Your Business Spring 2016 by Ayrshire Chamber of Commerce & Industry

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the magazine of Ayrshire Chamber of Commerce and Industry

On 4th March 2016 over 450 guests attended the biggest night of the year for Ayrshire business at Ayr Racecourse

AYRSHIRE CHAMBER ANNUAL DINNER 2016 See pages 15 - 17 www.ayrshire-chamber.org

Also inside: DEVELOPING YOUNG WORKFORCE AYRSHIRE

vices al Se r chnic

Sponsors of the Ayrshire Chamber Annual Dinner

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Specialist training providers delivering Health & Safety, Construction and Rail Training.

tion, geta ail Ve s of R vider Lead ing P ro

T: 01357 440 222 E. qtstraining@qtsgroup.com

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First Aid Fire Warden Working at Height Confined Space CITB ConstructionSkills PASMA IRATA Rope Access Rail Safety Critical On-Track Plant

Join one of the fastest growing companies in the UK

Ayrshire Chamber of Commerce & Industry, The Mezzanine, Glasgow Prestwick Airport, Prestwick, KA9 2PL Email: enquiries@ayrshire-chamber.org Web: www.ayrshire-chamber.org Tel: 01292 678666 President

Stuart Cresswell

Chief Executive

Valerie Russell

Development Manager

Helen McBride

MAGAZINE Editorial Content: acameron@ayrshire-chamber.org

Ad Sales:

Design & Typesetting:

nsykes@ayrshire-chamber.org

Adver tisingworks Scotland Ltd

www.advertisingworks.co.uk

Print & Distribution: www.brown-bros.com

PARTNERS FOR BUSINESS Ayrshire Chamber wishes to acknowledge the support of the following companies as sponsors of our Partners for Business programme.

It has been a hectic 2016 already as I pen my first column for our Your Business magazine and it doesn’t look like easing any time soon. Not that I’m complaining! We’ve been busy pushing forward the Developing Young Workforce Ayrshire programme to get employers involved in this extremely worthwhile project, so you may be hearing from us very soon! We also have an exciting summer calendar of events planned and hope to see as many of you at these. The Ayrshire Chamber team is still on a high from our Annual Dinner, what a night it was and great to see so many of you. It truly was a case of Ayrshire’s biggest and best from the business community in one room. The support we receive from you helps make this night what it is. My congratulations to the winners of the Business Excellence Ayrshire Award 2016 – Ancho Ltd and Ashleigh Scotland. Our President, Stuart Cresswell, and Alan McLeish, MD of QTS Group, both spoke passionately about the importance of developing our youth and preparing them for the workplace. We believe engagement between employers and education establishments, developing and strengthening partnerships between education and employers will bring long term benefits. Whilst reflecting on what we have been doing, I am looking forward to what we have just around the corner. This summer we’ll be crossing the water to spend the day with our colleagues in Northern Ireland and are also hosting our own event at Royal Troon for The Open Championship. We’re proud to host Championship Connections at golf ’s premier competition on Ayrshire’s stunning coastline and hope you can join us too.

VAL RUSSELL ACCI CHIEF EXECUTIVE

We’ll also be hosting another Pro Business Politics before the Scottish Parliamentary elections in May. It will give you the opportunity to speak first hand to those vying for your vote on Thursday 5th May. You can read more about this event further in this edition. Under the new devolution deal, The Scottish Government is in the strongest position it has ever been since its reformation in 1999 and has the power to support, grow and develop Scottish business like never before. Like many we were disappointed to learn the decision which saw the Ayrshire and Arran Tourism Team disbanded earlier this year. Tourism is a massive contributor to our local economy and we are keen to see a collaborative working effort to make sure we give Ayrshire the best chance of being a powerhouse industry for the area. Discussions are underway to look at the future of tourism in Ayrshire and how best to work together. These remain at an early stage but we do believe there is scope for an industry led ‘Visit Ayrshire’ organisation. Ayrshire Chamber of Commerce believes in partnership working and the strength of it will only bring benefits to where we call home.

YOUR BUSINESS | SPRING 2016

CONTACTS

WORKING TOGETHER FOR A BETTER FUTURE

CHAMBER NEWS

ANCHO AND ASHLEIGH CONSTRUCTION WIN AT BUSINESS EXCELLENCE Ancho Ltd and Ashleigh Construction were named Business Excellence 2016 winners at Ayrshire Chamber of Commerce’s Annual Dinner. Both were delighted to be named winners from the six finalists in this prestigious contest. Ancho Ltd collected the prize in category for 25 and less employees and Ashleigh Construction in the more than 25 employees category. Nicola Sykes, Ayrshire Chamber of Commerce, said: “I congratulate the winners of the 2016 Business Excellence Ayrshire Award.

ANCHO LTD, WINNERS OF THE 'BUSINESSES OF 25 EMPLOYEES AND LESS' CATEGORY

“The extremely high level of applicant just proves the quality of business based here in Ayrshire. It was the highest scoring we’ve had between the finalists.

of Ayrshire talent that have truly challenged the judging panel through both via the entry documentation to the onsite judges visits.

YOUR BUSINESS | SPRING 2016

“This award is not just about winning as it provides an excellent opportunity for each

“For 2016 we are proud to announce the winners of the category for businesses of 25 and less are Ancho Ltd who clearly demonstrated their journey of continuous improvement year on year and proved to the judges to be exemplary winners of this category.

ASHLEIGH CONSTRUCTION, WINNERS OF THE 'BUSINESSES OF MORE THAN 25 EMPLOYEES' CATEGORY

individual business to comprehensively review their practices and encourages them to strive toward excellence.” Chair of the Judging Panel Brian McGillvray of Spirit Aerosystems added: “The Business Excellence Ayrshire Award this year has seen

a wonderful mix of different local Business types entering via the newly designed online entry form which has made the overall process smoother for both the applicants and judges alike. “Yet again we have seen a great calibre

“Onto the second category of businesses greater than 25 employees; the title this year goes to Ashleigh Construction who shared with the judges their self-designed business workflows from start to finish of a typical job and the comprehensive supporting documentation. “The judging panel would like to thank all entrants for taking the time out their busy schedules to enter this great local award and we hope for a similar standard of entrants for 2017. Please contact Ayrshire Chamber of Commerce for further details of the entry process.”

OLYMPIC MEDALLIST PUTS AYRSHIRE BUSINESS LEADERS THROUGH THEIR PACES

Former world champion and Olympic silver medallist, Steve Cram CBE, spoke with members at the first Ayrshire Talks with Clydesdale Bank. Guests listened as Steve spoke about his experience as a world class athlete, drawing parallels between business and sport and highlighting the importance of setting and achieving personal goals. The talk was followed by a Q&A where Steve also took a variety of questions from the audience ranging from how to combat complacency and the move from sport to business. The event was organised jointly by the Ayrshire Chamber of Commerce and Clydesdale Bank. Peter Grassom, Commercial Manager

at Clydesdale Bank’s Business and Private Banking Centre in Ayr, said: “It was a real honour to have a distinguished sporting figure like Steve Cram coaching at the school and speak to our local business community. “Steve has great experience over many years, first as a top class athlete, then commentator and businessman, and hopefully he passed some of that on to both groups, inspiring them for the future.” Val Russell, Chief Executive of Ayrshire Chamber of Commerce, said: “We are very grateful that Steve could come and talk at our event. “Steve delivered a fantastic speech to our members who I hope were all inspired by his story.”

YOUR BUSINESS | SPRING 2016

CHAMBER NEWS

CHAMBER TEES UP SPECIAL NETWORKING EVENT Ayrshire Chamber of Commerce have teamed up with The Open Championship to host a very special event on the eve of the historic tournament’s return to Ayrshire.

Ayrshire coastline.

“Championship Networking” will take place on the final practice day at Royal Troon and gives you the chance to get close to the action as the world’s best golfers get their final look at the course before the competition for the Claret Jug begins on Thursday.

Ayrshire Chamber Chief Executive Val Russell said: “This is a truly unique opportunity for Chamber members to network at one of the world’s most recognisable sporting events right on our doorstep.

