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Our very own Chris Howsam, Director of Hillside Product Design, attended the South Devon Business Excellence Awards on Friday, 18 April as a guest of a client Peter Morris, the owner of Lockabox.
Lockabox is a small innovation led business founded by Peter. We have been working with Peter since the day he came to our office in Teignmouth showing us a first off prototype for a small lockable plastic box intended for use in fridges where there are people sharing the fridge. Those of us who have lived in shared houses have probably experienced the problem of ‘missing’ food and that is frustrating to say the least. At that time, Peter was a music student and had been experiencing this very problem. His solution was to make a lockable box for the inside of the fridge. Simple & brilliant and a real “why didn’t I think of that” moment. Now all he needed was a product design consultancy to guide him through the process of turning his idea into a manufactured product.
Hillside Product Design have had a lot of experience with private inventors and small start-up businesses, so we were able to guide Peter through the twists and turns so he ended up with a great product.
Fast forward to the awards ceremony. Peter applied for the Young Entrepreneur category and had been shortlisted to one of four. That evening we would be in the company of all the best business’s that South Devon had to offer and the evening started with a drinks reception. As I looked around the room I saw some old friends there as well. Amtek Plastics, one of the UKs leading injection moulding companies and Lara Wall, an illustration company literally across the road to our office. This was going to be a great evening irrespective of how any of us did.
The ceremony started with a series of introductory speech’s reinforcing that this evening was all about recognising and rewarding the businesses and individuals of South Devon who have achieved exceptional success in spite of the challenging economic climate of the last year.
We all enjoyed a three-course dinner before broadcaster Judi Spiers took to the stage to announce the results. Sadly, neither Amtek nor Lara won in their category but we cheered their nominations and wished them better luck next time. Then it came time for Young Entrepreneur and Judi called out Peter Morris of Lockabox. Peter had been given a great introduction in the nominees build up and the assembled guests gave Peter a super round of applause as he took to the stage and received his award and then had the usual promo pictures taken.
Each of the winners were whisked off stage for an interview immediately after the award and it was some time later Peter returned to our table clutching the award and a bottle of Moet and wearing the biggest smile I had seen for ages. That champagne did not last long between us.
The final category nearly caught us out because we were chatting so much but we stopped when Judi Spiers said “The Winner of Winners, The Business of the Year goes to…Lockabox”. I shook Peter by the hand, gave him a big slap on the back and watched him set off for the stage once again. It was Peter’s vision, his commitment and his continuous 100% effort that had earned him those awards.
Hillside Product Design has given life to his vision and guided him when asked. Peter deserved everything that night and in some small part we had made that journey with him and I am not ashamed to say that I sat there like the cat who had got the cream with a huge smile on my face and a lift in my heart. Peter came back with another bottle of Moet so the story ends there as the rest is a blur.
Let’s Create Something Great Together
If you’ve got an idea you want to take to market, we will assist you through your journey. Even the most accomplished will require assistance which is where Hillside Product Design’s expertise is invaluable. We work closely with all our clients to ensure they have all the support they need throughout the product development process.
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