WAVE 2022: The Overview
27th December 2022
Introduction
2022 has been a year of continued achievement at WAVE. Between the highs of awards ceremonies, the humble roots of charity work, and day-to-day projects, WAVE have contributed 100% effort into our endeavors. This is core to our ethical and operational values as we aspire to be the best at what we do.
Two years ago, WAVE made the progressive decision to transform the company into an Employee-Ownership Trust (EOT) starting the path to full Employee-Ownership of the business. As of 2022, WAVE is one of few EOT business that are fully Employee-Owned. Making each employee a stakeholder and custodian of our future success, ensuring unparalleled customer focus.
Section 1: Achievements
2022 saw WAVE continue our award-winning ways, picking up two category accolades at this year’s cooling awards, a Bidfood supplier’s award and the prestigious Investors in People Gold Accreditation.
In September, WAVE left the RAC Cooling Awards with two category prizes in recognition of innovation, hard work and collaboration by the team over the past year. We are proud of the recognition received, both individually and in partnership with ALDI.
WAVE succeeded in the following categories:
- Refrigeration Project of the Year – Winner, in partnership with ALDI
- Refrigeration Innovation of the Year: Digital and Applications – Winner
- Building Energy Product of the Year – Highly Commended, in partnership with ALDI
- Small Company Achievement – Highly Commended
Our Innovation of the year is available for use in theoretical modelling, and we are looking for pioneering companies to work with in the future to refine the programme. Our Retail Project of the year is a testament to the drive and hard work we put into projects with long-established clients and industry peers.
September saw WAVE attend the Bidfood Charity Golf Day; an event focused on raising money for Hospitality Action charity. Nick and Tim represented on the golf course, successfully not coming last. The golf day was followed by a grand supplier’s awards evening with charity raffle and auction. WAVE were delighted to be honored with the ‘New Supplier of the Year’ Award. We are extremely proud to work with Bidfood, a company whose social and ethical aspirations are aligned with ours.
The year ended on a high with WAVE being awarded the prestigious Investors in People (IIP) Gold accreditation. WAVE rank number 1 out of 176 IIP accredited businesses with between 0 and 24 employees who operate in the construction industry. Our benchmark score puts us in the top 2% of all small IIP accredited businesses. Gaining the IIP Gold Status demonstrates that we are doing the right thing by our people, empowering our team to deliver excellent service to our customers.
At the end of December, WAVE acquired the Contractors Health and Safety Assessment Scheme (CHAS) Accreditation. CHAS is one of the most well-known accreditation schemes among contractors. The scheme helps contractors demonstrate that they have high standards of health and safety, and ensures compliance across the different areas of risk management. We are proud to have attained this accreditation and trust it will serve us well.
Our achievements don’t stop there, we value individual accomplishments to the same degree as company-wide performance. Notably Ross, Project Consultant for Scotland successfully completed his ILM Level 7 NVQ Diploma in Strategic Management and Leadership. Caitlin also completed the F-Gas 2079 Category IV course.
Section 2: Project Mentions
In October, members of WAVE’s Engineering team were invited to present a webinar for GreenChill, and partners. GreenChill is a United States voluntary partnership created by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) with an aim to reduce refrigerant emissions and decrease the US food retail industries’ impact on climate change. Alan, Chris and Sam explained F-Gas legislation and environmentally considerate technical developments in the EU and UK. Attendees learned about the importance of different F-gas maintenance methods and options for integrating heat reclaim with HVAC systems for different retailer sizes.
Sustainable Development Goals
WAVE’s focus on the Sustainable Development Goals are integral to our business ethos. At WAVE, supporting our community and those in need is of upmost importance. In 2022, this involved working alongside charities that combat poverty and contributing to our industry.
Having previously sponsored World Refrigeration Day (WRD), 2022 saw WAVE continuing to support the event, committing to a further two years. WRD, taking place on June 26th each year is a fantastic platform to raise awareness of the key part refrigeration plays in modern society. WRD develops awareness of the importance of refrigeration technologies in everyday life raising the profile of refrigeration, air-conditioning and heat-pump industries.
In 2022 WAVE partnered with Cash For Kids, a UK based charity whose aim is to improve the lives of disadvantaged children and young people in our communities who are affected by poverty, illness, neglect or have additional needs. This year we have supported the charity in a number of initiatives:
In April, WAVE took part in the Cash For Kids ‘Wear Share Care’ initiative, a clothes donation program focusing on clothes recycling for vulnerable children and adults. The WAVE team, including members of our families sorted through our unused or forgotten clothing, collectively donating 130Kg of clothes!
We continued our partnership through into May, when WAVE employee’s participated in the Cash For Kids ‘5k-a-day’ initiative, which comprised of running, walking or cycling five kilometers each day of the month. 100% of the contributions received were donated to the worthy cause.
Sam, WAVE’s Engineering Manager represented our company at the annual VW Festival, by selling raffle tickets which provided the chance for donors to win a classic beetle, as donated by Herbie Hospital. Volunteers, including Sam raised an incredible £19,999.49 during the two-day festival!
Our next project was Cash for Kids: Mission Christmas, taking place in December 2022. Cash for Kids welcomed three members of the WAVE team; Sam, Tim, and Cat to volunteer with Cash for Kids at the Leeds Mission HQ. Our day included: present sorting, unboxing deliveries and order picking presents. All gifts had been donated or bought by the organisation with money from donated funds. With the ongoing ‘Cost of living’ Crisis, we recognized companies should support the community and those in need. Sam, Tim and Cat were incredibly moved by their involvement with the Leeds mission, and a further £500 was donated by WAVE.
Later in December, Joe and Cat joined the Cash For Kids team at Elland Road Stadium. Leeds United Football Club hosted an open-training session free of charge for all supporters to attend. The club kindly asked the supporters to bring along either a gift or monetary donation. As volunteers on the day, Joe and Cat collected the supporters generous donations and presents.