Enjoy entry to the course, parking, 3-course lunch, Afternoon Tea, and complimentary wine, beer and soft drinks while you watch the world’s finest players and meet new business on the stunning

Locate your business somewhere it can really take off!

The 145th Open Championship at Royal Troon takes place during 10 - 17 July and returns to Ayrshire for the first time since 2009 when Turnberry played host.

“We’re delighted to offer this opportunity to our membership and Chamber members across Scotland to meet potential new business at one of the biggest UK sporting events of 2016. “This is a truly special event and we look

forward to welcoming everyone to Ayrshire and joining us for what will be a great day.” Price for this event is £199 + VAT to any Chamber member and a non-member price of £250 + VAT and takes place on Wednesday 13th July from 11.30am to 6pm. Bookings for this fantastic Chamber event can be made via the events section at ayrshire-chamber.org

MAKING THE CASE FOR YOUR VOTE

YOUR BUSINESS | SPRING 2016

Pro-Business politics is back in time for May’s Scottish Parliamentary election and gives you the chance to hear each party’s case for the business vote.

Glasgow Prestwick Airport has office spaces and warehouses to let. The airport offers excellent transport links by road, rail and air as well as 24 hour unrestricted access and dedicated on-site parking To find out more contact our property team at property@glasgowprestwick.com or by calling: 01292 511211

Visit glasgowprestwick.com/business/property

A candidate from each party standing on the constituency list will speak about what their Party can do support and encourage business and answers questions from our audience. Chamber Chief Executive Val Russell said: “We’re pleased to bring another ProBusiness Politics event to our membership before the Scottish

Parliamentary elections. “Our event last year proved to be very beneficial and provided an excellent platform to speak with candidates standing for election to Westminster and I believe this year will be the same.” The event will be held on Friday 29th April between 8.30am and 10.30am in the Aviator Suite at Glasgow Prestwick Airport and you can register to attend via our website. Already candidates from Scottish Conservatives, Scottish Labour and Scottish National Party have confirmed their attendance to take part which will be moderated by Garry Clark of Scottish Chambers of Commerce.

Business Advice • Networking • Events • Routes to Finance • HR • Sales & Marketing

We have more than tripled in size since we launched three years ago. Gareth Downie, West Coast Foods

Start and grow your business with Business Gateway Ayrshire. Business Gateway Ayrshire has an enhanced approach to business support, providing a comprehensive package of information, advice and fully funded workshops to ensure that businesses and entrepreneurs receive the best support possible.

April – June workshops include: Start Up • Start Up Awareness • Start Up Marketing • Start Up Finance Digitalboost • Digital Marketing Strategy • Website Data Analytics • Digitise your Business Processes Social Media for Business • Intro to Social Media • Facebook • LinkedIn • Twitter • Pinterest/Instagram

Growth workshops • Get Real Results from your Website • Funding your Business • HR • Mastering Selling Skills • Financially Managing Growth • Trading Online (Amazon, ebay etc) • Networking Skills • Developing your Marketing Strategy • Innovation in Business – Creating Value

Get in touch with your local office on 01292 616 349 (South Ayrshire), 01294 449 944 (North Ayrshire) or 01563 576987 (East Ayrshire). Email ayrshire@bgateway.com Visit www.bgateway.com/ayrshire

CHAMBER NEWS

NEED A BUSINESS MENTOR? Business Mentoring is a national project bringing together experienced business people with companies who would benefit from guidance or support in sustaining, growing and developing their business. Mentors provide their expertise on a monthly basis for one year, at no cost to the business. Ayrshire Chamber of Commerce is the leading organisation providing this FREE service to businesses across Ayrshire and Dumfries & Galloway Business Mentoring Executive Rhona Brown, explained: “Mentoring does bring benefits to both parties involved. We can put you in touch with

experienced professionals who’ll offer support and someone to bounce ideas off. “I would actively encourage anyone wishing to get involved in this very worthwhile process to get in touch as the results can be huge for you and your business." “Mentoring can help with your strategy, leadership or any aspects of your business by offering a fresh perspective.” Rhona can be contacted at rbrown@ayrshire-chamber.org or 01292 678666.

STEVE CRAM CBE WITH BUSINESS MENTORING EXECUTIVE RHONA BROWN

Now hear from those who’ve used Business Mentoring to help improve their business:

This assignment was a perfect match as the mentee was willing to listen and take action and the mentor was then motivated to continue with the programme.

YOUR BUSINESS | SPRING 2016

This was a model example of mentoring.

My mentoring experience has been absolutely invaluable. Without our mentor our business would not have progressed to the place it is today. He provided advice on a wide variety of subjects and in particular, improving our management skills. He also made a significant difference to the transformation of our business highlighting several lucrative commercial opportunities that we were missing. “The business issues that were highlighted at the beginning of our mentoring match met were definitely met - the fit could not have been better. Our mentor had experience of our industry and the commercial/ management experience that was so valuable to us. Thank you for running this initiative and hopefully one day I could be a mentor and support others “Business mentoring allowed us to identify a number of areas which we needed to focus on. We are now getting support from Scottish Enterprise to develop software for managing our business, management account review and feasibility study for future office expansion.

The programme has been great, I am truly grateful that you introduced me to my mentor, I have made a really good advisor and friend. We meet regularly and we are in contact regularly too, he is always at the other end of the phone, if I need advice or guidance on anything.

My mentee was very responsive to the mentoring and coaching though process, she is a reflective learner and as such gained a lot through the sessions where she was able to unpick her own business issues and come up with solutions to allow her to develop a platform for an exciting period of business growth and transformation.

MEMBER NEWS

TRUMP TURNBERRY MICROTECH ‘ON COURSE’ FOR GROUP WELCOMES NEW SUMMER REOPENING NON-EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN NON-EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN OF MICROTECH GROUP IAN WELSH

Ayrshire based Microtech Group is delighted to announce the appointment of Ian Welsh OBE as Non-executive Chairman as part of their overarching growth and innovation strategies. Ian is Chief Executive of the Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland (The Alliance) and has extensive experience in the public, private and voluntary sectors in executive, non-executive and consultancy roles. Utilising this experience and knowledge will help drive Microtech Group forward. A delighted Chris McMail, Microtech Group Managing Director, said: “Ian’s experience and achievements in Ayrshire and throughout the UK in differing business contexts and in a range of governance roles represents a considerable, added-value asset to the business. It’s an exciting time for an Ayrshire head-quartered business to be expanding its horizons and we’re all looking forward to the future.” Ian Welsh OBE said: “The Microtech Group is looking to build and further develop a new business platform for its range of supports and services and I’m looking forward to helping it put in place a nimble governance structure to assist it.” Currently, a member of Ayrshire and Arran Health Board; Ian chairs it’s Staff Governance Committee and operates as Chair of East Ayrshire Health and Social Care Integration Board.

TRUMP TURNBERRY GENERAL MANAGER, RALPH PORCIANI

“2016 is a new chapter in the long and illustrious history of Turnberry,” says Trump Turnberry General Manager, Ralph Porciani as refurbishment work continues at pace at the iconic hotel.

partnership with our own greenkeepers to reshape and returf the golf course. New tees have been put in at holes 3, 4, 5, 6, 10, 11 and 18, plus all 18 greens have been reshaped and re-laid.

With around 200 workers arriving daily on site, the majority from UK companies, has meant work, so far, remains well on schedule for its summer opening.

“Over £1m alone is being spent to on the lighthouse to make the world’s best half way house and will also contain a unique, two bedroom luxury suite.”

Construction of The Donald J. Trump Ballroom is well underway, with the steel structure now erected and the concrete for the floor laid.

The organisation is in the process of bringing even more recruitment opportunities to the area through a selection of seasonal and permanent positions throughout the resort.

Mr Porciani continued: “The hotel has never seen this level of investment before – it truly is astonishing. Around 36,000 square ft of marble tile will be incorporated into the bathrooms. All 476 windows are being replaced throughout the building and around 1.5 miles of kerb stone have been replaced on the main drive way and around the resort so far.

