Wittenborg Shines at Apeldoorn Business Awards

17.10.2019

Wittenborg CEO, Maggie Feng, for the 4th Time Jury Member of Apeldoorn Business Awards

The 2019 Apeldoorn Business Awards winners were announced last week with Wittenborg CEO Maggie Feng serving a fourth term as an esteemed member of the jury. Feng said she was, as always, highly impressed with the quality of the nominees as well as the reach and breadth of businesses in Apeldoorn.

Feng and her fellow judges spent weeks visiting nominees and deliberating about how well they measure up to the requirements of the competition. Aside from the awards, businesses also had the chance to win the public prize - voted for by the residents of Apeldoorn. The honour finally went to Café de Hamer who garnered 1,181 votes - 20% of the total votes.

Though serving as jury member meant long hours of visits, discussions and reading, Feng said she was happy to be part of the deciding body. "Wittenborg has been situated in Apeldoorn for almost 10 years and our relationship with the city, businesses and the community is very important to us. This is also a way to give back in terms of our social responsibility as an academic institution."

Winners are selected via a comprehensive process. First, a long list for each of the 6 categories is compiled by a selection committee, who also take tips from the public via social media into account. Businesses are then requested to provide certain information, which is handed over to the jury. After some discussions, 3 nominees per category are chosen, which the jury then visit, applying certain criteria. This includes things like innovation, sustainability, stability, staff policy, contribution to Apeldoorn as a city, and how the company differentiates itself from the competition.

Feng said she was impressed by what companies do. Like for instance, Juliana Towers amusement park - a family business that has innovated itself online to reach new and additional audiences. Another family business is Bakkerij Fuite, which won the Industry & Technology category. Though situated in a small town, it has big clients like KLM and Picnic.

The winners of the 2019 Apeldoorn Business Awards are:

Start-ups: Atelier Bijzondere Bonen
Retail: RTV Stegeman
Wholesale & Services: Poel Bosbouwartikelen
Tourism & Hospitality: Golf- en Businessclub De Scherpenbergh
ndustry & Technology: Bakkerij Fuite
Social Services: Riwis Zorg & Welzijn