Last Updated on: 18th June 2025, 04:11 pm
Nick Griffiths, Owner and Managing Director of Runcorn-based Industrial Cooling Equipment Ltd (ICE), has won Entrepreneur of the Year at the 2025 Halton Business Awards.
This esteemed award recognises business leaders who demonstrate innovation, resilience, and long-term growth – and Nick’s leadership of ICE over the past decade and a half embodies all three.
Operating from its headquarters in Runcorn, the family-run company has become one of the most respected firms in the UK’s refrigeration sector.
Since assuming control in 2011, Nick has driven remarkable change, growing the company’s revenue by 500% and evolving ICE from a small team of three engineers into a dynamic and expanding operation.
Speaking about the accolade, Nick said:
“It’s nice to get some recognition for the past 15 years of work I’ve put into ICE. When I took over in 2011, we had £5,000 in the bank, a looming £12k tax bill, and just a few engineers – myself included. I had no business experience at all. What I did have was grit, determination, and a vision.”
Originally from Liverpool, Nick studied at New Heys Comprehensive. He faced early adversity, having been excluded from school shortly before completing his education, but returned to complete his GCSEs. He started working at 16 as a part-time butcher before beginning an apprenticeship at ICE in 2001 – a firm co-directed at the time by his father.
Nick learnt quickly, advancing through the ranks and eventually managing the company’s critical pharmaceutical clients during a period of increasing compliance requirements.
After the untimely passing of his father from Motor Neurone Disease in 2011, Nick stepped up as ICE’s sole director at just 26 years old, without formal business credentials.
Instead, he relied on sheer determination, practical know-how, and a deep commitment to keep the business going – meeting every challenge head-on.
“That time was unbelievably hard – personally and professionally,” Nick recalled. “I had to make ICE a success, not just for myself, but for my family and everyone who depended on the business. There were countless sleepless nights, months I couldn’t pay myself, and moments when I questioned everything. But I kept going.”
ICE now employs an expanding team and runs a respected apprenticeship programme, with a solid track record in customer service and technical capability.
The company’s past honours include BID Business of the Year in 2015 and two Family Business of the Year wins in 2019 and 2023. This year, Nick has received well-earned personal recognition with the Entrepreneur of the Year award.
“It’s easy to look at the numbers today and miss what it took to get here,” said Nick. “The callouts at 3 am to save money, missing family events, turning up to work after losing both parents – this is what being an entrepreneur looks like behind the scenes. It’s not glamorous, it’s just hard work, sacrifice, and believing in your team and your mission.”
As for what’s next, Nick has big plans for ICE:
“We’re aiming to become a £10 million turnover company. That will come through a combination of strategic acquisitions and organic development. The foundation is there – now it’s time to build on it.”