Ralph added: “Over the years the hotel has had many different owners and seen many different incarnations. However, the £200m of investment that has been committed by The Trump Organization will benefit the resort and South Ayrshire.

“Work is almost complete on the Ailsa, with the team from Sol Golf working in

“I am very much looking forward to welcoming our Ayrshire friends and fellow Chamber members to Trump Turnberry after our doors reopen on the 1st of June 2016.“

YOUR BUSINESS | SPRING 2016

CHAMBER NEWS

SCOTS BUSINESSES FAVOUR STAYING IN THE EU BUT ‘OUT’ CAMPAIGN GAINS GROUND

A new poll of Scottish Chambers of Commerce members appears to show a slight weakening of business enthusiasm towards EU membership within the last five months, though a solid majority of Scottish businesses would still vote for the UK to stay in the 28-nation group. According to the new poll, 68% of the Scottish-based Chambers members who responded said that they would vote for Britain to remain a member “if the poll were held tomorrow”. This represents a slight decline from the 74% declaring for staying in the previous survey, conducted in September 2015. Liz Cameron, chief executive of Scottish Chambers of Commerce said: “There is no doubt that the EU referendum debate is being taken very seriously by the Scottish business community and we will continue to watch for shifts in sentiment. We hope that businesses will continue to study the issues and weigh very carefully the implications

RECENT POLL OF SCOTTISH CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE MEMBERS

YOUR BUSINESS | SPRING 2016

She added: “Growing Scotland’s exporting opportunities is a priority for business, irrespective of the outcome of the EU referendum. Scotland’s exports to the EU fell by 7.8% to £11.6 billion, according to the most recent export figures but this still accounts for 42% of the international market for our goods and services. Scottish businesses will be keen to hear from both sides of the EU referendum debate as to how their competing visions would deliver more exporting opportunities and enable increased growth and competitiveness.” Support for leaving the EU has risen more markedly, from 13.5% to 20%, or one in five of those polled. Meanwhile the number of those who are still undecided has decreased from 12% to 10%.

IMPORTANCE OF THE REFERENDUM ON UK MEMBERSHIP OF THE EU TO THEIR BUSINESS:

40.1%

20.2%

10 .6%

6 .9%

Indicate it was very important

State it is important

State it is not important

State it is not at all important

SUPPORT FOR LEAVING THE EU:

of staying in or getting out on job security and future trading opportunities.”

TIMING OF REFERENDUM:

20%

10%

25%

26%

20%

Risen from 13.5%

Content for poll to be held in June 2016

Undecided dropped from 12%

September 2016

Sometime in 2017

Content with June 2016

POTENTIAL NEGATIVE IMPACT FOR SCOTTISH BUSINESS IF UK WERE TO LEAVE EU:

PRIORITIES FOR PM RENEGOTIATION OF UK MEMBERSHIP:

40.2%

36.3%

63%

Overall growth strategy

Company profitability

Import/Supply chain strategy

Boost competitiveness by setting a target for reducing the ‘burden’ of red tape

43.5%

38.7%

Exempt UK from closer Prevent steps to union, enhancing UK further financial union parliaments’ ability to being imposed block EU legislation on the UK

Start-up businesses based at Entrepreneurial Spark’s Ayrshire Hatchery shared over £35,000 in cash prizes after pitching their plans at the Entrepreneuring Awards on Wednesday 20th January. Tartan-Ice and Rock N Role Models both won the £4,000 #GoDo Award, Oor Wee Den and WHRL won the £6,000 Acceler8 Award, The Little Art School took the £10,000 Entrepreneur of the Moment Award and the £2,000 Chiclet Choice Award was presented to SEM Events. Entrepreneurial Spark® is the world’s largest free accelerator for start-up and scale-up businesses. The programme is open to businesses from all sectors and is completely free, taking no equity in supported businesses. Run alongside partners Royal Bank of Scotland and KPMG, the Entrepreneuring Awards offered cash prizes aimed at helping early-stage businesses to get off the ground and grow. Eight Chiclets were also shortlisted to pitch their businesses at the event for a chance of winning £2,000, with Advance Aerial Media, Tubit Safely and White Rabbit Skincare each taking home prizes.

The event included speakers from Entrepreneurial Spark’s team of Enablers and representatives of partner RBS, as well as Stephen Cole from Cole Advertising & Design who shared his experience of growing a company over 30 years.

Entrepreneurial Spark founder and chief executive Jim Duffy said: “The Entrepreneuring Awards have grown alongside our network of Hatcheries, and the latest round was the biggest yet. The cash prizes are an excellent way of boosting some of our most promising businesses and accelerating their growth.”

Chiclets put the skills they had learned over the last six months on the Entrepreneurial Spark programme into practice as they pitched their businesses, with winners now being able to develop their business ideas further and put exciting plans into action.

YOUR BUSINESS | SPRING 2016

AYRSHIRE STARTUPS SCOOP OVER £35,000 AT ENTREPRENEURING AWARDS

MEMBER NEWS

ASSET FINANCE – AN OPPORTUNITY TO HELP SME GROWTH IN AYRSHIRE Good news for Ayrshire businesses, Commercial and Asset Finance have expanded into the Ayrshire market.

can also be much more flexible and helps underpin the ability of companies, especially SMEs to grow their business.

Commercial and Asset Finance Limited are a growing finance brokerage and for almost 10 years have been helping businesses gain access to important funding. Commercial and Asset Finance, incorporated in 2007, is one of Scotland’s leading asset finance brokers and is looking to increase its presence in the West of Scotland.

With lenders offering competitive rates, business owners can now re-invest in hard assets, such as vehicles and plant and machinery and soft assets such as telephony, IT and printing equipment they may not have otherwise been able to afford.

From sole traders to large companies, asset-based lending is fast becoming the primary method of obtaining finance for many firms. This accessible method can often be a cheaper alternative to traditional borrowing as rates can be lower than with typical unsecured lending. Asset finance

Blair Michie, Managing Director of Commercial and Asset says “This increased demand for Asset Finance is great news for the economy and the market appears to be in a good place. We have more providers than at any point since the economic downturn and a wider range of options available to meet the needs of our customers.” Having invested in its workforce, newly

YOUR BUSINESS | SPRING 2016

Commercial + Asset Finance

appointed Business Development Manager, Martin Tickle believes now is an ideal time to be on-board. “There is certainly an opportunity for us to assist businesses across Ayrshire. We hope to capture the demand and provide a service our customers expect. Asset based lending can be key to a business looking to grow and scale up and being part of this process is very rewarding.” As with any business decision, it’s important to discuss the solution that best suits your business needs before making that final investment decision. Whether looking to optimise cash flow, upgrade failing assets or re-structuring existing repayments, Commercial and Asset Finance Limited have the experience and expertise to adopt a consultative approach which quickly identifies the key needs of the business.

07585 808 296 0845 5488823 martin@commercialandasset.co.uk www.commercialandasset.co.uk

Hire Purchase Finance Lease Commercial Loans Invoice Finance Refinance A passion for helping businesses grow

BUSINESS NEWS

YOUR BUSINESS | SPRING 2016

DELIVERING WORLD CLASS CONNECTIVITY TO AYRSHIRE The £410 million Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband (DSSB) programme is busy installing fibre broadband across Ayrshire, connecting areas which weren’t going to be covered commercially. It’s part of the Scottish Government’s plans to ensure that Scotland is a world class digital nation by 2020. The principles behind the programme involve bringing faster speeds to as many people as possible with the funding available. Many people in communities throughout East, North and South Ayrshire have already benefitted with more to follow. Connecting on average 7,000 premises a week across Scotland, it’s one of the most ambitious infrastructure programmes in Europe. As recently as 2013, only 52% of premises in Scotland could access fibre broadband, now 85% can. By the end of March 2018, 95% of homes and businesses will be able to connect. The faster upload and download speeds fibre broadband brings is improving the quality of online experiences and supporting exciting new developments in internet services across the country. At home everyone can be online at the same time without screens freezing or quality being compromised, especially important if people want to run a business or work from home. Businesses can: take advantage of the latest business software through cloud computing, back up data instantly, work locally and compete globally through an improved online presence, use video conferencing and work flexibly from any location. Budget constraints and technical challenges mean around 5% of Scotland will not be part of DSSB programme’s roll-out of fibre broadband. However, one initiative that will help deliver improved broadband connectivity, including superfast broadband, to the final 5% is Community Broadband Scotland (CBS) which works with remote communities to deliver local broadband projects. Visit www.scotlandsuperfast.com to check if fibre broadband is available in your area, read more about the benefits and register for updates. Once it’s available you’ll need to contact your service provider to order the service.

