LAST week Bury-based Pennine Telecom, who are one of the UK's leading independent radio and telecommunications companies, celebrated 20 years in business and to mark the special occasion the company staged a series of luncheons at their Salford Street headquarters. Among the guests of honour was one of Pennine's first customer's, Greater Manchester Buses.

Also present were other valued customers and leading dignitaries from the radio and telecommunications industries.

Pennine was founded as a service centre for electronics and communications manufacturer Motorola.

From there the company has gone from strength to strength.

After going into telecommunications following market liberalisation in 1983, the company has succeeded in breaking the £5 million turnover barrier and currently employs more than 70 people.

Commenting on Pennine's success, Alan Cobb, Director General of the Telecom Industry Association, praised the company's engineering skill and commitment to the highest quality customer service.

He said: "Pennine has used its extensive engineering skills to gain high levels of customer satisfaction and the directors commitment to providing a career structure for staff along with a commitment to training has undoubtedly helped the company prosper.

"In a highly competitive marketplace, Pennine has succeeded yet it is still widely regarded as a nice company to do business with and I often quote Pennine as a role model as to how a radio and telecoms company should be run."

Dan Walters, Motorola's Vice President and Director of Distribution, said he was proud of Motorola's long association with Pennine, "Our relationship with Pennine has been beneficial from both points of view and Pennine's reputation for quality has been a key to Motorola's success in the area of dealer distribution."

Pennine's Director of Sales and Marketing, Richard Evans, said: "We were delighted that so many key people in the industry attended our celebrations. It is tremendously pleasing to have reached our 20th anniversary and to have received so much praise from our many associates."

ZRichard Evans, Sales and Marketing Director of Pennine Telecom, pictured with Denis Crawley, a representative of Greater Manchester Buses - Pennine's first customer - at Pennine's recent 20th anniversary celebrations.

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