7 minute read
business bulletin
from Forum Winter 22
winter 22 business bulletin
Bringing you the latest developments, breaking news and exclusive updates from Entrepreneurs' Forum members…
Onyx Health introduces new Managing Directorr Creative healthcare marketing communications agency, Onyx Health, has announced international growth plans following the appointment of Trevor Pill as the company's new Managing Director. The Newcastle-based agency aims to expand its existing client base in the UK, Europe, New Zealand and the USA; which already includes some big industry names such as Bayer, Clinigen, Nova Laboratories and Foot Science International. Since joining the agency six years ago, Trevor has risen rapidly through the ranks to ultimately secure the top job. A Client Campaign Manager in 2016, he quickly became Associate Director in 2017 and Executive Director in 2021, with oversight of the agency's overall creative and strategic digital direction and the delivery of international client projects. Onyx Health Founder, Karen Winterhalter, said: "Since joining Onyx Health several years ago, Trevor has become one of the key driving forces behind the agency's commercial success. I couldn't hope to leave the business in better hands, and I am confident it will continue to grow and thrive under Trevor's leadership. We've grown from a humble North East start-up to an agency with a genuinely global reach. We have exciting plans for the agency's future to reach new commercial and creative heights, and Trevor is the man to make sure that happens." My Property Box strengthens its position with two acquisitions Estate agency group, My Property Box, has further strengthened its presence in Tyneside, Wearside, and Northumberland, with the acquisitions of Acorn Properties and KIS Lettings. Newcastle-based estate agent, Acorn Properties, is a significant player in the lettings market and advertises more than 800 properties, including houses of multiple occupation, every year. Meanwhile, KIS Lettings represents 130 properties across an area including South Shields, North Shields, Newcastle and Sunderland. My Property Box, currently celebrating its 10th anniversary, has now completed nine acquisitions within the last four years, including South Shields-based Westoe Lettings and Groves Residential in 2021, which serves an area from Berwick upon Tweed to south of the Tyne. Ben Quaintrell, Founder and Managing Director of My Property Box, said: “Both acquisitions highlight the significant growth trajectory of this business while further strengthening our position across Tyneside, Wearside, North Durham and Northumberland. “I personally wish to reassure the clients of both Acorn Properties and KIS Lettings that they can expect the same high standards of service whilst continuing to benefit from that all-important local knowledge and expertise.”
Key Wellbeing bridges the employee-manager support gap with new training opportunity Workplace wellbeing training and consultancy company, Key Wellbeing, has launched a new training opportunity to help organisations bridge the employee-manager gap when it comes to wellbeing support. Determined to create a tidal wave of wellbeing across workplaces in the North East and beyond, the award-winning firm has created a CPD accredited 'Wellbeing Champion' online training course. The 'all thriller, no filler' course has been designed based on the hybrid
working world of today; it’s available online via all devices and split into bite-size chunks of video, audio and interactive quizzes to maintain employee engagement. Melissa Armstrong, Creative Director at Key Wellbeing, said: “We’re seeing a huge disconnection between decision makers and those on the ground in many organisations. “Those at the top often don’t know how to support the wellbeing of their people and instead just guess, when really they could be communicating with those that have their ‘ear to the ground’ to identify the issues that really matter and find out what support would be most beneficial. “Through our 'Wellbeing Champion' training course, we hope to help businesses open up those lines of communication and drive a lasting, cultural change in the workplace in 2023 and beyond.”
North East charity launches to boost digital equality in schools Tech Equal, a charity backed by Teesside entrepreneur Dean Benson, has launched to stamp out digital inequality in schools by providing every child with an iPad. The organisation which is currently working with 15 primary schools in Middlesbrough, has also teamed up with Spark Tees Valley to deliver training to teachers and school aides to ensure they are also fully equipped to be able to teach from a digital device. Office of National Statistics data shows 1.7 million children don’t have access to a computer or device at home, leaving them reliant on schools to fill the void. Education settings, meanwhile, are also struggling to ensure they can supply devices on a one-to-one basis. Dean Benson, founder of Tech Equal, said, “Giving every single child in Middlesbrough an equal opportunity to be immersed in a digital world and have the tools needed is vital to make sure we fully unlock the potential of our next generation. “It's simple, it's the right thing to do and we're already making huge steps towards this goal.”
EMG Solicitors celebrates opening of third office in Cumbria to support growth A fast growing North-East firm of solicitors is celebrating the opening of their third office in Penrith, Cumbria. EMG Solicitors specialises in court of protection, wills, trusts and probate, family, employment, residential conveyancing and commercial property services as they continue to build a strong reputation in the legal sector. The new office will support EMG Solicitors’ continued growth which has seen revenue increase in the last year by approximately 28% from £3.4 million to £4.3 million. Total headcount has also grown in 12 months with a further 23 staff members, taking the total number of employees to 103. The opening of the new branch is testament to their ongoing growth and becomes a welcome addition to their existing Durham and Newcastle divisions. Emma Gaudern, Managing Director of EMG Solicitors, said, “The opening of the Penrith office marks an incredibly exciting time for EMG Solicitors as we continue to grow and expand. I’m very proud of how far the business has come since our first office opened in Durham 2014, shortly followed by our Newcastle office in 2019 and now Penrith. We are one big family here at EMG and it’s wonderful to see it flourish.”
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Maker and Faber show their ‘metal’ The steel frames of two new buildings are piercing the Sunderland skyline, as work gathers pace on the Legal & General-backed developments. Maker and Faber, two new offices on Riverside Sunderland, are taking shape, with the outline of both structures now visible. The buildings, which together will create 150,000 sq ft of office space, are set to become the workplace of thousands of people working for businesses of all sizes and kinds, when they open their doors in 2024. Delivered by development manager Landid, Maker and Faber have been funded as part of Legal & General’s £100m commitment to the Riverside Sunderland site. Sir Robert McAlpine has been contracted to build Maker and Faber, with Maker, a six-storey building that will deliver 80,000 sq ft of office space, set to be completed first. The second building, Faber – which will stand five-storeys high, delivering 70,000 sq ft – will follow and will be home to 400 staff from RSA, who announced their plans to move into the city centre earlier this year.
Moody Logistics invests £1m in fleet expansion Moody Logistics and Storage is investing £1m to expand its fleet and meet a growing demand for its services. The new vehicles, which have increased the fleet to 34, together with further trucks on order, represent a total investment by the family-run firm of £1m. Managing Director Caroline Moody said, “This represents a total investment of £1m, which underlines our confidence in the continued growth and success of the business. “The two biggest threats to that growth have been the national shortage of qualified drivers and the availability of new trucks. We solved the driver shortage by developing our own in-house driver apprentice scheme and overcame the challenges surrounding the supply of vehicles by planning well ahead. “Normally, we order vehicles a few months before they are needed, but we have adopted a longer term view to ensure we can continue to update and expand our fleet.”
Agilico closes 10th acquisition Leading workplace technology provider Agilico has announced the acquisition of Capital Document Solutions, its biggest acquisition to-date by revenue, headcount and machines in the field. This latest acquisition significantly expands the group’s capabilities across the UK, increases MiF to over 40,000 and expands the customer base to 13,000 largely SME customers. Agilico’s Agile Print division is now the largest independent MPS business in the UK, a feat achieved over four years under CEO, Simon Davey.