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MEMBER NEWS

Making Your Business

AYRSHIRE TO HOST Our Business OUT OF THIS WORLD CELEBRATING OPPORTUNITY SCOTTISH APPRENTICESHIP WEEK 2016 Ayrshire school pupils and college students will have the chance to work alongside NASA leaders and Astronaut Michael Foale CBE this summer, as the Ayrshire College Foundation announced it is funding the 2016 Mission Discovery programme.

Mission Discovery Ayrshire 2016 programme.

Every primary school in Ayrshire will submit a design to be judged internally by each of the three local authority areas in Ayrshire. The three winning designs will progress to a neutral judging panel including ISSET and NASA S S E N staff who select the overall 4 BUSI winner.

ER PARTN

YOUR BUSINESS | SPRING 2016

Mission Discovery is a week-long educational programme developed by the International Space School Educational Trust (ISSET) and will be the first time the programme has taken place in Ayrshire.

The lucky participants will work in teams, aided by mentors, to develop their own space experiments – with the winners having their experiment built, launched to the International Space Station and carried out by an Astronaut in space. Primary school pupils will also benefit from Mission Discovery coming to Ayrshire as they will take part in a unique competition to design a ‘Mission Patch’ for the

The Ayrshire College Foundation was set up to advance education by providing financial support for projects and activities carried out and supported by Ayrshire College. John Rainey, Chair of the Ayrshire College Foundation, said “The Foundation is very pleased to be funding the staging of this really innovative programme in Ayrshire. It promotes the importance of STEM subjects and is an opportunity for 200 students to participate in a truly unique programme. We hope it is the start of many similar educational projects that the Foundation can promote in Ayrshire.”

At Ayrshire College we have just finished celebrating Scottish Apprenticeship Week, which took place from 29 February to 4 March. We took the opportunity to highlight some of our apprentices and the benefits they bring to employers and the Ayrshire economy. We filmed interviews with impressive apprentices like: • An apprentice toolmaker at Hyspec Engineering • A manufacturing apprentice at GSK • An aeronautical apprentice at Woodward • An engineering apprentice at Spirit AeroSystems We also provided an update on apprentices from companies like Trump Turnberry, GSK and Billy Bowie, who featured in video and blog case studies for Scottish Apprenticeship Week 2015. On top of all of that, Ayrshire College Chairman Willie Mackie became an apprentice for the day! We followed his progress throughout the day and you can find out how he got on by visiting our blog site, which is www.ayrshirecollegeblog.wordpress.com You can also find out about the wide range of apprentices in training at Ayrshire College on our blog site. Turning the attention to our events held over Scottish Apprenticeship Week 2016, our Engineers Skills Conference on Thursday 3 March was a huge success. Arranged in partnership with the Ayrshire Engineering Alliance, we looked to identify the skills that employers need for their business now and in the future, and how we could deliver on their needs. It was also a pleasure to welcome the National Society of Apprentices to our Ayr Campus on Thursday 3 March, where current apprentices and those thinking about going down the apprenticeship route were able to ask for advice. If you would like to know more about how we support Modern Apprenticeships, please contact Stuart Millar, Director of Business Development at Ayrshire College stuart.millar@ayrshire.ac.uk

Ayrshire Chamber Annual Dinner 2016

OH WHAT A NIGHT! Ayrshire’s business big hitters came together last Friday evening at Ayrshire Chamber of Commerce’s Annual Dinner to celebrate the area’s success and commit to better their young workforce over the next 12 months.

Over 450 guests dressed to impress attended Ayr Racecourse for the business calendar’s biggest night and get the chance to have their picture taken with the Claret Jug which will be presented to the Champion Golfer at Royal Troon this summer. Hosted by STV News at Six host John McKay, the theme for the

“

What a fabulous night...the little stars of Centrestage were fantastic!

”

evening was Developing the Young Workforce. Ayrshire Chamber of Commerce President Stuart Cresswell stressed that it was the responsibility of those in the room to work together with education establishments to improve the skills and readiness of young people as they prepare to enter the workplace. Alan McLeish of principal sponsor QTS Training used his keynote speech to highlight his company’s success in pushing and investing in their own

workforce and urged other to follow suit. Chamber Chief Executive Val Russell said: “What a fabulous night our Annual Dinner was.

“My thanks to our sponsors for their continued support who help make this night the success that it continues to be and to the little stars of Centrestage who were fantastic. “We’re looking forward to doing it again next year.”

On 4th March 2016 over 450 guests attended the biggest

Ayrshire Chamber

night of the year for Ayrshire business at Ayr Racecourse

Annual Dinner 2016

MEMBER NEWS

AYRSHIRE CREDIT UNION

Ayrshire Credit Union is run by a small number of paid staff and a large number of volunteers. It is governed by a board of directors who are themselves volunteers.

“IT WILL NEVER HAPPEN TO US”. IS YOUR BUSINESS EXPOSED TO CYBER RISK?

The group is currently seeking more directors to enhance and broaden the skills available to develop and expand ACU. Duties are not at all onerous and the only requirement is a belief in the ethical standards under which ACU operates. Ayrshire Credit Union (ACU) was founded in 1994 and, after operating from various addresses, moved into its current central Kilmarnock offices in 2009. It has grown to have - 1,800 adult members and - 500 junior members. If you, or any of your acquaintances, are interested in becoming a board member of ACU please contact us at 24, The Foregate, Kilmarnock KA1 1LU (telephone 01563 555858, email web@ eacreditunion.co.uk).

CHAMPIONING FUTURES

YOUR BUSINESS | SPRING 2016

Within the Kilmarnock area in recent months the town’s Rotarians have supported local Food Banks, the Town Centre regeneration programme, as well as many local charities and clubs. The Foundation have a monthly programme that selects and supports a local community project.

An example of community involvement was the recent ‘Young Achievers’ night at the Park Hotel, Kilmarnock, with guest speaker Graeme Obree. Sixteen of East Ayrshire’s most successful students from the eight secondary schools were the guests to hear Graeme speak about the importance of pushing yourself beyond your comfort zone and having a passion for whatever you choose to do. What Graeme and the students had in common was a story of achievement and success with the promise of more to come, especially from the students!

The internet brings with it huge opportunities for businesses, but it also brings its fair share of risks. There’s barely a week that goes past without a report in the press about cyber attacks on UK companies like yours, attempting to steal your information and money, or disrupt your business. 4B

PARTN USIN ER

It is not merely large organisations like Talk Talk and Marks & Spencer that are affected – recent reports show a huge rise in attacks as cyber criminals target small businesses.

A common practice today is ‘whaling’ or ‘spear phishing’, the objective of which is to swindle a manager into divulging confidential information about their company. Scam emails are designed to masquerade as a critical business email, sent from a legitimate business authority, and according to recent statistics, more than half of such attacks carried out using fake emails in December last year were against SME’s. The issue of cyber security for small businesses is made even more pressing by new European regulations aimed at

ESS

protecting customer data and companies can be fined thousands of pounds for lost client data.

Cyber Insurance covers the losses relating to damage to, or loss of information from, IT systems and networks. Policies generally include significant assistance with and management of the incident itself, which can be essential when faced with reputational damage or regulatory enforcement. Crime Insurance includes cover for monetary losses and, as banks may not continue to foot the bill of cyber attacks, businesses should be prepared and ensure they have adequate insurance in place. For further information please contact MacKay Corporate Insurance Brokers on 01292 611028 or email info@mackaycorporate-brokers.com.

