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26.08.05 
SOLIHULL FIRM NAMED AS ONE OF THE UK’S TOP 10 NEW BUSINESSES

Solihull-based Configure has been named as a finalist in the HSBC Start-Up Stars Awards. Colin Kersley, HSBC’s regional director, presented a certificate and magnum of champagne to the Configure team at its offices in Earlswood today (26 August).

The firm has beaten off stiff competition from hundreds of other young enterprises to be named as one of the ten to go forward to the finals at The Savoy Hotel in London in October. If Configure wins, it will scoop the £20,000 cash prize and the coveted title HSBC Start-Up Star 2005.

Configure was only established in 2003 but is already the UK’s largest commercial disability consultancy. By working closely with disabled people, the firm has developed a comprehensive range of cost-effective and easy to implement services that include access audits , auxiliary aids and equipment , building modifications , and employee disability equality training . This integrated service is proving popular with organisations as they look to provide access to all, in light of the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA).

The two brothers behind the venture come from very different backgrounds: Jim Driver is a former captain in the British Army and David Driver a practising solicitor.

David Driver said: “We saw a gap in the market, which had to be filled if organisations were going to be able meet their obligations under the DDA. Our integrated offering, providing the auditing, equipment and training, is what the market wanted, and we have provided.

“It was not as straightforward as that – we had to undertake a considerable amount of research and development to be able to produce the 200 or so auxiliary aids and components, as well as the market-leading training package and dedicated audit software.

“Without the fantastic team of dedicated staff we have here in Earlswood, it would not have been possible. We have all put a lot into this and for us to receive this recognition at such an early stage after we began, and by our peers, is particularly rewarding.”

The two brothers must now face the judging panel at HSBC’s Canary Wharf headquarters next month for them to decide whether Configure has that vital ‘X Factor’ and determine whether they are winners at the final in October.