Business 19 November 2014 by BGSD-cs

‘WE MADE MISTAKES’

SCALING UP

TRADE TALK

Bristol 2015 chairman speaks frankly about progress – p2&3

Textiles firm boss on challenges of winning that big order – p9

What’s TTIP really about and why it matters to you – page 10

NOV 2014

Your business guide to Bristol 2015 How to: BRISTOL 2015 - Take the commercial opportunities - Become more sustainable

GREEN WEEK TAKEOVER Welcome to the Business takeover by Green Week. Turn inside for more...

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Bristol: European Green Capital 2015 The Big Interview

WE AIM TO EMBRACE LOCAL PEOPLE Bristol is counting down the days until it becomes European Green Capital. Gavin Thompson asks Andrew Garrad, the chairman of Bristol 2015 company, what is being done to engage the business community

015 is a big year for Bristol. It’s the year the city holds the title of European Green Capital. That’s a huge opportunity but most local business don’t really know what it’s about let alone how it could relate to them. It’s a problem the chairman of Bristol 2015 – the company created to deliver a programme of events around the title – is willing to admit. And one the organisation is now taking steps to address. Andrew Garrad, founder of green energy consultancy Garrad Hussan,

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“ A reasonable criticism would be that we have concentrated on the bigger corporate scene and events. We are now actively working on more local engagement.” is talking a more hands-on role while chief executive Kris Donaldson – who previously ran Liverpool’s widely acclaimed European Capital of Culture programme – has been ditched. “Kris had done a good job getting the whole thing up and running, he got in a quite a lot of cash and inspired the whole thing,” said Andrew. “But we decided he probably wasn’t the right guy for bringing it into operation. So we made a change. “Nicola (Yates, Bristol City Council director) is now in charge of the business organisation – money, contracts and so on – and I’ve stepped in to a more active role. Before I was chairman, now I’m more of executive chairman.” Andrew said he hoped to bring something that had been lacking from the organisation up to now. “An element which has been missing has been our engagement as Bristol 2015 company at a local level,” he said. “There’s been a lot of concentration on planning big events, the big political stuff, getting the Government money and corporate sponsorship, which has been done successfully.. “I bring with me the fact that I am a green Bristol businessman. I concede that’s an important element we have

to address. We’ve established the core programme. “We’ve got an operational website and released the logo and combination those two things is a symbol we can start to embrace local people and local businesses at a bigger level.” Andrew said that he was “making a proper effort” to get us involved in the Bristol business scene. “A reasonable criticism would be that we have concentrated on the bigger corporate scene and events,” he said. “We are now actively working on more local engagement.” Much of the Green Capital programme is community rather than business led. “Bristol has a strong grassroots green movement and those people are part of why we won the bid,” said Andrew. About £2 million of the £7 million of government money is going into grants, split between neighbourhood projects, small grants

and strategic grants. Andrew said: “We aim to include as much of Bristol as possible. What we are trying to do is quite ambitious and sometimes that can be our biggest inspiration sometimes a problem.” Andrew believes there are two main business strands to the year, one to help and nudge everyone else to become more sustainable and the other to promote and celebrate the city’s green industries. He said: “The first thing we are looking at with businesses is the Go Green initiative. The idea is that every business can join that and that is a way to take some green steps. “We absolutely need to be engaged with Bristol’s green businesses, but

we also want to engage with the others. A small green step by all businesses in Bristol would be a huge step for us as a city. “The second thing is to put Bristol’s green business on the map. Part of the reason we won the award is the businesses we already have. People involved in green business need to be exposed to a bigger public and be celebrated.” He recalls listening to a presentation about Bristol University (pictured) once where it was described as being “world famous in the UK”. “I think that applies to (green) business here,” said Andrew. “I think we are probably the leader in the UK, but we don’t make enough fuss of it and outside the UK our profile isn’t as high. Part of what we are trying to do is address that.”

The organisation will be hosting a number of events to raise the profile of sustainable businesses in the city, including a green technology expo highlighting how the thriving tech industry can and is having an impact. There will also be a summit for business leaders to discuss the sustainable agenda, particularly with a view to making cities greener. “Part of it is to say ‘look at what we’ve got in Bristol, come here for these services or ideas’,” said Andrew. “It also going back to the idea of using Bristol as a laboratory for change. There are a lot of business looking at the idea of smart cities and this gives Bristol the chance to play a leading role.” The Bristol 2015 team has to measure the success or failure carried out through the year and the team is working with KPMG, one of the main sponsors, to that end.

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AND BUSINESSES

● Chairman of Bristol 2015 – the company created to deliver a programme of events around the title – Andrew Garrad

Global spotlight

Year-long festival aiming to put city tech on world stage ��

Assistant Editor (Business) gavin.thompson@b-nm.co.uk

NE of the goals of Bristol’s European Green Capital status is to help the city’s green technology companies “do more business”. The Bristol 2015 team is organising a year-long International Green Tech Festival in the city to bring the world’s attention to the astonishing work and ideas already happening. The events will also encourage more innovation – part of what mayor George Ferguson calls Bristol being a “laboratory for change”. The festival will have three main strands: digital green tech; green tech innovation; and green tech in the city. The programme will include a digital challenge inviting teams to design software to solve environmental problems. There will be a VentureFest event to showcase the best in green technology innovation. And a business summit to discuss how cities can work with businesses to become greener. Sonny Masero, pictured below, International GreenTech Festival adviser, said: “The festival is a programme to help businesses find money to support what they are doing around green technology. “That could be grant funding, investors or support from university.” He said the Bristol 2015 team designed the

“ The events will be concentrated in Bristol but we are reaching out to businesses across the West of England. We want to shine a light on the good things that happen in the region. It still amazes me when I go to London how little they know about what great things we are doing here.” programme to reach a broad range of businesses across the Bristol area. “We’ll be reaching out to businesses to take part,” he said. “The events will be concentrated in the city of Bristol but we are reaching out to businesses across the West of England. “We want to shine a light on the good things that happen in the region. “It still amazes me when I go to London how little they know about what great things we are doing here.” Sonny said the year-long festival was not just a showcase but had to achieve results too. “This needs to be done with a purpose,” he said. “Enabling those businesses to do more business has got to be an outcome. “That’s why we are looking to see what grant funding people can access, looking to bring investors in, showcasing the work being done.”