INGRAM'S NEWLY REFURBISHED VOLKSWAGEN AND SKODA DEALERSHIPS

The Ingram Motoring Group Ltd is expanding its reach within Ayrshire by putting the Hyundai franchise into Kilmarnock alongside their existing SEAT operation. This will be in addition to the Hyundai operation in Ayr meaning that they have greater coverage in the Ayrshire area for this franchise. There have also been changes within the senior management structure with the promotion of certain people to create a Group Management function. Managing Director Malcolm Ingram explained: “It is our aim to create a One Business platform across the Group by harmonising systems and process across the entire Sales, Service and Parts operation, which will lead to improved service levels and a greater attention to detail within the

• Andrew Fyfe becomes the Finance Director • Kenny Monaghan becomes the Sales Director • Gary Mowbray becomes the Group Service Manager • Robin McIlwraith becomes the Group Parts Manger KENNY MONAGHAN (left) WITH MANAGING DIRECTOR MALCOLM INGRAM

Management team becoming become part of the DNA of the Group. “We are a small family business trying to compete with the super heavyweights of the sector so we need to ensure that our uniqueness isn’t lost as that is what sets us apart.” The new Group Management Team are as follows:

BUZZWORKS’ BEST Prestwick based hospitality business, Buzzworks Holdings have been ranked 64th on The Sunday Times 100 Best Companies to Work For 2016 list. This recognition comes as a result of a survey, which is completed by all staff and reveals how employees perceive their work environment. This award marks an outstanding achievement for the Ayrshire based business. The dynamic bar and restaurant group are surpassing not only other hospitality operators, they are now recognised as being one of the best employers within the UK across all sectors. Last year only one Scottish

These changes in personnel come on the back of a huge refurbishment project which has seen both the Volkswagen and SKODA dealerships modernised to reflect the latest design philosophy of each brand highlighting a cutting edge look for both sites in turn creating a magnificent backdrop for the last products that are on display. Malcolm added: “We have created an outstanding work and business environment which has given a real feel good factor for anyone who experiences our services.” Following on from the groups recent success, where they were ranked 20th in The Caterer’s 2015 ‘Best Places To Work in Hospitality’, this impressive achievement is the most highly regarded recognition Buzzworks have received and demonstrates their commitment to its people and the fantastic working environment it creates.

company made it into this prestigious list! Buzzworks core aim is ‘To make people feel great through hospitality’and their staff are at the top of the list! With their people at the heart of the organisation, the company encourage and support staff development by providing industry leading training and a structured framework for career progression.

Kenny Blair, Managing Director commented: “We are absolutely delighted to be recognised as one of the UK’s ‘100 Best Companies to Work For 2016’. What is especially pleasing about this particular award is that there are no judges. Instead our staff complete an anonymous questionnaire and we are compared and benchmarked with some of the UK’s best known companies. Only the top 100 make the list. We have a fantastic group of people working within our business and they are central to our ongoing success and growth.”

YOUR BUSINESS | SPRING 2016

INGRAM EXPANDING BY CHANGING SHAPE

MEMBER NEWS

WORKSMART AT AYR GAIETY THEATRE

A delighted Worksmart have been appointed to carry out a complete refurbishment of Ayr Gaiety Theatre. The 25 week programme will include full strip out works of the category B listed building: major structural work, asbestos removal, upgrading M&E systems, new stage, new seating, decoration as well as new dressing rooms and WC facilities. Worksmart’s Owner and MD, Steve Neilson says: “It is a privilege to work with a great client and we are excited to revive the 114 year old theatre and look forward to curtain up on Thursday 1st September 2016.”

YOUR BUSINESS | SPRING 2016

The team will be on site until Monday 1st August 2016 in a live environment with adjacent Stage Door Café and box office open for business throughout the refurbishment. Worksmart completed phase one of the theatre’s refurbishment in 2015 which consisted of entrance

Photo by Euan McColl

alterations, relocating the box office and refurbishing the kitchen and staff WC areas as well as full M&E works being carried out. Ayr Gaiety Partnership’s Chief Executive Jeremy Wyatt said: “We’re really pleased that a local firm will be on the job and it’s great to see the work now underway.” Over the past few years Worksmart have been increasingly involved in the

regeneration of significant buildings within communities. Various projects carried out by the team in Kilmarnock contributed in securing the town’s win at the 2015 SURF Awards for Most Improved Large Scottish Town. They look forward to continuing our support of such projects and cannot wait for the Gaiety to establish itself as the arts venue in South West Scotland when it reopens in the Autumn.

After more than ten years Glasgow Prestwick Airport will modernise its brand identity so we asked Richard Jenner, the airport’s Chief Executive, to tell us more about the branding and the reasons for the change. “Can you explain why you’ve decided that a new brand for the airport is so important?” There’s actually a number of factors that have guided our decision but overall it’s about reflecting the airport’s professionalism, its ambition to grow, to help market it to the world and to compete in an increasingly competitive market.

“And the outgoing branding didn’t do that?” Simply put, it wasn’t fit for purpose any more.

Students at an Ayrshire school learnt what it takes to keep the lights on when a local employer paid a visit.

“Can you explain a bit more about the new brand itself?”

Around 80 National 5 Physics students at Prestwick Academy took part in an illuminating session with our newest Partner for Business, Scottish Power Energy Networks, learning about energy generation and electricity distribution in the classroom.

It will be a single brand that will be used across all of Glasgow Prestwick’s business divisions. Up until now there have been individual brand identities being used by different parts of the company and that will now change. We expect our business to evolve over the coming years and we need a brand that is flexible and adaptable enough to move with us. We are competing with other regional airports across the country so it is vital that we are seen to be a reliable, efficient and ambitious airport and that’s what the new brand will help us achieve.

As most people in Ayrshire know well, we are far more than just a passenger airport that sees hundreds of thousands of people flying to and from various destinations across Europe every year. The business is a significant aviation services provider used by the freight sector, private aircraft operators, military, training services as well as search and rescue operations. We are also in the exciting process of bidding to be the location of the UK’s new Spaceport and we own and manage commercial property too. What is essential is that every part of the business must be recognised, internally and externally, as being part of a much larger commercial operation.

AYRSHIRE SCHOOL STUDENTS SHINE LIGHT ON ENERGY CAREERS

“Where will the new brand appear?” Keeping cost down is key for this exercise. We will be prioritising public facing areas and updating signage, wayfinding and customer facing unfirms. We will also be updating our marketing materials, including company literature and across our digital communications. We will then be working to roll the brand out across the whole airport within two years. “And when will people start to see it?” It’ll start to appear very soon. We’re really excited about it and we want as many people to see it and recognise it as soon as possible.

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Named “Employability Bites”, the new initiative was delivered by Skills Development Scotland and Energy and Utility Skills, featuring small “bites”of learning delivered as part the curriculum with the help of sector employers.

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Scottish Power Energy Networks engineers explained they how plan, design, maintain and repair electricity supplies to the local area and offered information on job opportunities from Modern Apprenticeships to graduate positions. One of the engineers attending was 20-year-old Chris Scott, a former pupil at Prestwick Academy who enjoyed the chance to offer students the benefit of his experience. He said: “I wanted to go into electrical engineering and I was better at working hands-on than having my head in a book, so I chose a Modern Apprenticeship over going to university. “It gave me that hands-on experience, and getting paid for it as well was ideal. It’s been great, and the training is good.” Elaine Forsyth, Customer Engagement Manager at Scottish Power Energy Networks, added: “One of the benefits of this is engaging with stakeholders, and the pupils here are stakeholders through their families. “Secondly, we have an ageing workforce, with 20 per cent reaching retirement age in the next 10 years, so we’re looking for the best recruits we can find, and there’s no better way to do that than speaking to school pupils making choices about their future.”

