YORK and North Yorkshire is home to almost 4,000 SMEs - today we celebrate the successes of the top performing 50 in the first dedicated breakdown of the region's businesses.

The Press has teamed up with BHP Chartered Accountants in analysing data from thousands of small and medium sized enterprises in our area to compile a definitive Top 50 list, based on pre-tax profits.

Data has been collected from SMEs across York and North Yorkshire, covering the circulation area of The Press, which also encompasses outer-lying areas in the East Riding.

>>>The Top 50 SMEs in our region>>>

Topping the first ever Top 50 SMEs is York-based developer S Harrison, with a clear lead at the number one spot from profits of £3.5 million, up 117 per cent from the previous year.

The firm, based at the former Terry's site in Bishopthorpe Road, directly employs a team of ten, and is well-known for developing City of York Council's £32 million West Offices and neighbouring Hilton Hotel, as well as student halls and new office for The Press in Walmgate.

Reporting the largest turnover in the Top 50 is Pickering-based Burgess Group with revenues of £35 million.

The group, which specialises in the leasing of plant and machinery, property development, manufacture of pet food and management of investments, appears at number 17 in the list with pre-tax profits of £1.1 million.

In total the entire Top 50 reported pre-tax profits of £55 million, and increase of 20 per cent from the featuring firms' previous financial years, when together they made £45 million.

The biggest year on year pre-tax profit increase in the Top 50 was reported by monumental stone masons and masonry contractors J Rotherham.

The business, based in Holme-on-Spalding-Moor, saw a 1,246 per cent increase from 2013, when it made a £95,000 loss, to its pre-tax profit of £1.1 million for 2014, putting it at number 18 overall in the Top 50.

Collectively the Top 50 list turned over £574 million and employs 4,121 people.

The largest employer on the list was York-based Future Cleaning Services, which has its head office in York Business Park as well as operations in Lincoln, Leeds, Grimsby and Cornwall.

With a team of 1,000 staff the venture has been classed as an SME due to having less than £25.9 million turnover and less than £12.9 million gross assets, and appears at number 48 on the list with pre-tax profits of £390,000.