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22.

December

2014.

Briggs Equipment recruits conquer ‘Dragons’ an

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Ref: PR362 Date: 22nd December 2014

Briggs Equipment recruits conquer ‘Dragons' and raise £10,000

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New Sales Development Executives at materials handling equipment specialist Briggs Equipment braved a ‘Dragon's Den' style interview to raise almost £10,000 for The Prince's Trust.

Over the past six months the seven employees have been competing against teams of aspiring entrepreneurs from around the UK in the Million Makers fundraising initiative. Each team has beenattempting to turn seed funding of £1,500 into £10,000, with the overall aim to collectively raise £1million to help The Prince's Trustgive disadvantaged young people the practical and financial support they need to move into work, education or training.

Back in March the Briggs Equipment team pitched its three-part plan to a panel of experts from their local business community, plus a representative of The Prince's Trust, in a ‘Dragon's Den' style interview and securedthe funding they needed to put their ideas to practice. Working together to determine where their individual strengths lay, the Sales Development Executives were able to allocate key responsibilities for the different elements of project to give themselves the best chance of success.

The team got its project underway with ‘Revival Rations', which involved creating and selling office survival kits containing daily essentials such as stationery and tea bags. More money was raised by organising and selling tickets to special events, including a Daytona track day at the UK's premier karting venue, while the third and final part of the project saw the team give up their weekends to reclaim and prepare used forklift trucks for a series of trade auctions. The final sum raised was £9,942.

Sales Development Executive Daniel Wood, who took the lead on Briggs Equipment's Million Makers project, said: "We received mentoring from senior managers to help us draw up a business plan and hone our skills, and because we needed to call on assistance from various departments and build relationships along the way, I feel the Million Makers initiative has really helped us to integrate into the business.

"As each of us discovered our strengths, which we intend to put to good use in our day-to-day work, we have developed as individuals, as a team and as friends."

The Million Makers challenge to see who could develop the most profitable mini enterprise closed at the end of September, and the efforts of teams from across the West Midlands were recognised at a major Celebrate Success event at Aston Villa Football Club. All fundraisers, including the Million Makers teams, learned how the money they have raised has been used to change the lives of 4,500 young people across the West Midlands during the past 12 months.

Commenting on the team's achievements, Briggs Equipment's CEO Richard Close said: "As a business we are committed to giving something back to the community, so I am very proud of our team, which worked really hard to help The Prince's Trust achieve its £1million goal.

"The Briggs team of Million Makers seized the opportunity to develop their team working skills, creativity and negotiation expertise, which will benefit them throughout their careers. They also demonstrated a competitive spirit and a keenness to meet difficult challenges head on, which will serve both the company and themselves individually in an ever-changing logistics marketplace."

Briggs Equipment has pledged £100,000 to support The Prince's Trust's work between now and 2018. The company has become a patron of the youth charity and will take part in major projects each year, with Million Makers being its chosen initiative for 2014.

Further information about The Prince's Trust and the Million Makers initiative is available at http://www.princes-trust.org.uk

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Editor's Notes

Briggs Equipment UK Ltd is the world's largest global distributor of Hyster and Yale Europe Materials Handling equipment. Briggs products give you outstanding quality, productivity and reliability to ensure maximum uptime for your business; from a global manufacturer. From outright purchase, lease or short-term hire, Briggs delivers unique flexibility and contracts to suit your business needs. Our dedicated account managers, expert back-office support and 600 multi-skilled engineers all have the same goal of giving you an unrivalled customer experience and adding value through unique, tailored solutions.

View all of Briggs Equipment's latest news on theBriggs online media centre.

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