YOUR BUSINESS | SPRING 2016

NEW LOOK FOR AIRPORT

MAC CHALLENGE STARTED The search for Ayrshire’s best young apprentices is underway with the 2016 Modern Apprentice Challenge. Aiming to develop and strengthen links between businesses and their communities, Ayrshire’s Modern Apprentice Challenge tests apprentices to deliver a project of community benefit. Entrants will have six months to carry out their project between March and August, when a portfolio must be submitted. The final will

The aims of this challenge are to demonstrate the quality of apprentices/trainees employed in Ayrshire, forge links between local companies and local communities and to encourage more young people to consider a Modern Apprenticeship.

#AYE LAUNCH

Gillian Cameron, Developing Young Workforce Employee Engagement Officer, explained: “The Modern Apprenticeship Challenge is an excellent opportunity for local modern apprentices

Over 200 pupils across Ayrshire have joined Ayrshire Young Entrepreneurs Clubs (#AYE). This exciting new initiative, run by Developing the Young Workforce- Ayrshire, invites S1-S3 pupils along to monthly meetings to find out more about starting their own business. Pupils will experience workshops in marketing, finance, idea validation and communication to name but a few. Pupils also get an opportunity to participate in a Q&A session, facilitated by Princes Trust, at each event with a local young entrepreneur.

YOUR BUSINESS | SPRING 2016

Members of the club will get the opportunity to apply to DYW- Ayrshire for funding should they decide to use their new skills to set up a sustainable business in school.

be held in October during Ayrshire Business Week.

SOUTH AYRSHIRE BELMONT ACADEMY’S CAREERS DAY

DYW Employer Engagement Officer, Gillian Cameron, said “Developing the Young Workforce- Ayrshire is about arming young people with the necessary skills, knowledge and attitudes to succeed in the world of work, we are delighted at the uptake in joining #AYE and hope it inspires our next generation of young people to consider setting up their own business.”

240 S2 pupils from Ayrshire’s largest school, Belmont Academy, attended their Careers Day at Ayrshire College’s Dam Park Campus on Wednesday, 10th February. 38 employers gave up their time to speak to the enthralled pupils, who were given talks from the likes of Ayr United FC, Egger Barony, G-Fit Personal Training, and Ashleigh (Scotland) Construction.

For more information contact gcameron@ ayrshire-chamber.org

In addition, students and lecturers from the College and University of the West of Scotland also made a huge contribution, especially in the

TO GET INVOLVED CALL US ON 01292 678666 OR

TEEING OFF TOWARD A CAREER IN HOSPITALITY

to showcase their newly acquired skills and encourages them to use for the benefit of their local communities. “The project sponsors and the Modern Apprentices thoroughly enjoy their time together during the planning and installation/delivery phases which also helps to promote citizenship within local communities.” Last year’s challenge saw community-benefiting projects such as a ‘Grow and Sow’ garden at Winton Primary School by North Ayrshire Council, renovation work of Carrick Rugby Club changing rooms by GE Caledonian, outdoor regeneration activities within Eglington House by GSK, a floating walkway within the grounds of Dumfries House by UTC Aerospace Systems, and a water feature at the Nursery Court Day Care Centre in Girvan by Nestle. Apprentices from North Ayrshire Council collected prizes for Best Project and Best Innovation in a Project and GSK’s apprentices collected the prize for Best Presentation. Full details of the 2016 Modern Apprenticeship Challenge can be found by contacting Gillian on 01292 678 666.

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The Developing Young Workforce Ayrshire group is leading a project to identify and support training of 16 – 24 years old looking at a career in hospitality by giving them the chance to work at Royal Troon this summer where over 100,000 people will attend The Open Championship.

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Matthew impressed with his attitude and willingness to support staff in a variety of roles.

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A major initiative designed to improve young people’s job prospects has teamed up with The Open Championship at Royal Troon to offer paid work experience placements.

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fields of healthcare, creative industries, and sports & fitness. The purpose of the day was to help the pupils make their subject choices based upon the advice they received from people in industry. The day was hailed a great success and thanks was given by Ian Watson, PT of Guidance, to all those who attended.

Developing the Young Workforce Ayrshire involves representatives from the private, public and third sectors to help give young people the best possible opportunity to secure employment. Val Russell, Ayrshire Chamber of College Chief Executive, said: “Ayrshire is hosting a major sporting event and the eyes of the world will be on that. However, it is a major operation behind the scenes at an event of this scale including in the hospitality village on the course. “This is an excellent opportunity for any young person with an interest in pursuing a career in hospitality to gain some valuable experience at a massive event on our doorstep and be paid well for it as well.” “We’re delighted to be working with The Open and its supporting partners to offer this fantastic programme for Ayrshire’s young people giving them the chance to gain some prized work experience at an international event which will be extremely beneficial for their future prospects.”

EMAIL INFO@DYWAYRSHIRE.COM

YOUR BUSINESS | SPRING 2016

EAST AYRSHIRE LANGUAGES FOR BUSINESS EVENT

Ann McDaid, Principal Teacher of Modern Languages at St Joseph’s Academy in Kilmarnock One of the teachers said: “From our perspective the arrangements and organisation were excellent. I think

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Pupils were tasked by Articulate to create a poster for marketing their language camps which allowed creativity to flow. Lastly all schools had the opportunity to speak with representatives from the Army, Trump Turnberry, Egger Barony, China Connect and Ayrshire French Language Group during a speed networking session.

YOUR BUSINESS | SPRING 2016

The event, organised by Sonia Coughlan, 1+2 Languages Development Officer, in partnership with Ayrshire Chamber, highlighted the benefits of having an additional language. Scotland’s National Centre for Languages (SCILT) also took part hosting two workshops for pupils to take part in.

the event was long enough to sustain the pupils' interest without overloading them. The workshops were good. The market place was a great idea, the pupils appreciated the opportunity to speak directly to people in the real world. Overall a very good event and I hope you will repeat the experience again.”

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Kilmarnock Academy recently hosted a Languages for Business event for S3 pupils of East Ayrshire. Around 240 pupils from eight secondary schools took part in a series of workshops to promote that foreign languages are needed in a wide range of career paths.

Declan described “pleasure” and practical and

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Pupils had the opportunity to rotate around different workshops throughout the day to gain an insight into the jobs available and the skills required. Microtech, GSK, North Ayrshire Building Services and Ayrshire College Engineering all ran workshops. The pupils particularly enjoyed conducting an experiment in GSK’s session to test for Malaria.

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and Craufurdland Estate. Pupils reported that this event had made them more interested in a career in STEM and that they had enjoyed hearing from the variety of companies present.

A speed networking session then saw pupils rotate around employers in small groups. Participating companies included: Spirit AeroSystems, UTC Aerospace Systems, GE Aviation, Ashleigh Scotland, EDF Energy, Equate, Morrison Construction, KCP Environmental

EMAIL INFO@DYWAYRSHIRE.COM

YOUR BUSINESS | SPRING 2016

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Kate has been attending a flexible placement at the school’s library. She said: “This library work placement has increased my self-confidence.”

Around 80 female pupils from North Ayrshire Secondary Schools attended a TE Girls into STEM Careers event at Greenwood HA MIL Conference Centre. The purpose of this event was TO N to highlight that females can work in STEM careers and that a variety of careers do exist within these industries.

his placement as a learned “a lot of key life skills.”

NORTH AYRSHIRE GIRLS INTO STEM CAREERS

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MEMBER NEWS

LOCAL AGENCY WINS INTERNATIONAL MARKETING ACCOUNT Ayr and San Francisco have a lot in common. They are both popular tourist destinations, they both have stunning waterfronts and they are both home to great tech marketing agencies. So when London-based software house, JPY, started looking for an agency to handle their global marketing and to launch their latest product, Threads, their choice was simple: Ayrshire or America. Their search ended with a decision to put away their passports and pick Launch.

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John Yardley, Chairman at JPY, said: “Three days after first contacting Launch, I met with Stephen. A week later, we had agreed that Launch was the right company to help us launch Threads - our cloud-based message hub. Never in the history of JPY has such an easy decision had to be made. Why? Well, apart from the fact that Launch’s own marketing was the marketing I wanted for Threads, they clearly “got” Threads like few have done before. For us, this was a vital pre-requisite in attempting to find a potential market that “gets” it too.

