I
n a week of financial turmoil and uncertainty, it was 42 Under 42 graduate and restaurateur Gary Manning who won over the audience at this year’s event with a deep-fried jam sandwich. As one of three young entrepreneurs invited to take part in a pitching competition on ‘why my business in the future’, the owner of 60 Hope Street and The Quarter in Liverpool explained how he and his brother were transforming the community on a niche street in the city using the old adage: open a restaurant next to a restaurant.
Manning also pitched his plans to open a delicatessen on Hope Street for customers to buy the ingredients they ate in his restaurants. He claimed that the capital of culture would prevail as the inward investment had enabled businesses to build sustainable futures around the city’s great landmarks.
He saw off competition from rivals, business communication expert Andy Bounds and construction services professional Brendan Dooley. The judges on the night included event sponsors Ali Sharifi from Grant Thornton, Henna Riaz from Hill Dickinson and Jonathan Sherlock from UBS.
Over 130 people attended the event, which celebrates young entrepreneurial talent across the North West. Amid the current economic turmoil, Insider editor Michael Taylor called on the class of 2008 to remember how much they had achieved in such a short time and to stay focused on what the North West had given the world to other regions of the country.
Date: Tue 7th October, 2008
Venue: Radisson Edwardian
Number of Guests Attended: 130