A renewable energy expert from St Asaph is celebrating a hat-trick of major awards.

Gareth Jones, Managing Director of Carbon Zero Renewables, believes their emphasis on quality and customer service has been a key factor in their success which has seen turnover grow by 600 per cent in the past year.

Carbon Zero was named Solar Firm of the Year at the Finance Monthly’s M & A Awards 2014 for the UK, Welsh Business of the Year in the ACQ5 Global Awards 2014 and earlier this year, the firm was crowned Solar Firm of the Year at the prestigious Finance Monthly Global Awards 2014.

They are the latest in a host of accolades for the eco entrepreneur who is a former Institute of Directors’ Young Director of the Year for North Wales.

Earlier this year he was re-elected President of North Wales for the Federation of Master Builders.

Another reason for Gareth to be cheerful is the result of an in-house customer survey which showed that 93 per cent of Carbon Zero’s clients thought their service was excellent and the remaining seven per cent thought it was very good. Meanwhile, 100 per cent of customers said they would recommend Carbon Zero to a friend.

The green guru is also practising what he preaches after taking delivery of an electric Nissan Leaf car and installing a charging point outside the Carbon Zero office.

A delighted Gareth said: “The hard work that we’ve put in behind the scenes is really starting to pay off with a 600 per cent growth in turnover this year and the swathe of awards that we’ve won is testament to all our effort.

“There’s a lot of work that goes into our installations from a customer service point of view – it’s that sort of thing that really puts us above and gives us the edge over our competitors.

“This year has been one of the best we’ve had and things are looking very, very strong for 2015, so we’re very excited.

“Sales for solar have massively increased.  We’re achieving our targets and more and we are confident the trend will continue next year.

“Turnover is up, profit is up and employment will be up, so we’re certainly moving in the right direction and we’re hoping that 2015 will see another doubling of our turnover.

“The demand for green energy isn’t going to go away and as it becomes more affordable, even more people will be looking to adopt this great source of free power.

“We are getting more enquiries than we ever have had. There’s a lot more ways for people to go solar powered today, than there was many years ago and the fact that the price has come down means, that it has become a lot more affordable to your average home in the UK.

“Our main core area is North Wales but we have done some specialist work throughout the UK. We do feel that there is a lot of work on our doorstep but we are regularly contacted to provide specialist solar services throughout the UK.

“We’re currently pricing some work in Nottingham on a Grand Designs type home and this year we undertook some work in Portsmouth on a large multi-million pound new build home, where we designed and engineered a bespoke flat roof system using Formula 1 technology.

“While solar is a big part of your business, we’re certainly not a one trick pony.

“We do a lot of other things as well. A big part of the business is electric vehicle charging stations and we cater for the domestic as well as the commercial market. We also well into a five year contract to provide maintenance to four hotels for a national chain of hotels. We also have a number of energy saving devices and services listed on our website.

“I was really thrilled with the feedback in the customer survey but the positive results have not come about by accident.

“We put a tremendous amount of effort into making sure that the job does go so smoothly and making sure that customers are kept in the loop throughout the process.

“Happy customers tell other people and we work on a lot of referrals. We’re currently quoting for a project, a domestic solar installation, which will be our 11^th generation referral and it all started from one job in Deganwy.

“I now have a Nissan Leaf as my company car and when it’s on charge at our Eco Office, it uses partly solar energy to drive around in. So we do really practice what we preach.”

A North Wales company is celebrating winning a major tourism award by offering discounts to other firms.

Bodnant Welsh Food Centre scooped the North Wales Tourism Award at the prestigious Achievement Wales ceremony, held by the Daily Post at Bangor University’s Prichard Jones Hall.

The judges chose the company after hearing that it has seen revenue rise to £2.4m, up 35% from £1.77m in the centre’s first year of trading. It also welcomed 243,000 visitors – up from 214,000 (13.5%) on the previous year.

More than 80 people are employed in the farm shop, wine cellar, tea rooms, restaurant and farmhouse accommodation along with the Welsh Bee Centre, while more than 100 artisan food producers are represented at Bodnant.

Bodnant Welsh Food centre managing director Chris Morton is now inviting other companies to join in its success.

It is offering 15% off any hampers, Christmas meal or meeting room booking, made by December 12, irrespective of when the service is required.

Chris said: “I was delighted when Bodnant Welsh Food Centre was announced as the winner of the North Wales Tourism Award.

“The Award is a mark of achievement by all the staff at Bodnant, who put so much into ensuring that the centre is a success. In turn that helps the 100-plus artisan food producers who we showcase at Bodnant.

“We have only been in business for just over two years and in that time we’ve built up a thriving business, and we have great plans for the coming months. However, it’s always good to have that success recognised by independent judges.

“These awards are held in high regard by the business community of North Wales and so I’d like other companies to benefit from our success, by offering them this discount, so they can see for themselves what a great place Bodnant is, whether it’s for a Christmas meal or a meeting. Plus, by opting for one of our hampers, they can support other Welsh businesses.”

He told the judges in Bodnant’s entry: “We want to showcase Welsh food and drink – food is a major draw for visitors and we intend to build on that. We aim to be a year-round destination – people head here primarily to visit Bodnant. Our customers are those living in North Wales looking to pick up something delicious to eat; UK visitors on a day trip or short break; plus a growing  number of overseas visitors.

“Around half of what is sold at the centre is made here on the estate – the dairy makes our creams, butter, award-winning cheeses and ice-creams. We use milk from our neighbour Gerallt Jones at Tal-y-Cafn, who has a herd of 80 Friesian cows. The whey from the cheese is used back on his fields, helping to keep the ground fertile.

“Those dairy products are on sale in our Farm Shop – more of a food hall – Tearoom, cookery school and the Hayloft restaurant, along with our farmhouse B&B accommodation. They also use the food that’s produced by our own bakery – breads, cakes and award-winning pastries.”

Bodnant Hampers range in price from £20 to over £250 and come in a wide range of presentations based on different themes, such as chocolate, champagne and chocolate, gourmet, lovers and Christmas. The wicker baskets, packed with Bodnant cheese, sparkling wine, brandy, whiskey, fudge, chocolate, jams, pates, cakes, biscuits and teas, are proving popular for those searching for a taste of North Wales.

For more information about Bodnant Welsh Food, go to www.bodnant-welshfood.co.uk