YOUR BUSINESS | SPRING 2016

Quality Decorating and Painting

Wall Covering Specialists 33 Ardrossan Road, West Kilbride KA23 9NA Tel: 01294 823333 Mob: 07970 176 346

“Having won the account, it didn’t get handed over to some junior employee to manage. And Launch avoided the usual charade of presenting six mediocre ideas hoping one might hit the spot - they just gave us their best idea. They have continued to be as responsive handling our business as they were in getting it. Last but not least, we like them. “A breath of fresh air in an industry I had almost given up on.” Stephen Cosh, Director at Launch, said: “JPY is a world class company that’s been designing, developing and supporting software since 1990. “The first piece of work we undertook was sorting out the brand’s positioning and messaging. Next we built their new website, designed their Facebook page and sent email marketing campaigns. “We have also been working on funding presentations and creating the global Threads campaign. It’s going to be big, so watch this space.”

Office : 33 Ardrossan Road, Seamill

The name might have changed over the years but Wine Merchant Corney and Barrow are pulling out all the stops to celebrate the 250th year in Ayr.

Situated in the atmospheric bowels of Academy Lane in the town, the group aim to mark the historic anniversary in style. A special four-day celebration in September will mark the birthday with the docking of a tall ship to recreate the first arrival of wine the business shipped in to the auld toon. The planned celebrations come during what is a busy month – The Scottish International Airshow, Ayr Gold Cup and the Septembayr Festival. Gregor Reid, Director of Sales, Corney and Barrow, said: “We’re really looking forward to September and celebrating this anniversary. “We have lots planned to mark the 250th year

with the tall ship being the highlight. It was a customer of ours who suggested it, we’re really looking forward to it now.” The Tall Ship will sail into Ayr and dock on Wednesday 14th September spending three nights before setting off again. Barrels of claret will be rolled up the street to the cellar as what used to happen.

As well as entertaining their regular customers, Corney and Barrow hope to arrange a unique event with Ayrshire Chamber of Commerce members. The ship belongs to The Blyth Tall Ship project who acquired the 100 year old Baltic Trader, with the help of the Heritage Lottery Fund. Next year they aim to recreate the original voyage of Captain William Smith who discovered the first land in Antarctica in 1819.

YOUR BUSINESS | SPRING 2016

WINE MERCHANT SAILING TOWARD SPECIAL 250TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION

MEMBER NEWS

RACECOURSE OF THE YEAR AWARD FOR AYR AYR Racecourse has been named Racecourse of the Year 2015 for Scotland and the North by members of the Racegoers Club.

racing regular racegoers so that makes it all the more pleasing. We are all delighted.”

The vote across the 5,000 strong membership of the Club saw Ayr take the honour in the category for 11th time in 12 years.

This is the latest accolade for the racecourse which in recent months was awarded VisitScotland’s Five Star Visitor Attraction Award in recognition of its outstanding standards; was one of only six racecourses to be awarded the Racehorse Owners Association Gold Standard in the large racecourses category and also won a coveted first prize at the prestigious 2015 National Racecourse Catering Awards.

Ayr Racecourse Managing Director David Brown said: “It is a great honour to win this award and be voted top racecourse in Scotland and the North by members of the Racegoers Club. This is voted for by the

MAKING THE MOST OF OUR GOLDEN BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES IN 2016 Ayrshire already has an international profile that belies its size, thanks to its natural beauty, rich history and fascinating wildlife.

YOUR BUSINESS | SPRING 2016

These are huge assets for our businesses too, as they draw visitors from all over the world.

This year Ayrshire will welcome an influx of tourists, as in July, Royal Troon will host the 145th Open Championship. An independent study commissioned in advance of the 2014 Open at the Royal Liverpool Golf Club, estimated that the event was worth £75 million to the local economy. That includes £30 million spent by an anticipated 200,000 spectators in local shops, restaurants and more, plus an estimated £45 million from global television exposure of the week-long event.

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Hosting The Open is a great chance for local businesses of all sizes in Ayrshire to grab a slice of a huge market. At Bank of Scotland, our team of locallybased relationship managers are available to help local businesses plan to make the most of the opportunities available at this busy time. If that means providing specialist financial support, we approve eight out of ten loan and overdraft applications and, as the UK’s Best Capitalised Bank, we stand ready to help businesses reach their goals. Ayrshire has a golden opportunity to keep building their global profile throughout 2016. Let’s make the most of it.

JACQUI WEBSTER, RELATIONSHIP MANAGER, BANK OF SCOTLAND

RAD HOTEL G R O U P w w w. r a d h o t e l g r o u p. c o m Carlton Hotel

Lochside House Hotel | Lodges | Spa

Radstone Hotel

Loch of the Lo w e s

ucked away in the Ayrshire countryside lies the Lochside House Hotel. Built in the 19th century as a shooting lodge for the Marquis of Bute, the venue has grown in stature and now offers a majestic and spectacular setting for your special day. The hotel has mature landscaped gardens, 35 bedrooms and a choice of function suites catering for up to 240 guests. A winner of multiple awards, our wedding venue provides a professional, first class service to you and your guests; ensuring you have the perfect day with memories to cherish.The latest development at Lochside of luxury lodges is one ofunmistakable extravagance. The addition of the four breathtakinglodges overlooking the surrounding lochs takes indulgence to a new level.

The Carlton Hotel is ideally situated in Prestwick, Ayrshire. A contemporary venue exclusively yours catering for up to 250 guests. Landscaped gardens and the unique Barony Suite dressed to perfection provides an exceptional wedding setting. The Carlton Hotel combines a comfortable relaxing atmosphere with a modern streamlined interior. The use of bold colours and rich textures within the 39 guest rooms creates a vibrant ambiance throughout. The Radstone Hotel, hidden within rural Lanarkshire in the picturesque Clyde Valley, is set in its own extensive grounds. Offering a variety of exceptional wedding suites for hosting an intimate celebration through to throwing a spectacular occasion for 350 people. This spacious and unique hotel combines modern and eclectic styles resulting in a dynamic atmosphere. Boasting 44 rooms including spacious suites. Invite your guests to continue their experience overnight making your special day last just that ittle bit longer.

"The most beautiful view is the one we share"

With an overwhelming feeling of space, contemporary furnishings and exclusive hydro pools, your guests will feel enticed to continue their experience with an overnight stay, taking time to relax and reflect on the memories of your celebration.

Our dedicated wedding teams will take time to discuss in detail your wedding plans, guiding you through the running of the day. Our aim is to work with you to create your dream wedding, extending our experience and presenting suggestions along the way.

Wedding Packages ÂŁ2750

Winter Weddings and Mid-Week Offers Available

01292 476811 carlton-prestwick.com events@carlton-prestwick.com

01290 333000 lochside-hotel.com weddings@lochside-hotel.com

Wedding Packages ÂŁ2700

01698 791111 radstonehotel.com events@radstonehotel.com

EVENTS DIARY SPRING 2016 REACTION LUNCH WITH GLASGOW CHAMBER 28th April, 12.30-2.30 Venue: CAU Restaurant, Ingram Street, Glasgow Joint networking lunch with Ayrshire and Glasgow Chamber

BREAKFAST BYTES WITH RBS 18th March, 8.30-10.00am Venue : Ayrshire Chamber Board Room Sponsored by RBS FREE

Providing you the opportunity to meet contact, expand your knowledge and grow your business CONNECTIONS WITH NORTHERN IRELAND CHAMBER SAVE THE DATE – 7th June Full day event PRICE AND PROGRAM TO BE CONFIRMED

£30

SOLVE YOUR DIGITAL DILEMMAS 30th March, 5.30- 7.30pm Host Microtech Solutions Limited Sponsors: Microsoft and Scottish Chambers

PRO BUSINESS BREAKFAST WITH MSP CANDIDATES Friday 29th April, 8.30-11.00am Venue: Aviator Suite, Prestwick Airport

