Stuart Slaughter from Passmores, which exports products across Europe

The 25th anniversary of the Medway Business Awards attracted high-quality entries. Business editor Trevor Sturgess looks at two of the nominees.

There are not many Medway businesses that have notched up a century but Passmores Portable Buildings is one of that rare breed.

This successful family-run manufacturer and distributor of timber garden buildings, garages, stables, carriage houses, garden offices and sports pavilions is 100 not out this year.

For several deacdes, Passmores has been a shining light at a time of local maunfacturing decline.

Passmores products adorn many gardens and allotments across Medway and beyond.

But there is much more to Passmores then making sheds for local gardeners. Its products are exported across Europe and full container loads are sent regularly to New Zealand where demand for the quality and appearance of it garden chalets is high.

The family-run firm has supplied timber garages to blue chip customers such as the Royal Household, the Duchy of Cornwall and celebrities such as Medway-based musician Jools Holland and boxer Barry McGuigan.

Charities such as The Blue Cross, The Dogs Trust, Dame Vera Lynn Trust and Riding for the Disabled also use Passmores buildings, which are also a regular feature of cricket, tennis and bowls facilities, and village halls across southern England.

Strood-based Passmores now employs 25 people, thriving for 100 years in the face of stiff competition from local and national suppliers, proving clearly that product quality and good customer service prolong business life.

Passmores has not been immune to the financial crisis hitting many businesses. Orders fell in late 2008 but the firm used the downturn as a spur to diversification, adding remedial and internal fitting work to its portfolio and launching new products.

These measures, together with a targeted advertising campaign and selective discounting, did the trick, restoring a full order book and even creating jobs.

Passmores was one of the first businesses in the sector to achieve certification under FSC Chain of Custody standards 40-004 and 40-005.

This guarantees that timber used in its products comes from sustainable forests and is sourced in compliance with strict environmental, social and ethical standards. The firm aims to achieve a zero carbon footprint bot 2012.

In this centenary year, perhaps one of the toughest it has faced in 100 years, Passmores has continued to flourish.