MLM takes top prize at the TTJ Awards 2009

Montague L Meyer (MLM) has won the TTJ Awards’ Timber Trader of the Year prize.

The company collected the award, sponsored by Weinig, before more than 350 industry guests at the Park Lane Hotel on Thursday.

For MLM it is the third time it has won the top award, following triumphs in 2001 and 2005.

Awards host and guest speaker John Prescott MP, the former deputy prime minister, told guests a fundamental change was coming to the construction industry from climate change. "We will have to rethink construction," he said. "It will not be business an normal, we are going to see tremendous change in the way we do things."

He also confessed to being a timber fan. "When I walk into as timber building it's great. I hate walking into a block made of concrete, there's no warmth."

Softwood Trader of the Year was won by Finnforest while the hardwood trophy went to Timbmet Ltd, Oxford.

Both the Panels and Plywood Trader of the Year categories were won by International Plywood, while New World Timber took Small Timber Business of the Year.

Coillte Panel Products was presented with the Excellence in Marketing award, while Shaun Smith of West Port and Sarah Broadley of Jewson were the Career Development Award winners.

Best Technical Information Support was won by Richard Burbidge Ltd and Stewart Milne Timber Systems took the Achievement in Sustainability prize for its new Sigma II Building System, which focuses on achieving zero carbon through the building fabric rather than bolt-on renewably energy such as solar panels and wind turbines.

BDP came away with the Achievement in Engineered Timber Award for the University of Reading’s new business school, which features a glulam roof structure.

The awards host and guest speaker was former deputy prime minister John Prescott. A full report and photos will appear in the next issue of TTJ.

See below for the full shortlist