The man who has transformed Chester Racecourse into one of the most successful sporting and leisure venues in the country has been named the Business Person of the Year at the 2014 Cheshire Business Awards.
Richard Thomas has been chief executive of Chester Race Company since August 2000.
He joined the Royal Marines straight from school and after five years as a military man, began his career in the racing industry and has worked for Aintree and Huntingdon Racecourses.
After short stints at Aintree and Huntingdon Racecourses, he became managing director of Haydock Racecourse where he improved profitability from £200,000 to £1.2m.
He joined Chester Racecourse as chief executive in 2000 and since then has acquired Bangor-on-Dee Racecourse as a sister course and built and operates an on-site hotel under the Holiday Inn Express franchise.
In 2008, under his management, the racecourse opened its first venture in the mainstream leisure market, Restaurant 1539 and built the Pavilion Suite, Chester’s largest multi-function space, and a previous venue for the Cheshire Business Awards.
More leisure venues were added to the portfolio in 2012 with the acquisition of a bar building in the city centre, off Bridge Street, which became The Weighing Room bar and in 2013 the company’s latest dining venture was built on the racecourse site.
The White Horse pub was completed in April 2013 and later extended by a conservatory in November to accommodate demand. The pub was awarded the accolade of Best Family Friendly Restaurant Gold Award at the 2014 Cheshire Food and Drink Festival.
ChesterBet was launched in 2012 following the sale of the tote. This move empowered racecourses to take control of their own betting operations and in a move to ensure betting revenue would remain within the race company.
ChesterBet was first launched at Bangor on Dee Racecourse on April 21, 2012 and was the first day since 1931 that the tote had not operated on a racecourse.
ChesterBet was launched at Chester Racecourse on the first day of the 2012 May Festival and by managing its own betting operations, Chester can now operate ‘sports and racing events’ on non-racedays.
Since its launch, ChesterBet/BangorBet on-course turnover is in excess of £14.5m with over 1.5m bets processed with the win margin exceeding expectations.
2013 was the Race Company’s busiest season under Mr Thomas’ reign with the ambitious addition of a five-week Christmas event on the racecourse site, attracting over 105,000 visitors in November and December.
Since joining the race company in 2000, Thomas has more than doubled the number of race meetings held each season, while maintaining and developing facilities which keep Chester and Bangor racecourses at the forefront of leisure offerings.
With the investment in wifi throughout the site and a commercial deal brokered with Betfair to deliver a virtual racecard with betting for all of Chester’s Racedays, Chester is also viewed as one of the most technologically advanced in the country.
Based on the forward thinking and innovative approach taken by Mr Thomas’ team, the racecourse was recognised as a Showcase Champion at the industry’s annual awards, where excellent and innovation across British Racing is celebrated.
At the end of 2009 the Race Company created its own in house catering division bringing all onsite catering under the control of Chester Race Company.
Swiftly the new catering division was recognised and picked up the prestigious award for Overall Excellence in Racecourse Catering at the National Racecourse Catering Awards.
This growing success lead to the launch of Horseradish to the wider market place in 2014 and has since secured contracts with key events and venues in the North West, including the prestigious National Trust property, Speke Hall.
Under the Horseradish brand, Chester Racecourse will be the biggest provider of Christmas parties in the city, delivering over 11,500 covers at the racecourse alone.
Thomas has encouraged and pioneered new and exciting events and this year the racecourse was host to the fourth staging of Chester Rocks, bringing big named artists to the region.
Chester Racecourse has had the privilege of hosting international polo tournaments twice a year, where on three occasions Thomas has welcomed a royal competitor to the field when he and the Duke of Cambridge played against one another in the Audi Royal Polo Challenge.
Under Mr Thomas’ leadership the company has grown both in size and strength from little more than a dozen permanent staff back in 2000 to an employer of over 100 permanent staff today.
On top of this, Chester Racecourse is an employer of thousands of casual employees annually in the events and leisure business.
His leadership has transformed Chester Race Company into a dynamic, diverse and privately owned leisure company and hospitality business that has successfully grown from £4m to £26m turnover with race attendances hitting 295,000 mark this season.
Mr Thomas was away on business in London and was unable to attend Friday night’s ceremony at Chester Cathedral but he was filmed before he left saying: “This is fantastic and a great surprise. It is for the team in Chester because without them this would not happen.
“I am very lucky to have such a fantastic team and this award is really for them.”
A member of that team, Kate Dawson, accepted the award on Mr Thomas’ behalf from Kaye Whitby, partner and head of commercial team at SAS Daniels and Jeremy Orrell, partner and head of corporate team at SAS Daniels, the main sponsors of the Cheshire Business Awards.
Following the ceremony, Kaye Whitby said: “SAS Daniels have been extremely proud to be involved in the Cheshire Business Awards once again this year.
“It was truly inspiring to see so many businesses who I know have made significant investment to develop economic growth in Cheshire and it was great to celebrate their success with them on the night.
“Well done to all those businesses who have had such a positive year. I look forward to another great year ahead for the region.”
Who won what at 2014 Cheshire Business Awards
The stunning setting of Chester Cathedral provided the backdrop for the 2014 Trinity Mirror Cheshire Business Awards, sponsored by SAS Daniels LLP, on Friday night.