DIGITAL CHALLENGE ● The first element focuses the Green Capital Digital Challenge, a hack weekend challenge where 10 teams of developers will be asked to create some software – a game, app or website – that helps solve one of a choice of environmental challenges. The tests will be around themes of energy, transport, food, nature and resources but will be set with input from business and experts to identity a problem that needs solving. From that weekend, held at the Watershed February 6-8, six finalists will be chosen. They will have two months to develop their ideas before putting them to a panel of expert judges. Prizes of up to £50,000 will be on offer, as well as the prestige and exposure. A people’s choice award will be chosen by delegates at the International Youth Conference taking place in the city on the day of the final. Teams can register up to January 1 online at www.bristol2015. co.uk/digitalchallenge.

VENTUREFEST RETURNS ● The centrepiece of the green tech innovation programme will be the return of VentureFest. The festival of technology will have a green tinge but organisers are keen to involve technology companies not just those which think of themselves as green. “We’re refreshing the format,” said organiser Sonny Masero. “Talking more about innovation as well as the venturing.” He said the organisers want to engage with big companies around the city to showcase innovation within their supply chains. “We are focusing on strong sectors for Bristol and Bath, such as high tech manufacturing, advanced engineering, creative and digital and looking at how green tech is embedded in those companies,” said Sonny. “We want to appeal to tech companies not just green companies. They might not call themselves a green company but they have technology that has an environmental benefit.” The team is working with Invest Bristol and Bath to bring in potential investors for the companies which will be exhibiting, in a showcase of local innovation. The event will be a partnership with Government funding body InnovateUK, Invest Bristol and Bath and Business West and is likely to take place in April or May.

BUSINESS SUMMIT ● The final strand of the festival - green tech in the city - will centre around a business summit later in the year. The Bristol 2015 team is working with sponsor KPMG to put together a report on how cities are investing in technology to become greener and how are they support business innovation. The report will bring together the views of business and city leaders from around the world in a white paper which will be discussed at a business summit in the city, where business leaders will look to find solutions to some of the problems. The report will then be presented to the World Climate Change Summit later in the year.

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“Part of the deal of being Green Capital is we have to measure what we have done,” said Andrew. “One because we are spending money but more to allow what we’ve done to be duplicated – or avoided – in other European cities.” Andrew thinks the involvement of a big company like KPMG shows how the green movement is evolving. “It’s very interesting to see them involved in this whole thing,” he said. “If you are a deep green activist you might be suspicious of corporate involvement but to me it’s a very interesting signal, it signals a shift in attitude towards green stuff. “It’s not just preaching about being green but saying actually this is a huge opportunity for new businesses. They want to learn from Bristol so they can provide a service to other cities around Europe. By being involved in the Bristol Method, which is what we are calling the measuring

process, they can then use it elsewhere.” He said his own business Garrad Hussan had gone through a similar evolution when it became DNV GL. “My business has been through this sort of process,” he said. “We started off as an ideological single-interest renewables business. It was quite smocks and sandals 30 years ago. Now our clients include Siemens and E.On. Two people out of 400 left when we sold our company to a bigger one but most thought ‘actually this is what we’ve been waiting for’. I’ve been working for 30 years to get renewable to the same table as other energy forms.” Andrew believes Bristol is well placed to become even stronger in green industries. It has a good supply of talent from strong universities and a place where people like to stay. So what will success look like come January 1, 2016? Apart from a nice lie down. “I hope that in 2015 we will take some significant steps towards doing something with our huge tidal energy resource,” he said. “Most of the major tidal players are sitting here in Bristol. We’re not going to build any tidal structures in 2015 but I hope we take some serious steps towards something. “If we choose wisely with the grants we are giving out, they will have lasting effect on communities. “But for me, if we got to the point where people stop thinking about being green and started thinking green was normal, that would be the best thing.” Andrew has made a few changes to his own life. “I’ve started cycling,” he said. “It’s a trivial thing but if a large chunk of people did that it would make a huge difference. I’m not looking for a seismic shift but I am looking for incremental change in a cultural sense.” And for business? Andrew said: “Will we have got any new investment in Bristol in 2015? Probably not a lot during 2015 but if we’ve got businesses from the outside thinking, ‘we’re going to come to the UK so we’ll come to Bristol’, that would be a major plus. “We may well have got extra exports for existing businesses enabling those businesses to grow. “And I hope we will have put Bristol on the map so if people and businesses are thinking of green, they think Bristol and maybe if they are coming to UK they’ll come to Bristol not London and even better come to Bristol for their European headquarters.” Summing up, Andrew said: “You can look at climate change as an environmental disaster, which of course it is, but that doesn’t inspire people to do much. “Or you can look at it as an opportunity to change your life and develop new businesses. I recently had to fill in a questionnaire ‘how is your business dealing with climate change’ and I put rather guiltily that it’s an opportunity for us. Yes this is serous stuff but for us in Bristol there is a big opportunity to build our businesses around the world.”

Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re proud to be supporting Bristol as European Green Capital for 2015, by delivering sustainable work, transport and learning solutions. Our goal is to deliver places that exceed expectations, enhance communities and inspire people. How can we help you?

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Bristol: European Green Capital 2015 Support Sponsors get on board to help make city a greener place Businesses have pledged millions of pounds in support to the Bristol 2015 team to make the European Green Capital programme a success. Gavin Thompson talks to some of the firms to dip into their pockets

● Bristol 2015 chairman

Andrew Garrad, Bristol Mayor George Ferguson, Phil Cotton from KPMG and FirstGroup chief executive Tim O’Toole

First Group

HEN it comes to Bristol’s green credentials, congestion is something of an elephant in the room. Some have questioned how a city with such traffic problems can be given the accolade in the first place. However while Bristol earned the title partly from its green strengths, another element of the mantle is how it improves on its weaknesses. Perhaps that’s why First Group was attracted to become a major sponsor of Bristol 2015. The company very much hopes to be part of the solution. Tim O’Toole, chief executive of FirstGroup, which operates trains and buses in Bristol, said: “As part of this partnership we will work to make Bristol a test-bed for sustainable transport innovation bringing our mix of global expertise and local knowledge with the city’s commitment to find sustainable solutions to the challenges of the increasingly congested world in which we live.” Over the last couple of years, First has invested £6 million in buying new buses and refurbishing old ones in the Bristol area. The 31 new buses produce lower emissions, as well as less noise and are fitted with LED lighting. The firm has been talking to the city council about extending smart

ticketing across bus and rail. Through its rail arm, First runs the rail franchise that takes passengers from Bristol into London. The line is being electrified, which will not just cut journey times to the capital by about 20 minutes but also make it greener too. Electric trains emit 25-30 per cent less carbon than diesel and the emissions which are produced are not along the train lines so they don’t affect air quality along

the routes. They have room for more seats too. Improvements are also planned for Bristol’s suburban rail network as part of the franchise when it is renewed and First is providing technical support for the so-called MetroWest scheme. The project will see the Portishead line reopened, which should take large numbers of commuters out of the car and onto public transport.

