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A Hull woman who won national recognition for her business flair has collected her prize – a stunning new Mercedes-Benz van.
Erika Harman, the founder of Brough-based catering firm Hungry Henry’s, was crowned Britain’s hardest ‘Grafta’ in a competition to honour the nation’s unsung army of small business heroes.
And now she has been presented with the keys to her new Mercedes Vito Sport Dualiner by Alan Gilby, Van Sales Manager of local Mercedes-Benz dealer H&L Garages.
“The Vito is wonderful and is going to make a fantastic difference to the business,” declares Erika, whose entrepreneurial spirit and unwavering commitment wowed the judges at the 2007 Grafta Awards, which were run jointly by The Sun newspaper and Mercedes-Benz.
The mother-of-two started Hungry Henry’s from scratch in 1999 and has since been joined in the business by her husband Grant. The firm employs 14 full-time staff, who man its catering trailers, run on-site canteens and provide vending services. Erika has also branched out into corporate catering under the name of Harman’s On-Site Services Ltd.
Her stylish new Vito Sport 115CDI is a real head-turner thanks to its 17-inch alloy wheels, metallic black paint and extensive chrome trim, while a punchy 2.2-litre turbodiesel engine gives it the performance to match. As a Dualiner model it also has a second row of seats, as well as luxury touches like air-conditioning, cruise control, a leather steering wheel and gearshift, and electric windows and mirrors.
“We were struggling with our previous van but didn’t quite have the cash to justify buying another,” continues Erika. “The Vito gives us the flexibility of being able to transport six members of staff in safety and comfort, as well as an easily accessed load compartment in which to carry heavy catering equipment.”
Since winning the Grafta Awards, Erika’s business has benefited enormously from the publicity. “People have stopped me in the street to congratulate me,” she explains. “It’s raised awareness of the business among customers and given us a real boost.” |
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