North Wales is full of fast growing firms and companies that have stood the test of time.
This includes multi-billion pound giants and small independent traders - all helping this region's economy to thrive.
Among them are brands that are known across North Wales and in some cases around the UK and the world.
Here we feature a list of nine of our top brands - names that most people would know, whether they live in Pwllheli or Padeswood.
Clogau
In 1989, William Roberts wanted to reopen the Clogau St David’s gold mine as a tourist attraction, an idea that was overturned by the Snowdonia National Park.
As a result, William decided to gamble on the idea that there would be more gold within the mine.
Luckily, there was, and a few years worth of small scale mining began in 1992.
William decided to use it to the produce jewellery, using the natural beauty and history of Wales as his design inspirations.
The miners who worked the mine were the direct descendants of the original workers who once struck gold at the Clogau Mine in 1854 and mined deep in the 12 miles of caverns insider the Snowdonia hillside.
To begin with just five lines of jewellery were created and Clogau Gold was born.
Twenty six years later and Clogau is a brand that is now not only known across Wales but is also becoming more and more recognisable over the border and even around the globe.
With three new stores opening in North Wales in 2018 this is a brand that looks set to continue to grow in future years.
Halen Mon/Anglesey Sea Salt
Twenty one years ago, David and Alison Lea-Wilson had a go at making their own sea salt by leaving a saucepan of Anglesey seawater to bubble away on the ancient Aga in their family kitchen.
As the salt crystals started to form, they knew they'd struck culinary gold and Halen Môn was born.
Years of steady growth have followed and Anglesey Sea Salt is now a household name in North Wales and also well known in the finest restaurant kitchens in the UK and continental Europe.
They also have Protected Designation of Origin status which puts their sea salt up there with the likes of Champagne and Parma Ham.
Redrow
Redrow has gone from a small company founded with a £5,000 loan in 1974 to being one of the biggest housebuilders in Wales, now making annual profits of more than £300m.
Under the leadership of Steve Morgan, the company began building houses in 1982 and hasn't looked back since, as it continued to grow impressively through the ’90s.
Steve Morgan left the company in 2000 and during the following period, the brands' reputation dropped. Like most of the country, Redrow was hit hard as growth slowed to a halt during the 2008 financial crash.
In the wake of both the credit crunch and the damage that had been done to Redrow’s reputation, Steve Morgan rejoined the company driven by the ambition to restore it to its previously high standing.
His success in this effort has been instrumental in securing a bright future for Redrow, with turnover smashing the £1 billion threshold back in 2015. With new high profile projects being announced in recent years Redrow seems set to continue to be one of North Wales’ top brands.
Huws Gray
Huws Gray is one of the UK’s largest independent builders merchants.
Formed in 1990 as a single branch on Anglesey, the company has gone from strength to strength and now has 100 branches across north and mid-Wales, northwest of England, the Midlands, and Yorkshire.
The companies' proven track record of successful acquisitions has been instrumental in their journey to becoming an industry leader that now employs over 1,800 people across its branches.
Since 2010, Huws Gray has been the proud sponsor of the north and mid-Wales premier football league, known as the Huws Gray Alliance.
With the 2018 acquisition of Ridgeons and strong backing from private equity, Huws Gray looks set to prosper and continue to grow as one of the regions most successful brands.
Iceland
Malcolm Walker opened the first Iceland shop in Oswestry, Shropshire, in 1970 selling loose frozen food.
Within five years the business had grown to 15 Iceland stores in North Wales and the North West, supported by a cold store in Rhyl.
In 1979 the company opened a new cold store and head office at Deeside, Flintshire and its HQ remains in Flintshire - employing hundreds of people.
Across the UK they now have around 800 store, employ over 23,000 staff and have a turnover of close to £3bn.
This penetration in the UK grocery market - and its advertising campaigns - have made Iceland a recognisable brand all over Britain.
Zip World
Zip World's rise has been rapid as it won international acclaim when it opened Zip World Velocity at Penrhyn Quarry, Bethesda in March 2013.
It instantly become a household name in the activity sector and at the centre of turning North Wales into the adventure capital of Europe.
Zip World - with founder Sean Taylor leading the way - didn't take long to expand, adding Zip World Titan in Blaenau Ffestiniog in 2014 and then going underground with Bounce Below in the same year.
This has been followed by Zip World Caverns in Blaenau and Zip World Fforest in Betws-y-Coed.
In total 1m people have now visited their sites in just five years with the company now employing 450 staff - bringing a major economic boost to towns that were once at the heart of the slate industry.
This makes then one of the region's biggest brands and there is no sign of the expansion slowing down with ambitious plans for North Wales and beyond.
Village Bakery
The bakery was first established by the Edwards brothers in 1934.
After three generations of building a great reputation for baking delicious bread, the Edwards brothers sold the site to Alan and Harry Jones, then employing five staff.
The family-run Village Bakery is now one of the most successful bakeries in the UK - employing more than 450 workers.
As well as supplying independent shops across North Wales, the North West and Shropshire, they make premium breads, morning goods, savouries and bespoke products for major retail and supermarket chains.
Their products now sell across the world, as far afield as Hong Kong and Singapore.
They have just opened a new state-of-the-art gluten free bakery after spending £12 million on converting a former wire factory on Wrexham Industrial Estate into a 75,000 sq ft production facility which has been hailed as the most advance bakery of its kind in Europe.
The company operates three other bakeries – two nearby on the industrial estate and another one up the road in Minera.
Earlier this year chairman Alan Jones was presented with the Outstanding Contribution Award the industry’s Oscars, the Baking Industry Awards.
Two of his sons, Robin, the Managing Director, and Projects Director Christien, are taking the Village Bakery to the next level, building on the firm foundations laid by their father.
Ifor Williams Trailers
Drive on any rural road in the UK it won't be long before you are following an Ifor Williams Trailer.
Europe’s largest trailer maker has celebrated two major milestones this year – it’s 60 anniversary and the 750,000 trailer rolling off the production line.
Ifor Williams Trailers employs more than 500 people and has factories on Deeside Industrial Estate, in Ruthin, Corwen and in Cynwyd where it was founded in 1958.
Overseas sales now account for more than 30 per cent of the business at Ifor Williams Trailers so even on the continent there is growing chance of seeing a trailer built by this company.
Managing director John Williams said: “While 2018 has marked some important milestones for the company, we are certainly not resting on our laurels as the quest to improve our products continues.
“Our philosophy is to produce high quality trailers that combine high technology with strength, durability, ease of maintenance and value for money.”
Edwards of Conwy
Ieuan Edwards, a farmer’s son from the Conwy Valley, served his apprenticeship in the market town of Llanrwst, before successfully completing butchery courses in both Switzerland and Holland.
He opened his first butchers shop in Conwy back in the 1980s at the tender age of 20 at a time when many traditional shops faced closure due to supermarket competition.
The store moved down the road a few years later and his deli style shop thrived in the heart of the historic town and soon became renowned in the local area.
In 2004 Ieuan founded another award winning food company ‘The Traditional Welsh Sausage Co. Ltd’, specialising in supplying major UK supermarkets, export and foodservice.
This saw the brand expand the Edwards name past its traditional boundaries with his sausages, burgers and bacon appearing in stores like Tesco and Asda across Wales and then over the border. It is also exporting around the world.
He says his success is built on a commitment to providing with the highest quality Welsh meat.
