Laura Mearns, owner and director of leading estate and lettings agency Northwood North East, scooped another major award when she was named ‘Business Person of the Year’ at the annual Pride of Inverurie Awards: Celebrating Our Community.
Sponsored by Johnston Carmichael, the ‘Business Person of the Year’ Award celebrated ‘an individual who has shown an outstanding contribution to their sector, above and beyond their own company or organisation’s expectations’.
Graham Leith, a Partner at Johnston Carmichael, presented the award. He said: “We’re very proud to support the communities in which we live and work at Johnston Carmichael, and the Pride of Inverurie Awards are a fantastic way to celebrate local success stories.
“It was a real privilege to present the Business Person of the Year award to Laura, who exemplifies the ambition and commitment that make Inverurie’s business community thrive.”
Northwood’s Inverurie office opened on the popular North-east town’s High Street in June 2021. The first office was opened in Aberdeen’s Rosemount in 2009, when the company was first launched by Laura and her husband Steven. A third was opened on Banchory High Street last summer.
Laura said: “I was completely overwhelmed to have been awarded Business Person of the Year, especially given I was up against another two very deserving local finalists. I feel very honoured.
“Our motto at Northwood is ‘live and love local’ and we really have put our money where our mouth is by opening offices in towns that are very close to our hearts. Some of our small, dedicated team were born and brought up in the area or live here currently and because of that people and community are at the heart of all that they do.
“It’s important for us to have a visible High Street presence offering a very personal service. We love being part of the High Street – it’s vibrant, friendly, and full of character and we’ve received a very warm welcome from local businesses and the wider community.”