L to R: Whitford's Martin Garnett and Dave Willis.

Whitford, which recently announced its new, state-of-the-art facility in Manor Park, Runcorn, UK, marked its move with a grand opening celebration on November 7, 2012.

Customers were invited to the celebration, along with friends of the company, local dignitaries and all employees, including Whitford colleagues and agents from overseas. More than 20 nationalities were represented.

The proceedings began at 11 am, when guests were greeted on arrival with canapés and bucks fizz, followed by brief speeches by Whitford’s president and founder, Dave Willis, and UK managing director, Martin Garnett.

“We are proud to unveil our new facility here today, as not only does it provide scope to grow and a fantastic place to work, but most important it enables us to serve our customers better,” Garnett said. A symbolic ribbon cutting then took place, declaring the facility officially open.

Attendees were invited to take a tour of the buildings, with staff members accompanying to point out features and answer questions.

Celebrity chef Mike Harrison provided cooking demonstrations.

All guests received a heavy-gauge porcelain frying pan coated with the Eterna non-stick system, one of Whitford’s most recent developments.