Excellence in Business Awards 2011: Imaginative products prove a source of success for duo

Stay Sourced, which was formed in June 2008 by partners and joint managing directors Gary Reisman and Ben Rosenberg, was the winner of the Young Business of the Year award (for firms up to three years old), sponsored by Goldman Sachs, at the Yorkshire Post’s Excellence in Business Awards.

The pair wanted to base the business on long-term stategic partnerships centered around fairness and trust, even if that meant it was slightly less profitable in the short term. They believed it was a sacrifice which would reap future dividends.

In June 2009 its turnover was £1,362,161, with an operating profit of £205,932. Twelve months later, these figures had risen to £1,506,944 and £352,755 respectively. Its client list includes Dyson, BlackRock, Epson, Nutricia, Fullers, Balfour Beatty, BNP Paribas, Dow Jones, Muller, Thomas Cook and Tetley.

Stay Sourced has moved away from being a commodity product supplier, focusing on more creative bespoke solutions for its clients. Among the bespoke products the firm has created for its clients are an Airfix-style model vacuum cleaner kit for Dyson and an award-winning campaign which ran for Kingsmill, which included sourcing a “Turbomatic Toast Rack”.

After collecting the award, Mr Rosenberg said: “It means everything to us. From establishing just over three years ago, to win this in our region is fantastic.”

When asked what sets the firm apart from its competitors, Mr Rosenberg said: “I feel that the points of difference are our service, our quality, and the attention to detail we give to our clients is second to none.”

Asked how the firm has kept growing despite the tough economic climate, he said: “We have confidence in what we do, we value our customers and we treat every order as important as the next.”

The judges chose Stay Sourced for its entrepreneurial growth story and the strong links that it’s built up with its suppliers.