Hundreds of guests packed dozens of tables laid out under candlelight in the historic building which was being used for the first time for a ceremony which was celebrating its 11th year.
Andy Phelan, business development director, Trinity Mirror Cheshire and North Wales, got proceedings under way by welcoming everyone with an introductory speech.
He said: “Although there have been some signs of economic recovery, it has still been a challenging year for a lot of companies.
“We have found many examples of creativity and innovation from businesses large and small across the county which is full of talented business minds.”
It was then time for Granada TV presenter and former Chester Chronicle reporter Lucy Meacock to begin hosting the awards themselves. She said: “I am so proud of my roots in Chester. I started my career at the Chester Chronicle and I still read it every week.”
Winners in each category for the 2014 Cheshire Business Awards are as follows:
BSUS PROGRAMME DELIVERED BY BLUE ORCHID IN PARTNERSHIP WITH CHESHIRE WEST AND CHESTER BUSINESS START UP AWARD:
Cheshire West And Chester Council work in partnership with Blue Orchid, the accredited provider of business start-up advice across the borough.
WINNER:
Lawyer Checker Ltd - based in Tarporley, the firm is a new innovative risk management service to protect home movers and their solicitors from fraud.
Also shortlisted: Emma Cornes; Shortlist Recruitment Limited.
SCOTTISHPOWER BUSINESS OF THE YEAR (UP TO 10 EMPLOYEES):
ScottishPower is committed to supporting businesses in the Cheshire region who play a major role in the ongoing growth and development of the local economy.
WINNER:
Training Bytesize - one of the largest providers of multi-lingual online bespoke project management training courses, based in Nantwich.
Also shortlisted: Total Recycling Cheshire; Chateau de sable.
INSPIRING APPRENTICESHIPS CHESHIRE & WARRINGTON AWARD:
The Local Enterprise Partnership has identified the growth and development of apprenticeships as its first action to achieve its aim of a skilled and productive workforce in Cheshire and Warrington.
WINNER:
Weaver Vale Housing Trust - formed in 2002 providing a range of affordable accommodation with over 6,000 homes in Northwich, Winsford, Frodsham, Helsby and outlying rural areas.
Also shortlisted: First Hosted Ltd; Build Skill Plus Ltd.
EMPLOYER OF THE YEAR:
WINNER:
Your Housing Group - Based in Warrington, one of the UK’s largest housing providers with over 33,000 homes across the North West, Yorkshire, the Midlands and beyond.
Also shortlisted: Radfield Home Care; International Travel Connections.
BUSINESS OF THE YEAR (11 TO 50 EMPLOYEES):
WINNER:
TyresOnTheDrive - established in 2011 in Holmes Chapel is a regional mobile tyre fitting services with an innovative approach that brings the expertise of the garage to the customer’s home or place of work.
Also shortlisted: The Travel Visa Company Ltd; Balluff Ltd.
CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY:
WINNER:
Anthony’s Travel - Based in Runcorn, this is an award-winning coach company established in 1985 by the Bamber family and from modest beginnings now have a fleet of coaches and mini coaches.
Also shortlisted: Prism Solutions; Chester And District Housing Trust.
MERSEY FOREST GREEN BUSINESS AWARD:
With nine million trees planted so far, The Mersey Forest is working to make North Cheshire and Merseyside one of the best places in the country to live.
WINNER:
The Greener Group - Based in Chester, the group was established in 2009 as an MCS accredited renewable energy installer specialising in Solar PV, Biomass Boilers and Solar Heating.
Also shortlisted: Adam Partridge Auctioneers And Valuers; Total Recycling Cheshire.
INNOVATION AND ENTERPRISE AWARD:
WINNER:
Delamere Dairy - Based in Knutsford and founded in 1985 with just an handful of goats and has developed into an international speciality dairy with a turnover in excess of £22m.
Also shortlisted: TyresOnTheDrive; Lawyer Checker Ltd.
METRONET (UK) BUSINESS OF THE YEAR (OVER 50 EMPLOYEES):
Metronet (UK) is the UK’s most advanced hybrid wired and wireless Internet Service Provider and as a major player in the North West’s telecommunications sector, Metronet (UK) is proud to be supplying high-speed Internet connectivity to businesses in Cheshire.
WINNER:
New Moon Pub Company Ltd - established six successful venues across the North West in just under three years including The Lord Binning in Kelsall, and Old Sessions House in Knutsford and The Hanging Gate in Weaverham.
Also shortlisted: Roberts Jackson Solicitors; Chester Race Company Ltd.
BENTLEY MOTORS YOUNG BUSINESS PERSON OF THE YEAR:
With around 3,700 colleagues based in Crewe, Bentley is one of South Cheshire’s largest employers. The combination of fine craftsmanship, using skills that have been handed down through generations, alongside engineering expertise and cutting-edge technology is unique to luxury car brands such as Bentley.
WINNER:
Emma Cornes - started her business designing, making and selling bags in March 2013. He journey started in 2012 when she bought her first sewing machine and has gathered pace into a business which has grown as shows potential for the future.
Also shortlisted: Daniel Owen; Zak and Arron McCombie.
JUDGES CHOICE AWARD:
Chateau de sable - niche designer baby and children’s wear retailer on Watergate Street, Chester, selling its own brand of French clothes and accessories.
