Applichat Wins Growing Small Company of the Year at the 2025 Ards Business Awards

Applichat is proud to announce that it has been named Growing Small Company of the Year at the 2025 Ards Peninsula Business Awards, held in association with Ards Business Hub.

The award recognizes local companies that have demonstrated exceptional growth, ambition, and impact — and celebrates the businesses driving the Ards Peninsula economy forward. For Applichat, it’s a milestone that reflects years of hard work building a company that competes on a global stage from a home base in Newtownards, County Down.

Built here, growing everywhere

From its roots on the Ards Peninsula, Applichat has grown into a recruitment and workforce partner serving healthcare employers across 36 US states and Canadian provinces. In just a few years — and without external funding — the team has scaled to process tens of thousands of applications a year while helping employers cut agency spend, fill hard-to-staff roles, and build homegrown talent pipelines.

Being recognized as Growing Small Company of the Year is a testament to that trajectory, and to a team that has kept its standards high while the company has scaled quickly.

A team effort

“Winning Growing Small Company of the Year means a huge amount to us,” said Adam Chambers, President of Applichat. “This award belongs to the whole team. We’ve built something ambitious from the Ards Peninsula, and to be recognized at home while we’re helping employers thousands of miles away is incredibly special. Our thanks go to Ards Business Hub and everyone who supports local business here.”

Thank you

Our thanks to the Ards Peninsula Business Awards and Ards Business Hub for the recognition, to the judges, and above all to the clients and candidates who make this work possible. We’re just getting started.