.

Equally impressive is the entry list for the BusinessWoman of the Year and last year’s winner Barbara Jackson, who has entered again, will have to go some to beat off a total of nine challengers.

Seven men and chasing the BusinessMan of the Year accolade.

Oldham Chronicle sales manager Steve Duthie, who sits on the awards steering group, said: “The numbers are impressive, very impressive.

“The Oldham business community has responded with real enthusiasm and we are delighted not only with the depth of entries but also the sheer quality.

“I will be sitting on two of the judging panels.

“Looking at the submissions I know we are going to have a real job ahead to reach agreement on the finalists and then an overall winner.

“Oldham is a really vibrant community in which to do business and I believe that these awards reflect all that is good about a sector of the economy that is all too often undervalued.

“Thanks to these awards and our sponsors, it is no longer understated.”

The Retailer of the Year category, sponsored by Oldham Town Centre Partnership, will be hard fought this year with nine businesses in the frame.

Our newest category, the Environmental Award sponsored by Delph-based Johnson Group, has attracted six entries and this is one area that will be particularly difficult to assess as each has wonderful merits.

Once again the Innovation and Design category, with five excellent nominations, will prove challenging for sponsor BAE Systems and the Chadderton company’s Steve Kilroy will have his work cut out leading his panel through some difficult choices.

The Start-Up section, with five nominations, and the Young Entrepreneur category, with only three, probably reflect the tough financial and environment that these sectors faced by all businesses in the last 12 months.

The awards will be announced at a gala, black tie dinner at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, Oldham, on Monday, March 22.