FREE

CTA- NETWORKING WITHOUT NERVES 31st March, 8.30-11.00am Venue: Ayrshire Chamber Boardroom Facilitated by : Deva

CTA- CONTENT MARKETING FOR SOCIAL MEDIA 6th May, 8.30-11.00am Venue: Ayrshire Chamber Boardroom Facilitated by BBD Social

£40

DRIVE YOUR NETWORKING @ STUDIO GOLF AYRSHIRE 21st April, 5.30-7.30pm Host and Sponsor : Studio Golf Ayrshire £15

TICK TALK NETWORKING @ THE BLAIR ESTATE 10th May, 5.00- 7.00pm Host and Sponsor: The Blair Estate £15

CTA- SCALING YOUR BUSINESS AND PREPARE FOR GROWTH 21st April, 8.30-11.00am Venue: Ayrshire Chamber Boardroom Facilitated by the Shirlaws Group £40

CTA- HEALTH AND SAFETY EXPLAINED 26th May, 8.30-11.00am Venue: Ayrshire Chamber Boardroom Facilitated by HSS Training £40

CTA-TOOLS FOR EFFECTIVE TIME MANAGEMENT 9th June, 8.30-11.00am Venue: Ayrshire Chamber Boardroom Facilitated by GTG Training £40 BEHIND THE SCENES @ CRAIG WILSON LIVESTOCK AUCTIONS 14th June, 11.00- 2.00pm Venue and sponsor : Craig Wilson Auctions, Ayr £15 CTA - MARKETING TO THE PUBLIC SECTOR 24th June, 8.30-11.00am Venue: Ayrshire Chamber Boardroom Facilitated by CEIS Ayrshire £40

CHAMPIONSHIP CONNECTIONS @ THE OPEN

13th July, 11.30- 6.00 Venue: Open Championship, Royal Troon £240

SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITY AVAILABLE

Price shown are Chamber Members rates and include VAT unless otherwise stated. To book or for more info visit www.ayrshire-chamber.org or call 01292 678666

CHAMBER EVENTS ROUND UP

BY YVONNE MUNRO

YOUR BUSINESS | SPRING 2016

If you wish to host an event email Yvonne at: events@ayrshire-chamber.org

In December, members gathered at the Gaiety Theatre for Festive Fizz, Fun and Frolics for a sneak peek behind the scenes and hear about the plans for the future refurbishment of the theatre. There was backstage tour and members had the chance to take the spotlight and experience the Gaiety Stage. Then it was onto Corney & Barrow on Academy Lane, Ayr, for a glass of fizz and cellar tour of the 18th Century property. The evening finished with a tutored tasting of 6 festive wines from the award winning portfolio chosen with Christmas drinking in mind. Thanks to Corney & Barrow and the Gaiety Theatre for hosting. In January it was Happy New Networking

at the Piersland House Hotel, for the first Tick Talk event of 2016. It was New Year, New Opportunities for the members attending, the popular lively networking format, created a great buzz in the room with record numbers attending. Thanks to Piersland House Hotel for sponsoring. Later in January Health was on the agenda, for a joint breakfast event with partners from Healthy Working Lives. Members gathered for breakfast at Callachans Health and Therapy Centre for a briefing on the importance of a healthy working environment. Thanks to Callachans for hosting, and Healthy Working Lives for sponsoring. The Gailes Hotel was the next venue for the first in the series of Ayrshire Talks, sponsored

lunch events by the Clydesdale Bank. Over 90 members gathered for lunch and to welcome guest speaker Steve Cram CBE, to hear of hints and tips of the Psychology of Success. Thanks to the Clydesdale bank for sponsoring. If your business would like to host a future Networking Event, contact Yvonne 01292 678666 The Chamber Training Academy continue to be popular with the membership, recent sessions have been delivered by training partners from, Applied PR, First Independent Finance, Bread and Butter Marketing, Break Through Scotland and IM Training, the short sessions cover a range of topics to benefit you, your staff and the business. Full programme on www.ayrshire-chamber.org

ALBA CEREMONIES Saltcoats Ms Michelle Watt 07902 061399 www.albaceremonies.co.uk

CODE54 Dundonald Mr Barry Hollywood 0800 788 0800 www.code54.co.uk

INTOIT STUDIOS Cumnock Mr Scott Bradford 07487 869149 www.intoitstudios.com

ALISON BROWN CREATIONS Darvel Ms Alison Calder 01560 324258

COMMERCIAL AND ASSET FINANCE LIMITED Paisley Mr Martin Tickle 07585 808296 www.commercialandasset.co.uk

JKM CONSULTING Glasgow Ms Jill Malone 07940 469566 www.jkm-consulting.co.uk

AUCHRANNIE RESORT Isle of Arran Mr Richard Small 01770 302234 www.auchrannie.co.uk

DIGBY BROWN SOLICITORS Ayr Mr Damian White 01292 438583

AYR CAR CLINIC LTD Ayr Mr Robert Dunn 01292 737560

EARTH SAVE PRODUCTS Kilwinning Mr Graeme Kerr 01294 551793 earthsaveproducts.co.uk

MARITIME CRAFT SERVICES (CLYDE) LTD Fairlie Ms Nicola Foster 01475 568838 www.maritimecraft.co.uk

AYRSHIRE CREDIT UNION LTD Kilmarnock Ms Carol Kerr 01563 555858 www.ayrshirecreditunion.co.uk

FARQUHAR GEDDES ARCHITECTS Largs Ms Nicola Farquhar 01475 789310 www.farquhargeddes.co.uk

AYRSHIRE EXECUTIVE TRAVEL Kilwinning Mr Alan Maclauchlan 01294 558771 www.ayrshireexecutivetravel.co.uk

GOSH CREATIVE LTD West Kilbride Ms Mary Cahill 07830 530613 www.goshcreative.co.uk

AYRSHIRE INDEPENDENT LIVING NETWORK Ardrossan Mrs Cheryl Muir 01294 475693 BUCKLEYS LTD Prestwick Mr Robin Smith 07920 052140

MASTERNAUT LTD Aberford Leeds Ms Jill McCulloch 01132 814000 www.masternaut.com MIDAS BUSINESS SOLUTIONS Lockerbie Mr Alan Gibson 01387 810477 www.midasbusinesssolutions.co.uk

MEMBW ERS

RJW CONSULTING PRESTWICK LIMITED Prestwick Mr Robert Winfield 07568 185102 SCOTTISH FIRE AND RESCUE SERVICE Ardrossan Mr Kenny Hankinson 01294 606833 www.firescotland.gov.uk SOLICITORS FINANCIAL SERVICES Kilmarnock Mr Alistair Ross 07786 101151 www.alistairrossfinancialadvisor.co.uk STIMULI EVOLVE Kilmarnock

MURLAW SUPPLIES Ayr Ms Susan Murray 01292 257249 www.murlawsupplies.co.uk

Ms Lyndsey Phillips

HOME OFFICE DESIGN Doonfoot Ms Lisa Manners 01292 443166 www.home-office-design.co.uk

R & A MUIR Dreghorn Ms Lorna Muir 01294 211229

Mr Tommy Lowndes

INNERMETRIX UK LTD Paisley Mr Allan Miller 0141 5815 813 www.innermetrix.co.uk

REACTIVE DESIGN Prestwick Mr Stephen Dunn 07919 090878 www.reactivedesign.org

LIMITED

07738 175457 TOMMY'S TREES Prestwick 01292 861543 TSE CONSULTANCY Stevenston Mr Edward Scott Taggart 07445 891732

We want to recruit more members to strengthen our business network and create more business opportunities for you. We are asking you to help by referring companies you know to us. When they join, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll reward you with a choice of special offers to help your business. Call the membership team on 01292 678666.

31 YOUR BUSINESS | SPRING 2016

The Board of Directors is delighted to welcome the following companies as recently joined members of Ayrshire Chamber of Commerce and Industry

Is your current agency pants? Send us your briefs and weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll turn them into focussed marketing missions that will rocket fuel your business.