Leading commercial heating and ventilation specialists Lord Combustion Services have gone to the top of the class by being named as a finalist for a national education building services award.
The Oldbury-based sector company is in the running for the Contractor of the Year award for businesses with annual turnover up to £50 million at the Education Estates Awards, marking their eighth finalist placing of the year.
Organised in partnership with the Department for Education, the Education Estates Awards will take place on 12 October at the Kimpton Clocktower Hotel, Manchester. The Awards celebrate businesses and organisations which “transform and refine internal and external learning environments into sustainable and adaptive spaces, from school through to university”.
The Education Estates award finalist recognition comes after Lord secured placings in four categories at the Heating and Ventilation News Awards, launched by industry publication H&V News.
Lord Combustion Services, which celebrates its 40th anniversary next year, is in the running for the Small Company Achievement of the Year award, along with the prizes for the Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) Contractor of the Year and Covid Frontline Achievement of the Year. Contracts engineer Matthew Smith is a finalist for the Apprentice of the Year (21 and under) award. The winners will be announced during a dinner event in London on November 11.
Meanwhile, Lord is a finalist for the Sustainability prize at the 2021 West Midlands Business Masters Awards, organised by regional news website Business Desk, also to be announced in November. This month’s 2021 West Midlands Leadership Awards, also organised by Business Desk, see managing director Stuart Smith up for the company leader prize for businesses with up to 100 employees, while director Greg Jones is in the running for the young leader award.
Operating since 1982, Lord serves more than 1000 customers each year, from landmark buildings such as Edgbaston cricket ground to numerous schools, NHS sites and other public buildings, all from their base in Dudley Road East, Oldbury.
Managing director Stuart Smith said the Education Estates award finalist placing was pleasing given the efforts made to support schools and education clients during the pandemic. He said: “Lord Combustion Services has always worked in partnership with schools and colleges to provide high standards of service, so it is fantastic to be recognised as an Education Estates finalist.
“The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic meant hot water facilities had to be prioritised to ensure handwashing prevented the spread of infection, so being named as a finalist for our work with schools and colleges is pleasing.
“As well as servicing education site heating and ventilation systems and providing breakdown support, we have also delivered significant installation programmes over the last 12 months. We will continue to work closely with schools and other leading site owners to make smart use of the systems at their facilities, providing high quality results and efficiency savings.”