A spokesman for First Great Western, which runs the rail franchise, said: “Developing solutions to these transport issues can’t be done by one body. The local authorities can’t do it on their own, we can’t do it alone. It needs to be joined up.” He said the European Green Capital partnership was a “perfect catalyst” to develop some of those partnerships to work together to solve issues such as congestion.

KPMG

‘You can benefit from making eco investment’ ● BEING more sustainable is about good business sense as well as doing the right thing. Ben Wielgus, associate director sustainable strategy KPMG, said: “Most people think being sustainable is a perhaps nice thing to do but don’t realise the business benefit. “My job is to show you that if you invest in sustainability, it will give you a return.” By sponsoring Bristol 2015, the firm will be looking to get that message out to more business owners, as well as helping its own bottom line in the long run. “We really wanted to be involved with Bristol 2015 because it allows us to experiment and learn how to do something new,” said Ben. “If we help Bristol, Bristol will be the baseline for the rest of the world on how to do this. If we have been involved, other cities will engage with us too.” Ben said there is “an awful lot of noise” around sustainability and it becomes even more complex when taken to a city level. “Our first step is helping them get through the noise and complexity,” he said. But while the growth of cities such as Bristol presents big challenges, Ben believes it brings opportunities too. “Any UK city has challenges around energy and resources and we know Bristol has challenges around transport,” he said. “As more people move to cities it will increase those challenges but also bring new revenue to solve them.” And it’s those solutions that Bristol and KPMG hope to find, or at least make headway towards, in 2015.

Skanska

‘Sustainability is more than just wind turbines and solar panels’ may have seen its BREEAM Excellent-rated office development at 66 Queen Square rising from the ground. Skanska’s reach goes much further. It is helping Bristol to tackle its shortage of school places, by extending and building dozens of primary schools. The firm is also carrying out work on the motorways and major roads on behalf of the Highways Agency. Such work gives the company a strong foundation from which to promote a sustainable agenda. Chris Hayes, sustainability operations director, Skanska UK, said that

even in the tight time constraints of school projects, where the work often has to be done in the summer holidays, sustainability is always a priority. “People often misuse the word sustainable and think it’s just about wind turbines and solar panels,” he said. “It’s not.” Chris, right, explained that the firm strives to exceed regulatory compliance, as making buildings more energy efficient is the starting point: “We also focus on building users and how healthy a working or learning environment can be, including natural light and ventilation and the use of sustainable materials

which have a positive impact on the occupants. “It’s not just about green buildings but also about the right environment,” he said. “It has to be appropriate.” The company spreads the sustainability agenda in practical ways, working with its supply chain as well as educating the younger generation. “Children are naturally inquisitive so a building site in your playground is an opportunity to really engage with the local community,” said Chris. “You want to encourage future generations of construction industry

professionals, while educating people on the potential dangers of construction sites too. Our teams regularly talk at school assemblies to help the children, teachers and support staff so that they feel comfortable, and proud, to take ownership of their school.” The education message can be relevant for the business world too. For example, new regulations mean office buildings have to meet minimum energy efficiency standards by 2018 and 25 per cent of current stock doesn’t. This means that there are a few businesses out there who might need to brush up.

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THINK green and construction may not be the first sector that comes to mind. But Skanska is working to change that, and not just through becoming a sponsor of Bristol 2015. The firm, founded in Sweden, has taken root in the Bristol area. Terry Elphick, right, managing director, Skanska UK, said: “Bristol is an outstanding green city and Skanska is known as one of the greenest companies in the UK – and the world. Supporting Bristol as the European Green Capital 2015 is a natural fit for us. “We’ve been building and investing in sustainable buildings and infrastructure in Bristol for many years, bringing our green expertise and values to the city in numerous ways.” Those who work in the city centre

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Bristol: European Green Capital 2015

MAKING IT EASIER AND MORE REWAR Bristol’s year as European Green Capital is a chance for companies big and small to engage with the green agenda. Gavin Thompson talks to some of the city’s businesses which are already going green and finds out how others can follow

MALL and medium sized businesses will be encouraged to Go Green with support from the Bristol 2015 team. And those which do so will be able to shout about their successes and win an official mark of approval. The Go Green project is being run jointly by Low Carbon South West and Business West to make it as easy as possible for firms to engage, regardless of size, sector or track record. Amy Robinson, director of Low Carbon South West, said SMEs were among the best placed to benefit. “Lots of large companies have their own systems and staff in place where-

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“ We hope any small business – hairdresser, greengrocer, bookshop – can get involved. They might be interested from a financial point of view, looking at their energy bills and wanting to become more efficient.” as smaller companies often can’t manage that,” she said. “We’ve devised a scheme which we hope will enable us to engage with whole host of businesses in Bristol and across the West of England.” She said the programme would run beyond Bristol’s time as European green capital, for three years, and would hopefully become self funding in future. It is aimed at all businesses, including charities and social enterprises, which want to do more to be green and sustainable. “We want it to work from small micro companies and start-ups upwards,” she said. “From businesses which are already quite green to businesses for whom this agenda has never been something they’ve had time or inclination to focus on. “We hope any small business – hairdresser, greengrocer, bookshop – can get involved. “They might be interested from a financial point of view, looking at their energy bills and wanting to become more efficient, or it might be someone who really wants to be greener but doesn’t know where to start.” The goal is to encourage and celebrate, not to admonish. Amy said: “I am an SME, I know what it’s like to run when you are

