Industrial safety shoes and boots prove to be a winner for family footwear firm

Added by Love Business East Midlands | 18 November 2015

UPDATED: 18 November 2015

A company that makes innovative industrial safety footwear used around the world has stepped up to win an award as a family business.

Rock Fall UK, based on the Alfreton Trading Estate at Somercotes, won the title of Best Small Family Business at the Midlands Family Business Awards.

The company can trace its roots back to when Stephen Noon set up in a garage in Ripley in 1987, though 10 years later it switched to specialising in safety footwear.

Today it supplies a  range of styles for workers on offshore oil rigs, cold stores, forestry, utilities, electronics and telecoms industries, construction and others in this country and worldwide.

Rock Fall now employs 19 people and sells one million shoes and boots -500,000 pairs – annually, and in June recorded its best ever sales.

Thirty firms were entered for the category and Rock Fall beat five other companies in the final to take the award at a prestigious ceremony at the Athena conference and banqueting venue in Leicester last night (Thursday, November 12).

Stephen, sons Richard and Matthew, who run the day-to-day operations, and operations manager Debbie Slack put their best feet forward to receive the award at the event, the first time Rock Fall  had entered for the accolade.

“This is the first time in 18 years of providing safety footwear that the company has won an award, and we are delighted,”

said sales director Richard.

“This is a fitting tribute to the hard work of all our staff. It was awesome when the results were announced, given the high standard of entries."

“Health and safety has become a much-maligned expression, so it's great to receive positive recognition and publicity for a company whose core business is making innovative footwear that puts workers' safety at a premium.”

This was the sixth year of the awards which are run by third generation business The Wilson Organisation, of Nottingham, which provides insurance and financial advice to firms.

They are the only independent, not-for-profit initiative that celebrate the work, achievements, innovation, growth and performance of family businesses.

 A total of 44 business and leaders reached the final judging stage for the 10 categories.

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