Donaldson Group

The Herald Family Business Awards have announced their finalists for the 2019 awards and James Donaldson and Sons has been announced among the list of shortlisted companies in the categories; Rural Family Business of the Year (Large) and Family Business of the Year (Large).

The Herald Family Business Awards in association with Business Gateway, now in its 8^th year celebrates the diverse, innovative and dynamic family business sector. Today, almost two-thirds of businesses in Scotland are family-run enterprises, and the awards recognise these businesses that work tirelessly to ensure they succeed in the Scottish economy. The winners will be announced at the awards ceremony held in Glasgow on Wednesday 4^th December.

Scott Cairns, Group Managing Director of James Donaldson and Sons said: “It’s great to be recognised as part of such a wide network of family businesses, who all come together at events like this to celebrate and share their successes.  Best of luck to all the finalists.”

James Donaldson and Sons Group (JDS) were crowned winners in three categories at the seventh annual Courier Business Awards on Saturday 26^th October in Dundee. The categories were Fife Family Business of the Year, Overall Family Business of the Year and the main award of the event, Business of the Year. The business of the Year was chosen from all entries by the judging panel and awarded to JDS for its sound and flexible business model, turnover growth, plans to expand and supportive attitude towards its workforce.

The Courier Business Awards celebrated the successes of local businesses that call Courier Country home. The ceremony held at the Apex Hotel in Dundee City Centre hosted over 820 attendees with 24 awards presented in various categories across a wide range of sectors and industries. JDS was among a record number of businesses to enter the awards this year for the first time, showing that the landscape across Tayside and Fife is stronger than ever.

Scott Cairns, Group Managing Director at James Donaldson and Sons, commented on the victory, “We are honoured to be recognised, not once but three times among the strong and extremely diverse line up of companies at the Courier Awards this year. As a family business, we are here to support the 900 families that work for us, and we all understand the importance of the JDS Group’s vision and values, so to be presented with these awards is a real testament to the hard work of the whole team.”

See the full list of winners here.

James Donaldson and Sons (JDS) announced today Wednesday, 14th August, their recent investment in Automated External Defibrillators (AED) for all 30 of their sites throughout the UK.

An AED is a lightweight, portable device that delivers an electric shock through the chest to the heart. The shock can potentially stop an irregular heart beat and allow a normal rhythm to resume following sudden cardiac arrest, (SCA). The British Heart Foundation and Resuscitation Council, (UK) have stated that the chances of surviving a SCA diminish by 10% every minute and the likelihood of survival after 10 minutes is almost zero.

Mark Murphy, Integrated Systems Manager at James Donaldson & Sons, said

“Most people can only imagine the impact a cardiac arrest can have, but, speaking from personal experience, I understand the devastating impact on the person’s family and work colleagues. We spend a significant time with our work colleagues, we talk to them, we know their families, we socialise with them, and in line with our proud family business ethos, they become our extended family.  The defibrillators mean that we are now able to provide assistance in the event of a first aid emergency, which could ultimately be the difference between life and death. The investment further demonstrates our commitment to putting health and safety first in everything we do.”

This personal experience combined with the fact that statistically SCA’s are most likely to affect middle aged and older men (42% of JDS employees are aged 45 and over), has driven the decision to invest in AEDs at all sites.

JDS have also registered their on-site AEDs on The Scottish Ambulance and Emergency Service website, as well as Heart Safe, the UK’s leading public access defibrillator website. The AEDs are now publicly available for people located close to sites to use during working hours.

James Donaldson and Sons took home the award for Scotland Family Business of the Year at the 2019 Family Business of the Year Awards. The group also secured runners-up titles in both the Supreme Champions Family Business of the Year and Manufacturing Family Business of the Year categories.

The awards ceremony which took place on Thursday 6^th June, saw diverse family businesses of all sizes and industry sectors come together at the event in London, to celebrate their successes and to crown the winners for this year’s awards.

Michael Donaldson, Deputy Chairman and 6^th generation Donaldson family member, accepted the award on behalf of the group. He said, “It’s great to be part of such a wide network of family businesses, who all come together at events like this to celebrate and share their successes. Our family values are at the heart of the way we do business and receiving such a prestigious family accolade as recognition for this is very special to us. Our congratulations go out to all the winners and the finalists.”

The Family Business of the Year Awards, in association with Family Business United, celebrate the UK family business sector and recognise the contribution these diverse businesses make to the broader economy.

The National Family Business Awards has revealed the finalists for the 2019 awards after another year of record-breaking entries from family-owned businesses across the UK and Ireland. From a wide range of industries, JDS has made the shortlist in the Construction and Property category.

The awards ceremony will be held at Wembley Stadium in London on Saturday 13^th July, where the winners will be announced.

The National Family Business Awards, now in its 10^th year recognises and celebrates family businesses from all sectors and industries for their extraordinary contribution to the British economy. We have been shortlisted partly due to our strong family values and business performance over the past 150 years.

Michael Donaldson, Deputy Chairman for the James Donaldson Group, and 6^th generation Donaldson family member said, “James Donaldson and Sons has been operating as a family business for almost 160 years and being shortlisted for this award at a national level is a great tribute to our employees, who have given their support and dedication to get us to where we are today.”

We are delighted to announce that we have won the “Excellence in People Development (over 20 employees) Award” in this year’s Fife Business Awards. We were awarded for our commitment to the training and development of our people.

The annual Fife Business Awards recognise those companies that demonstrate their commitment to delivering excellence. From small start-ups to long-established companies, the awards celebrate the most successful and forward-thinking businesses in Fife.

Rowena McBlane, HR Director of James Donaldson and Sons accepted the award on behalf of the group. Speaking on the win, Rowena said: “It’s always a great honour to be recognised for our training and development programmes. Our people are our greatest asset and are at the heart of our core values, and winning this award is the recognition they deserve for their hard work and achievements.”

The winners were announced at the awards ceremony on Friday 29^th March, at the Rothes Halls in Glenrothes.