Over 550 guests from the construction and property-related industries attended the second annual event held at the new ACC Liverpool Arena on Thursday night.

The event was organised by the University of Salford's Centre for Construction Innovation and was hosted by the BBC's Diane Oxberry

The SME of the Year Award is a new category introduced this year for companies with less than 250 employees.

The judging panel said: "the North West SME of the Year Award recognises the achievements of small to medium-sized businesses who have made significant impact on the industry and who show strong prospects for the future, a strong commitment to health & safety and improvements in the way they work".

Conlon Construction was formed in 1961 by five brothers. A main board of six now runs the company; two of who are women and three are second-generation family members.

The company operates throughout the North West Region and undertakes general contracting work for the public and private sectors, together with its own property development work.  It employs 108 people and its supply chain is made up of North West businesses employing approximately 6,000 people.

Director, Maureen Boland, said: "We are absolutely thrilled to receive this award and would like to thank all employees for their enthusiasm, commitment and loyalty. We also wish to thank our clients, sub-contractors and consultants for their continued contribution and support to the business".