In conversation with

Sarah Slaven, MD of Business Durham, is coming to the end of her first year in post

... So, how has it been?

At the end of 2021, no one could have foreseen the barrage of challenges that lay ahead – the war in Ukraine, the energy crisis, escalating inflation, the resignation of the Prime Minister and the refusal of Covid to completely disappear - so it is just as well that Sarah has no time for negativity. Instead, she has been getting out and about to meet County Durham’s business community.

Her interim role, which began at the start of lockdown before her appointment was made permanent last December, certainly helped prepare her for what lay ahead, which was mainly focused on helping County Durham businesses survive Covid.

As the business support service for Durham County Council, Sarah and her team administered a raft of business support measures with help from the Durham Business Recovery Grant, which saw 349 businesses assisted and £5.26m distributed in grants, thanks to additional support from Durham County Council, on top of that provided by the Government.

At the same time, Business Durham’s Digital Drive funding was fast tracked to provide help when and where it was needed with digital health checks, workshops and masterclasses, while the Durham Business Opportunities Programme ensured that smaller businesses were made aware of the range of assistance available to them through Business Durham’s network.

The County Durham Growth Fund was able to help those companies that wished to expand their workforce or extend their premises to create new jobs - and there were some, even during Covid – while one of the key start-up programmes for the region, the Durham City Incubator (DCI), helped retain graduate talent, assisting would-be entrepreneurs to set up businesses in Durham on graduation.

This, Sarah explains, is what Business Durham support is all about: “We offer an eco-system of support through our various grants, and we hope that spin-out companies from Durham University will stay when they see what is on offer here. Swinburne Maddison has been really supportive of the DCI programme, providing legal packs and advice on what you need to do when setting up a company.

“We are now starting to get some traction around the fact that County Durham is a good place to set up a business – we have not been in this position before – and then we can find growing enterprises a place in our property portfolio for the next stage in their development.”

We offer an eco-system of support through our various grants, and we hope that spin-out companies from Durham University will stay when they see what is on offer here. Swinburne Maddison has been really supportive of the DCI programme, providing legal packs and advice on what you need to do when setting up a company.

One such start-up, sustainable materials business, Low Carbon Materials (formerly known as Sphera), which looks set to take the construction sector by storm, is a prime example of the support available for all stages of the business journey, moving from Durham City Incubator support, to Business Durham’s Fishburn Industrial Estate units and during 2022, moving again to an expanded unit offering 11,195 sq ft of prime industrial space at Jade Business Park with a County Durham Growth Fund grant. Sarah continues: “In spite of all the difficulties, 2022 has been a good year and we have achieved against all our KPIs and developed a strong platform to build on.

“Property is a key strand of income for us as it supports what we do in Business Durham. Jade Business Park is doing particularly well – all seven units are full - and we have just received planning permission for Phase 2, which will provide 550,000 sq ft of floorspace and potentially a further 1,000 jobs.

“We are also starting to fill units at Station Place at Aycliffe Business Park where there are new, good quality units suitable for small businesses, which we know are in high demand.

“NETPark however, is our jewel in the crown and is now 100% occupied. Our vision was to create a science and technology park – a home for R&D-based businesses – and we are thrilled at its success and the progress in a global context of some of its tenants, such as Kromek and Filtronic, and our partnership with Durham University and CPI located onsite.

“And recently, we have also been given the go ahead by Durham County Council for the next phase of NETPark, which will offer 270,000 sq ft of industrial space – double the size of the existing science park – where we will be able to offer space for scale-up manufacturing. We already have five or six current tenants who are interested in a larger unit on Phase 3, which promises to be a very attractive relocation proposition.

“If all goes according to plan, NETPark Phase 3 should commence in the spring of next year, with completion in autumn 2024, supporting a further 1200-1250 new jobs.”

On the immediate horizon, however, is the energy crisis and how local businesses are going to deal with it. Sarah continues: “The Government’s support package is only a six-month fix, and businesses plan much further ahead than that, which makes it a particularly challenging time, without all the other global factors. Durham’s pockets are not deep enough to help with the energy crisis, but what we can do is to ensure that our programmes help businesses look at options to be more productive and energy efficient.

“With the move towards NET Zero, combined with rising energy costs, companies are noticing more than ever the amount of energy they are using, so NET Zero is now in sharp focus. They have become open to changing their processes so they use less energy, and our role is to highlight what is available in the way of support, introducing them to funding they may not be aware of.

“We are also fortunate to have some companies here in the North East that are at the forefront of electrification and new product development in sustainable energy such as British Volt, Nissan’s gigafactory, Envision, and Power Roll at Jade Business Park, with its disruptive technology and mission to dramatically increase the worldwide uptake of solar power.”

Looking ahead, Sarah reckons there are plenty of reasons to be cheerful in spite of the doom and gloom some would subject us to, such as the development of the Aykley Heads Business Park, right on her doorstep – a great employment site for incoming fintech and digital companies - and the launch of the ‘County Durham Pound’, which is asking large, local employers how they can use their spending power to create more wealth for the county. Then there is the Government’s Shared Prosperity Fund, which is likely to be used to fill the funding gaps left by the absence of European funding.

“She concludes, part of our job is to talk about the positives in Business Durham. We see some great activities and attitudes from businesses in the face of many difficulties. The last two years have demonstrated the resilience of businesses in the region because the business community has really pulled together. When all is said and done, ours is really quite a simple message: County Durham is a great place to have a successful business.”

As a long-established Durham business ourselves, we wholeheartedly agree.

The personal stuff:

What are your three main goals for Business Durham while you are MD?

Building the team to ensure we can continue what has already been achieved, long into the future.

Seeing NETPark 3 up and running.

Raising awareness beyond the region about County Durham as a place to do business – there are too many people who do not know about its many attractions as a business location.

And outside of work?

I live in Cullercoats so there is plenty of scope for walking on the beach. In fact, I like to spend a lot of my time outdoors and if not walking, cycling or gardening, preferably spending time with my two teenage boys who have grown up so quickly.

What drives you mad? Negativity in all its forms.