The gala presentation night for the Bradford Means Business Awards 2012 has finally arrived.

We started these awards last year in the depths of one of the worst economic downturns in living memory – and that wasn’t an accident. It is at times like these that the true business heroes really come into their own. We wanted to honour those who had not only survived the recession but come out of it fighting, stronger and ready to tackle future challenges.

Our inaugural awards in 2011 surprised and delighted us with both the number and scope of entries – and this year has been just as successful.

There seems to be a real desire to succeed in Bradford, a genuine fighting spirit that infuses the business community, from the lone entrepreneur up to the big companies that employ hundreds and work on a global scale.

It is these people, these firms big, small and just finding their feet, which the Bradford Means Business Awards are designed to honour.

Cream will always rise to the top, and quality always finds a way to endure. We had even more entries for this year’s awards than we had last year, proving that the drive to succeed is as strong as, if not stronger, than it has ever been.

Like last year, we have been pleased to receive entries from firms who had not particularly crossed our radar before, showing that there are many businesses across the Bradford district plugging away in their own particular field, not seeking honours or headlines, but purely wanting to do their job, and do it well.

It was a tough job for the judges to whittle the entries down to a shortlist of just three in each category, and we’re sorry we couldn’t give more awards to some of the fabulous entries. But the finalists who are presented to you in this supplement are very worthy indeed.

Our thanks go to the businesses who have sponsored each of our 11 categories, without whom we would not be running these awards. And once again we are indebted to our partners, Bradford Chamber and Bradford Council, for their support in bringing these awards to fruition for a second year.

Once again we return to the Aagrah Midpoint restaurant and conference suite in Thornbury.

The eventual winners, unveiled on the night, all thoroughly deserve their accolades, just as every single one of our finalists are truly deserving of their place.