● Members of the South West branch of the Association of Women in Property being given a tour of the new Filwood Green Business Park by members of the

Vans upgrade ‘has saved on fuel and given us competitive edge’ Gregor Heating ● SPENDING £15,000 installing vehicle management systems on some of its vans was a significant investment for Warmley-based Gregor Heating. But it has been money well spent, according to boss Steve Gregor. The firm now has the system, which allows it to track vehicles, installed on all its 55 vans. “It has more or less paid for itself already in two years,” said Steve. It means office staff can better assign jobs to engineers because they know where they are and how far they are from other potential jobs. “There have been lots of benefits, not just driving down fuel costs but improving driver behaviour too.” Gregor Heating has been accredited to the ISO14001

environmental management standard, Steve believes gives it a competitive edge. “We have to have environmental policies and we are independently audited each year to prove we are continuously improving,” he said. The package is a sum or lots of smaller parts, for example soak-up mats in the vans in case of any spillage. “When it comes to tendering bids, it’s massive,” said Steve. “If clients can see that we have the right policies and take the environment seriously it ticks that box. “But it’s more than about box ticking. For us it’s being more efficient because that’s good for business but also we are renewable energy specialists, so the environmental agenda is close to our hearts.”

● Steve Gregor spent £15,000 installing vehicle management systems

trying really hard to get everything done in the day – a lot of this can fall by the way side. This isn’t about wagging fingers, it’s about making it as accessible, interesting and rewarding to businesses as we can.” Amy said there is already a lot of advice out there, so the Go Green project will pull it all together. “Go Green is going to be one front door for helping them to access all of the advice and resource that’s already available,” she said. “Bristol is incredibly rich in terms of organisations and activities that can help. Some of them are public organisations, some private, lots of

third sector. We want to help businesses access those opportunities.” Low Carbon South West promotes the green services sector, so the programme has the added benefit of being able to signpost other businesses to those service providers, supporting the green services economy, The programme will focus on five areas: ● Travel and transport ● Energy and efficiency ● Happy and healthy ● Resilience and business planning ● Sustainable sourcing Amy said: “It might be about consultancy and getting advice on the

fabric of their building if it’s very energy inefficient or a funding stream that would enable them to get a grant for a new boiler, or advice on how to have a beehive or get showers installed to encourage people to cycle to work or training to help staff work remotely. “The idea is that all of the advice is free for the businesses to access. “They can dip their toe and have a look around. Once they become part of the programme their company appears on our website so we can show success growing. “And people will be able to go to the website and see who has signed up and use that to inform their purchasing

decisions. She added: “We want to celebrate all the companies which are taking this on.” There will be three levels of involvement: “Say it” means a firm has said it will get involved. “Do it” where they are actually taking steps. And finally “Prove it”, which will be a badge for companies that want to show what they have achieved. This will be accredited with a fee to pay for the ongoing running of the scheme. The programme will be launched in December but for now firms can express an interest online at gogreenbusiness.co.uk.

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ARDING FOR YOUR FIRM TO GO GREEN Flagship project to create jobs Filwood Green Business Park

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Eco team briefed to bring new approach at law firm Gregg Latchams ● IF you think your office really can’t do without all that paper, take a look at local solicitors Gregg Latchams. The Queen Square-based firm has become a green beacon in recent years, being named Carbon Champion last year after reducing its energy use and greenhouse emissions by 27 per cent. It was also the winner of the Bristol Law Society Legal Sector Alliance award for Environmental Responsibility in 2011 and 2012. To achieve these accolades, the firm formed a green team to drive through a change in approach inside the business. Measures such as ensuring office space is used more efficiently, setting double sided printing as the default option, introducing twin monitors, and recycling 95 per cent of all firm waste all made a contribution.

● Friska founders Griff Holland and Ed Brown

Good food served with thought The firm has become largely paper free – except when needed for legal work. It stores all its files digitally on two slim servers, designed to use reduced amounts of electricity and give out less heat so not putting too much strain on the air conditioning. Mike Gupwell, pictured, from the

firm’s Green Group, said: “When we decided to commit to the West of England Carbon Challenge we were not sure how or whether we would achieve the 10 per cent reduction target. But I am delighted that the energy saving message has been so enthusiastically adopted.”

Scheme heating up homes with greater efficiency ● LOCAL suppliers are signing up to help Bristol City Council warm up people’s homes and make them more energy efficient. Homeowners can get up to £4,000 towards loft insulation, double glazing, solid and cavity walls, new boilers and renewable energy systems. Faith Parker, HR manager at BR Hodgson Ltd, which employs 45 people at its base in Wick, said they heard about the scheme through a ‘meet the buyer’ event

earlier this year. Warm Up Bristol, sounded like an excellent opportunity which would allow the company to expand its external wall insulation business,” she said. “After submitting our expression of interest, we met with the team to discuss the qualification criteria. It was established that we met all the requirements so we then entered into a service agreement. “Warm Up Bristol is one of the most ambitious energy efficiency initiatives in the country - the

target is to fit 30,000 home improvement measures in the next four years. Due to the scale of the scheme we’re anticipating huge benefits for our business as the programme gets under way. “The scheme is designed to help individuals reduce their energy bills, but the benefits will also be felt by the city’s economy because it’ll create more jobs and generate work for local businesses like us. “We’re anticipating a high level of uptake.”

Friska ● FOR the founders of cafe and food chain Friska, being green means doing what feels good. Ed Brown and Griff Holland founded the business with the slogan “Feel Good Food”. Griff said: “To feel good about what we do, we need to do things responsibly.” The firm, which started in Victoria Street and recently announced plans to expand into other cities, recently won the Best Ethical Restaurant title at the Observer Food Awards. Griff, however, believes responsible is a better word than green or ethical. “If we talk about ‘green’, it’s a choice people can easily opt out of but ‘responsibility’ puts the onus on us all to do it,” he said. “But it has to be more than a badge. Responsibility has to be at the core of what you do. If there’s not a real belief and drive then it’s unlikely it will work.” Friska has invested in this responsible approach. It installed

convection hobs which use less energy, for example. “They are expensive to put in but the costs are lower to run,” said Griff. “And it makes it a nicer place to work because less heat means the kitchen isn’t a sweat pit!” A zero-waste-to-landfill policy helped Friska win the Business West Green Big Green Week Green Business Award in 2013, with food waste composted, other materials recycled and anything else sent to an incinerator. The firm also uses 100 per cent green energy in the stores where it controls the supplier, such as Victoria Street, using the green tariff from another local business, energy supplier Ovo. “Is it more expensive?” he says. “Not really. With most of these things if you are committed and put the effort in it doesn’t have to cost more. “We are a business so any ideas have to make financial sense. But there haven’t been many good, responsible ideas that haven’t made sense.”

