A family-run Rushden business with more than four decades of history is celebrating after being named a finalist in this year’s SME Northamptonshire Business Awards.

Inter County Service Group Ltd has been shortlisted in the Family Business of the Year category which aims to recognise a family business that ‘combines their passion in business with their shared family values’.

Founded in 1978 by Keith Nicholson as a small office cleaning business, Inter County has grown into a multi-service company providing commercial cleaning, waste management, washroom hygiene and janitorial supplies to organisations including schools, housing associations, local authorities and well-known brands, with much of its growth driven by long-term relationships and word-of-mouth recommendations.

Still firmly family-owned, the business now includes multiple members of the Nicholson family. Keith’s wife Lorna joined the company in 1985 and, over the years, all six of their children – Gary, Emma, Yvonne, Mark, Martine and Callum – have worked within the firm. Collectively, the siblings have amassed more than 120 years of service between them.

Today, five of the siblings remain in the business, with their children starting to take on administrative and warehouse tasks within the company too.

Finance Director Callum Nicholson said the award recognition was a proud moment for the whole family.

He said: “To be named a finalist in the Family Business of the Year category is a real honour. We are incredibly proud of what has been built over the past 40+ years.

“As a family, we have grown alongside the business. We combine strategy and growth with shared values, such as respect, kindness, loyalty, hard work, trust and treating people properly – ensuring that our family values remain at the heart of everything we do.”

Callum and his family will find out if they are award-winners at the glittering awards ceremony, which takes place at Franklin’s Gardens on Thursday, April 23.

To find out more about Inter County Service Group, visit https://intercountyltd.co.uk.