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● A NEW green business park will help create jobs and provide a home to several small and medium sized companies. Filwood Green Business Park is the only development of its type in the South West to be built to the leading industry BREEAM Outstanding environmental and sustainability standards. It is a flagship project for Bristol’s year as European Green Capital in 2015. The park has 40,000 square feet of workshops and office space and will hopefully lead to the creation of 350 jobs, helping to regenerate that part of the city. It is an £11.7 million investment in South Bristol, funded by the city council, European Regional

Development Fund and money from the Government’s Regional Growth Fund channelled through the West of England Local Enterprise Partnership. The park is being built by Bristol-based Midas Construction and will be held up as an example of sustainable building. The firm recently invited Women in Property, a forum for women in the construction and property sector, to tour the site and see the work for themselves. Jamie Harwood, Midas’ operational director for the project, said: “We were delighted to welcome members of WiP to see the work going on to create this exciting new business park for Bristol, as well enabling them to hear more about the numerous ways we are employing environmentally-friendly approaches in the build.”

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The spirit of Brunel will help us build a greater west. $ ( # ' $ %# '*$ " '() * ") %*' ' ", . he created the greatest rail network in the world. '*$ " ( $ $ ' $ )( , ' $ ' " ) ) ) . %$ ) , () , ( ' +%"*) %$ '. )' $( %'# %'$ ' % ) " $ $)% + ' $) &'%(& '%*( ' %$ ""%, $ %##*$ ) ( )% %$$ ) )' $ ' ( &'% * )% %*' ( # (( )%*' (# )% $+ $) $ ' %# % #%+ # $) ) ) $ " ,%# $ )% )' + " *$ & '%$ %' ) + '. '() ) # $ ( %') %& $ *& ) () $%) %$". )% ) , ") % ) & ) " *) ) , ") % ) ,%'" % . '() ' ) () '$ $ ),%'! " ' ) &'%* *()% $( % '*$ " ( # $ $) ' ", . *) ) ( not an idle tenure. $ *( ) (& ' ) % '*$ " " + ( %$ ' (*&&%') $ ),%'! " ( ) . # ! ) () $+ ()# $) $ ) ' ", . ( $ )%' $ ) # ( " )' . $ ) )' ! $ )' $( %'# $ stations. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re introducing refurbished trains with more () $ ' ( ) $ ' %$ % ' *& ' ) ' $ ' $ '() " (( $ ( %$ )% $%$ " & ' $ *""# $ $ $ -& ' $ ( % , # . () #*" ) &'%(& ' ). $ ) %##*$ ) ( %##*) '( $ %" .# ! '( % ) , %" ' %$ %$ $ $ %*' # $ ( , ' $%) *() * " $ ' ) ' ' ", . , ' building a greater west.

BUILDING A GREATER WEST #GreaterWest Find out more at FirstGreatWestern.co.uk and on Twitter @FGW

Retail

Out of the blue Stylish wallets for disabled badges prove hit NEW OUTLETS

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Assistant Editor (Business) gavin.thompson@b-nm.co.uk

● The Post Office is to begin stocking Blue Badge Company products in stores across the UK. It comes just weeks after its trademark blue badge holders were rolled out across more than 2,000 Boots stores in the UK. The Post Office will stock 12 designs from the company’s blue badge wallet collection. The first products will land in over 200 of the main Crown Post Offices and will then be rolled out to around 300 stores over the next few months. The company was the first in the world to offer uniquely styled blue badge holders and remains the only one in the UK. Director Ellen Green said: “We were absolutely delighted when the Post Office agreed to a deal!”

HEN Ellen Green secured her first big order, the elation was soon followed by a reality check. High street chain Boots wanted 10,000 of her stylish blue badge holder wallets delivered in eight weeks. To that point, Blue Badge Company had only made 8,000 in its first two years. “We up-scaled very quickly,” said Ellen. “I had everyone including my mum in the workroom sewing and ironing and getting the wallets and packing them. That was a massive shift for us. We had sold to a few mobility shops but nothing of that kind of volume.” While the margins weren’t high on the Boots deal, it got the product out there and to date the firm has sold 45,000 through the chain. Now Ellen has done another big deal, this time to be stocked in post offices nationwide. From a back bedroom business in which she had worked with a friend before buying them out, Blue Badge Company has grown quickly. The firm moved into workshop space in Montpelier, knocked through into a second unit, then a third. Ellen, 30, admits she is “risk averse” and won’t expand until she is confident the numbers stack up. But there is huge potential, with 2.6 million disabled blue badge holders in the UK. And it’s a market that is changing. “I was amazed before we came along you could only buy naff ones with the wheelchair logo on the side,” said Ellen. “My grandparents’ generation would have been happy to have the old functional thing but my parents are more sophisticated shoppers. I see the disability mar-

● Ellen Green, founder of Blue Badge Company; right, the stylish wallets ket changing quite radically. They don’t want really dull products.” It sells through stores including Boots but also through Amazon and its own website online, which to date has been the “bread and butter” trade. A good sign for her business is that Ellen appears willing to take advice. She is about to take on a non-executive director, worked with the Growth Accelerator scheme and has lent on UK Trade & Investment for exporting ex-

pertise, although such a move is some way off yet. For now, she is focusing on the UK and promoting her products beyond the assisted living and healthcare stores to the large gift market. “The places this product could go are vast,” said Ellen. “Next year we hope to cross over into the gift market. Most people I know have a relative who is a blue badge holder.” Like many start-ups, Ellen began after being made redund-

ant. But unlike most which remain effectively selfemployment, this business has grown and is providing jobs too. She employs 10 people on payroll and eight more home and flexible workers as needed to meet demand. Forty per cent of the workers live with some form of disability. That’s not just equal opportunities but also better understanding their market. With other new textile products already in production, including a series of toasty wheat warmers, travel cardholders and a leather collection of the parking permit wallets, Blue Badge Company hopes to be the biggest supplier and manufacturer such modern living aids in the next three to five years. While it is a steep learning curve, delivering that first big order has given Ellen and her team the confidence they can do anything.

Facilities management

New focus at Mitie produces rise in profits and revenues ● AN outsourcing firm is growing profits by focusing on its core facilities management business and ditching loss-making areas. Mitie, which employs about 700 people at its Emersons Green base, grew profits and revenues in the first half of the year. The Bristol founded FTSE 250 company, reported £64.2 million operating profits for the six months ending September 30, up three per cent. The firm’s revenue grew 4.8 per cent to £1.1 billion. Group finance director Suzanne Baxter, pictured, told the Post: “We reconsidered our portfolio and decided to focus on areas where we think the long-term risk and return matrix looks best.” That means mainly long-term, recurring revenue facilities management contracts, however the firm sees great potential in healthcare. Suzanne said: “As demographics change, healthcare provision has to change and there will be more outsourcing to private firms and more joining up health and social care services.” Revenues in the facilities management business grew 6.3 per cent with 90 per cent of contracts up for tender being retained. Among those was a key £250 million five-year deal with Vodafone. Meanwhile Mitie has been pulling out of loss-making businesses including a mechanical and electrical engineering company, which lost £6.9 million in the six months. And it took a stinging £45.7 million hit from its asset management arm, covering exceptional costs from its disposal of the business.

Growth Vouchers

Experts ready to give support ● MORE than 50 business experts around Bristol are now accredited to help firms through the Growth Vouchers programme. The scheme helps small businesses to cover some of the cost of advice on finance, cash flow, management skills and sales and marketing. The 53 advisers in Bristol include Rob Thomas, chief digital officer and managing director of WSI-e Marketing. He said: “Bristol is full of shops, garages, cafes and manufacturers that are run by enterprising and hardworking people. The Government wants to make sure businesses can access the right support at the right time. Growth Vouchers gives business owners the opportunity to get independent help. Details at: www.great business.gov.uk/growthvouchers.

Kitchens

New showroom opening

IT systems

Team growth forces move to bigger office son, originally developed for police and trading standards teams, into new markets. Its products are designed to help police forces share information, work more efficiently and reduce bureaucracy. It has created tools for a wide range of applications, from fraud investigations and staff vetting to missing persons and stolen vehicle administration. Its systems enable forces to work together and with other agencies. Its latest appointment is Chris Gough, who joins as services manager from ICE ICT. Chris said: “I am looking forward to working with the team to help consolidate our services in the police market and further develop other business sectors.”

TO LET Period Ofﬁce Building Westbury on Trym Bristol

Approximately 1,700 sq ft with parking New lease All enquiries contact the agents:

● Staff from WPC Software outside their new HQ in Emersons Green. Chris Gough is in the front row, second from left, and Glenn Bewes is second from right

Andrew Hardwick

andrew@wghproperty.co.uk

©LW

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A SOFTWARE developer specialising in IT systems for police forces has moved to bigger offices as its team grows. WPC Software has relocated from Keynsham, where it was based for 15 years, to premises in Longwell Green. The building in Kingsfield Lane has been refurbished to provide much-needed office space and meetings rooms for the growing business which now employs nearly 30 staff. And the firm, which develops software for public sector bodies including national government agencies, is recruiting additional graduates and software developers as it continues to grow. The firm is moving its investigations management tool Crim-

● LUXURY kitchen outlet Tom Howley is launching a new showroom in Bristol tomorrow. The Clifton showroom is a response to the growing customer demand from the region. The firm said Clifton and the Bristol area was the perfect location for its top-end brands, with bespoke kitchens starting at £30,000. Chef Nigel Smith will give a live cooking and tasting experience at the launch. Find out more at www.tomhowley.co.uk.

www.bristolpost.co.uk7i|zpulzz

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

TTIP roadshow

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â&#x2014;? Panel, from left, Tom Sallis, senior policy advisor for CBI, Richard Currie, policy director at UPS, Ron Yip, senior policy adviser at BIS, textiles designer Penny Sueme, Jim Neel, first secretary of trade at the US Embassy in London, and Jeffries Briginshaw, managing director of hosts BritishAmerican Business, at the TTIP roadshow held at Grant Thorntonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s offices in Victoria Street, Bristol

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American dream Trade deal would aid exporters Oh}pu \ovtwzvu

Assistant Editor (Business) gavin.thompson@b-nm.co.uk

USINESSPEOPLE need to be less chicken â&#x20AC;&#x201C; chlorine washed or otherwise â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and shout about the benefits of free trade, a gathering of industry leaders and entrepreneurs was told today. More then 50 people attended the discussion on TTIP â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership â&#x20AC;&#x201C; in Bristol this morning. They were greeted by a group of around a dozen protesters outside the Victoria Street offices of Grant Thornton, who believe the trade deal could threaten the NHS and give global corporations the power to sue the government over future changes in policy. But the panel, including representatives from BritishAmercian Business which hosted the event in association with the CBI â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and the US Embassy urged those in a attendance to speak out about the potential benefits. TTIP is a potential trade deal between the European Commission and the US, which has been under discussion for a couple of years but is still far from being finalised. If it happens it should cut or eliminate tariffs businesses in Europe pay to sell in the US and vice versa, make customs red tape lighter, and â&#x20AC;&#x201C; in a step further than previous trade arrangements â&#x20AC;&#x201C; get rid of lots of costly regulation companies have to go through, often caused by differences in the standards in each country. Debs Waddell, regional director of the CBI, gave an example of the kind of business the deal could help. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Imagine Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m a micro-brewer from Bristol starting to export to the US,â&#x20AC;? she said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I would have to pay 157 per cent more tax than an equivalent American brewer. But if that American brewer came here, they would pay the same tax as me. We have got to level the playing field.â&#x20AC;? The talks are looking at industries

including automotive, engineering machinery, drugs and medical equipment. Richard Currie, policy director at logistics firm UPS who was on the panel, said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been the to the US and I havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t thought twice about putting my kids in the back of the car or about taking drugs prescribed there because itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s perfectly safe, so why not eliminate the second level of costs and regulation?â&#x20AC;? He added that main beneficiaries would be small and medium-sized businesses and consumers. But Jeffries Briginshaw, managing director of transatlantic business organisation BritishAmerican Business, admitted the public had not been won over He said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;As a business community, we have not been able to capture the

â&#x20AC;&#x153; My concern is that for the average person the first contact with TTIP will be some of the negative stories. Raise your voices and talk about TTIP in a positive way. Jim Neel, First Secretary for Trade at the US Embassy in London

public imagination therefore these baseless scare stories about the NHS and whatever else start to take root.â&#x20AC;? Ron Yip, senior policy adviser at the Government Department of Business, Innovation and Skills, addressed some of the concerns. â&#x20AC;&#x153;There are various groups very vocal about TTIP,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;For them the best outcome is to have no deal. They cite public concern which in our view is based on misconceptions. They say TTIP is paving way for the NHS to be privatised. This is not the case. TTIP explicitly rules out lib-

eralisation of public services. â&#x20AC;&#x153;There are also concerns that with regulation moving closer we will have a race to the bottom. Again this is a misconception. We are not looking for everything to be harmonised but we are looking for ways to make it easier for businesses to negotiate the differences in regulations.â&#x20AC;? Jim Neel, First Secretary for Trade at the US Embassy in London, said he was optimistic about the talks because while 20 years ago both parties would have focused on their differences now, as other economies grow around the globe, they see more similarities between Europe and the US. But he added: â&#x20AC;&#x153;My concern is that for the average person the first contact with TTIP will be some of the negative stories and that gives us an extra hurdle to negotiate. My ask would be to raise your voices and talk about TTIP in a positive way. Getting business voices in UK to raise the volume and get the message out there more.â&#x20AC;? He said regardless of trade deals an American company would not be able to sell something to a European who didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to buy it. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I go in McDonaldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s here and the word sustainability is in the window,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The word responsibility is on the table. The menu tells me the food is sourced in the UK. McDonaldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in the US doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t look like that. They respond to what the consumer wants.â&#x20AC;? As for the chlorine... one recent so-called â&#x20AC;&#x153;scare storyâ&#x20AC;? says Germans are opposing the deal because in the US chickens are washed in chlorine. Jim said the strict US rules on listeria means chickens are indeed given a â&#x20AC;&#x153;gentle chlorine bathâ&#x20AC;?, which they generally arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t in Europe. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It has become a hobby horse for people concerned about TTIP,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Because it just doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t sound very tasty.â&#x20AC;? But before we start getting in a flap, Jim adds: â&#x20AC;&#x153;In the EU lettuce is treated in a similar way.â&#x20AC;?

â&#x2014;? Make up your own mind. www.cbi.org.uk/media-centre/news -articles/2014/10/ttip-facts/ â&#x2014;? https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/ pages/ttip_more_information

www.bristolpost.co.uk7i|zpulzz

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

In pictures Explore Export at the Bristol Hotel

Business diary Women’s Entrepreneurship Day: Women entrepreneurs are invited to network at Bordeaux Quay, Bristol, today from 5-7pm. No booking required. Tweet out at #BWED14. Ladies Who Latte: Flexible, informal networking for entrepreneurial women at New World Business Centre, Station Road, Warmley, 10am-noon, tomorrow. Contacts: Sarah or Liz on 0117 332 0900, info@new worldbusinesscentre.co.uk.

● John Day, WDM, Richard Dal Lago, WDM, and Phillip Harrall, Pramana Research at the ExploreExport event at the Bristol Hotel

● Phil Bridgeman, Business West, and Matthew Hornsby, Delib Pictures: Michael Lloyd

Environmental management seminar: Manufacturers’ organisation EEF is running a course tomorrow to help firms adapt to the new standard for environmental management. The event takes place at Engineer’s House, The Promenade, Clifton Down. For details go to www.eeftraining.org.uk/iso14001. Prepared for Investment: One day training course covering to the issues and processes associated with investments made into private limited companies. £360+VAT. Leigh Court Business Centre, Abbots Leigh. 9.30am-4pm, tomorrow. Register via Business West. Bristol & Bath International Network: Free event offering advice and support needed to be a success overseas. From 3.30-8pm tomorrow, at Bristol Airport The Bristol Room, Old Terminal Administration & Security Building, BS48 3DY.

● Tom Barton, Clever Chef, and Simon Wythe, Desire RC

Tweet-up Bristol: Informal business networking in a bar, talking about business, twitter and more. 6-9pm, Tuesday at Revolution, St Nicholas Street.

● Daniel Powell and Daisy Lacey, both of Greenbest

Export events open up world of opportunities MORE than 400 delegates attended events across the South West last week to learn about international business opportunities and the support available to reach new customers around the world. A series of 14 UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) events were held across the region as part of Export Week, with record numbers of delegates attending. At the flagship ExploreExport event alone, more than 670 one-to-one meetings were held with trade advisers from over 65 countries.

Russell Jones, UKTI regional director said:“It was encouraging to see so many people throughout the week and to hear about many of the region’s success stories. “I hope we have inspired more South West businesses, both large and small, to consider exporting and look forward to hearing success stories in the months to come. “Exporting is crucial to the growth of our regional economy. The British brand is incredibly strong throughout the world, bringing with it a reputation of credibility and re-

● Guests at the Explore Export event at the Bristol Hotel

liability and there has never been a more opportune time to take advantage of these commercial prospects. “UKTI has a wealth of support on offer to ease the process and, most importantly, an experienced team of local export advisers to help. However, the first step must come from business so I encourage that step to be taken today so you can access this essential knowledge and expertise.” Tim Harrap, head of collaboration at North Somerset cheesemaker Lye Cross Farm, attended the Explore-

Export event at the Bristol Hotel. Tim said: “The event is a real gem and is unrivalled in its format as a networking opportunity. The level of market intelligence the trade officers have is fantastic and they are very commercially attuned to the needs of delegates. “In one morning I was able to meet with representatives from Korea, Thailand and Finland, to name a few, who were able to provide me with up to date information on the state of the economy in their respective countries.”

● Caroline Davey, Joanne Scutcher, and Imogen Willis. all from Octavius Hunt

Bristol as sustainable event destination: Positive Impact Events hosts a workshop on improving the profitability, efficiency and reputation of your business. Tuesday, from 5-7pm, at the Create Centre. Sign up at http://positiveimpactevents. com/products/bristol-open-day. Bristol Junior Chamber Presidents’ Lecture: Baroness Gillian Shephard, Deputy Chair of the Government’s Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission, talks about social mobility. Wednesday, November 26, 11.30am, at Clarke Willmott LLP, Bath Street, Bristol. Prepare your business for sale: Joint event by HR Dept and Bristol ActionCOACH Rob Carter that looks at the things you need to do to get you business fit for sale. Thursday, November 27, KingsWeston House, 9-1pm. Register at Eventbrite. Email your business events to gavin.thompson@b-nm.co.uk. Events are sometimes cancelled without us being notified so please check with organisers before travelling.

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www.bristolpost.co.uk7i|zpulzz

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

The back page

Your digest of the week in business

Deals â&#x2014;? Independent building firm Tuffin Ferraby Taylor has acquired Wye Solutions, the Bristol-based firm of consulting building services engineers. Wye Solutions has a number of high profile clients including Siemens, Highcross Strategic Advisers and Ashdown Phillips. The acquisition, for an undisclosed sum, will enhance TFTâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s offering. The team from Wye Solutions will move to TFTâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s offices in Queen Square. Tuffin Ferraby Taylor managing partner Alan Pemberton said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our consultancies have been working closely together for the past 10 years. The market in the South West has been particularly strong for us over the last 12 months and we are very pleased to have the team move to our Bristol offices as a fully integrated part of TFT, with their technical expertise and wide-ranging experience bolstering our already strong offering in this area.â&#x20AC;?

â&#x2014;? David Davies with his award, and comedian Rich Hall, right

People

them to do their best work. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This funding allows us to increase our spend in training benefiting not only Icon Films but the wider creative economy.â&#x20AC;? The fund helps companies invest in the development of skills and talent in the UK creative industries.

â&#x2014;? Factual programme producer Icon Films is investing in training its staff thanks to money from Creative Skillsetâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Skills Investment Funds. Laura Marshall, the firmâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s managing director, said: â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;We are proud of our record in growing and developing our people to enable

â&#x2014;? Builder Redrow is celebrating 40 years in business this month with new hires and a strong showing. The firm, which employs 130 in the area from its base in Bradley Stoke, reports it has already sold 70 per cent of its housing stock for the year. It has seven developments on

the go in the South West. Barry Stiles has been promoted to regional managing director for the South West and West Country divisions. And Lee Hawker, who joined Redrow as a graduate trainee in 2000, has been promoted to regional director of the South West division after working his way up through the ranks. Lee said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;The South West division has been performing incredibly well so itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s great to be celebrating our 40th anniversary from such a positive position.â&#x20AC;?

â&#x2014;? David Davies from Hargreaves Lansdown has been named CIO of The Year at the UK IT Industry Awards 2014 run by BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT, and Computing. David was presented with the Award by comedian Rich Hall at a glittering dinner held at Battersea Park Events Arena. David said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;I am delighted to have been recognised by the industry in such a highly competitive category. The role of the CIO is becoming increasing challenging given the crucial nature of IT to the operating models of financial services business. This has been an outstanding year for the IT team at Hargreaves Lansdown and this award would not have been possible without them.â&#x20AC;? â&#x2014;? North Somerset-based Pure Comms has appointed a non-executive chairman to help advise the management as it grows. Julian Telling is known on the Bristol business scene having set up the Falcon Group in the early 1980s and been a non-executive director of the insurance broker Brightside Group.

The business has grown from one to 12 staff in five years; and from a standing start turnover to just shy of ÂŁ2 million. Managing director Rob Vivian said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Julianâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s experience and knowledge will serve us well as we look to continue growing and creating skilled jobs in the region. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We will soon be opening a new office in Cornwall, and it will be important for myself and the rest of the board to tap into Julianâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s stewardship.â&#x20AC;? â&#x2014;? Stuff advertising, based in Prince Street, has made two appointments to its client service team after a year of growth. Lauren Tregaskes, above, and Clare Szymanski, below, join the ranks to support the agency with its growing client base. Lauren joins as account manager, having previously worked at Bray Leino while Clare has experience at JWT in London. Managing director Jonnie Galvin-Wright said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are extremely pleased to welcome Lauren and Clare to our team. They have the right expertise to enhance our creative passion and their appointments will strengthen our dedicated client service team.â&#x20AC;?

Backing your Ambition event

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â&#x2014;? From left, Lloyds area director SME Banking - Bristol and South West David Beaumont, Dr Brian McConnell from Hydrock, Rob Turner from the Growth Accelerator and Lloyds Bank Senior Economist Rhys Herbert

Staff â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;are the key concernâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

RISTOL-based SMEs are most concerned about staff, according to new research conducted at a Backing your Ambition event hosted by Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking. Nearly three quarters (74 per cent) of those surveyed said that the biggest decision theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve had to make for their business relates to people, from recruitment and retention through to performance management. A further 74 per cent said they were worried about losing good members of staff. This sentiment echoes one of the key findings of a report, unveiled at the event by GrowthAccelerator, which studies the characteristics of businesses deemed to be hyper growth businesses. Hyper growth is a term used to describe rapid business growth at a rate of at least three times higher than the accepted definition of high growth. More than 70 local business leaders from across the area attended the Lloyds

Bank-hosted event. David Beaumont, area director for SME Banking in the South West for Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking, said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Whilst many surveyed said they had been forced to look at their business activity, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s clear from speaking with those in the room this morning that this hasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t dampened any entrepreneurial spirit. â&#x20AC;&#x153;There is a strong sense of business community in Bristol and with 57 per cent of SME owners saying they would prefer to speak with an external business adviser to realise their business ambitions, there is no shortage of peers in the area to turn to for support. â&#x20AC;&#x153;These events both provide our customers with an ideal networking opportunity, and are an invaluable forum for us to engage with businesses in the area to get a real understanding of their plans for the future â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and to see how we can help these businesses to realise their ambitions.â&#x20AC;?