WCNW Issue 1 Winter 2014 by West Cheshire and North Wales Chamber of Commerce

WCNW

WINTER 2014

Well Connected Connecting your business to opportunity

West Cheshire & North Wales

Chamber of Commerce

News Welsh Chambers launch campaign for Welsh business THE Chambers of Commerce in Wales have set out what they believe are the key priorities to build a sustainable economy for the country in a new document entitled the ‘Campaign for Welsh Business 2015-2020’. Written as a guide to both the current and next Welsh and UK governments, the ‘Campaign for Welsh Business 2015-2020’ represents the views of businesses from across Wales for the first time as the South and Mid Wales Chambers of Commerce join with West Cheshire & North Wales Chamber of Commerce to layout the measures they believe will foster economic growth, create jobs and a stronger, more vibrant economy for people across the whole of Wales. Launched at the Senedd on November 6th 2014, the document calls for changes that will help make immediate improvements to the SME community, while also proposing initiatives that will have more of a long-term impact. The ‘Campaign for Welsh Business 2015 – 2020’ calls on the next UK and Welsh governments to: • Build the transport network for the future by creating a national transport body for Wales, independent of all levels of government, to decide on transport infrastructure priorities and coordinate transport planning across Wales • Develop communications for the modern world by working with business owners to maximise the take-up of the latest communications-based services and technologies • Improve the skills of the current and future workforce by putting in place a national workplace basic skills training programme that every adult can access and ensuring that secondary schools are assessed on employment outcomes to improve the way in which young people are prepared for the world of work. • Encourage business ambition among Wales’ people by setting up a ‘National Entrepreneurial Challenge’

competition, open to groups of people of all ages, and work with financial and advice providers to ensure that those dealing with individuals starting a business are representative of the population at large • Help today’s businesses thrive by creating a National Bank of Wales with no shareholders, run with the sole aim of assisting Welsh businesses • Secure Wales’ energy needs to create a central fund for all community benefits funding deriving from renewable energy projects • Increase how much Wales exports to the rest of the world by creating a new arms-length International Business Organisation with more input from internationally active businesses • Get the governance of Wales right by getting rid of the outdated Barnett Formula and introducing a fair funding system across the UK and encouraging action from the city regions created in South Wales. Colin Brew, Executive Director of West Cheshire & North Wales Chamber of Commerce, said: “We are pleased to be working with the other accredited Chambers of Commerce in Wales on one campaign that reflects the priorities of businesses right across the country. Although the needs of businesses differ from area to area, our main aim is to bring businesses together to work for a common goal. “With the UK General Election in six months’ time and the Welsh Assembly Election a year later, this is a key time for business leaders to stand up and let politicians know what we think they should be doing to support the Welsh economy. Our campaign comes after a wide ranging consultation with members of each Chamber of Commerce, and other business people, right across Wales. “We will be working with politicians, businesses and other organisations over the coming months to urge them to take note of what the

Colin Brew, Executive Director of West Cheshire & North Wales Chamber of Commerce

business community is saying and implore them to provide the optimum conditions that will help businesses to work towards a more prosperous future.” Graham Morgan, Director of the South and Mid Wales Chambers of Commerce, said: “Over the next five years, we need to see substantial work take place to make sure that the foundations on which the Welsh economy is based are strong. The proposals we are campaigning for are designed to help this process.” Richard Thomas, Vice Chairman North Wales for West Cheshire & North Wales Chamber of Commerce said: “The Campaign For Welsh Business 2015-20 sets out a clear message for the public sector as to what the private sector feels is needed to provide the appropriate environment for business to grow and prosper in Wales. If the politicians are as good as their word then they will be looking to work with us to achieve as many of these aims as possible in as short a period as possible and I look forward to doing so.” You can view the report at http://bit.ly/cwb1520

TOGETHER WE’RE WELL CONNECTED

CONTENT

WCNW

cover story

WINTER 20 14

The Campaign For Welsh Business 2015-20 sets out a clear message for the public sector as to what the private sector feels is needed to provide the appropriate environment for business to grow and prosper in Wales.

Well Conne ct

Connectin g your busi ness to opportu nity West Chesh ire & North Wales

Chamber

of Commer ce

The University of Chester has honoured a past Chairman of West Cheshire & North Wales Chamber of Commerce for his services to business.

West Cheshire & North Wales Chamber of Commerce

Daniel Shires Riverside Innovation Centre 1 Castle Drive Chester CH1 1SL

ensure the accuracy of information contained in the magazine, neither the Chamber nor the publisher can accept responsibility for any omissions or inaccuracies it contains.

T: +44 (0) 1244 669988 e: info@wcnwchamber.org.uk w: www.wcnwchamber.org.uk

WCNW magazine is published on behalf of West Cheshire & North Wales Chamber of Commerce by

Although every effort is made to

www.excelpublishing.co.uk

06 NEWS

A roundup of the region’s news

Co-directors Matthew Ruddick and Nicholas Hutchins of SigmaServe tell of their success so far.

Goals are about changing place and changing lives for the better, not about meeting ambitious sales targets. All is explained by Karen Balmer, Chief Executive of Groundwork North Wales.

INTERNATIONAL TRADE Top Exporting Tips from British Chambers of Commerce

GETTING STARTED

INTERVIEW

Getting lean and lively Michael Glover, Owner and Head Coach Lean & Lively Health Studio

WNCW new website is now up and open for business

22 EVENTS

Roundup of all the region’s recent events

Advertising Nick Ackroyd

24 THE BIG INTERVIEW

T: 0161 661 4182 e: nick.ackroyd@excelpublishing.co.uk

With Colin Brew, Executive Director, West Cheshire & North Wales Chamber of Commerce

Printed by Buxton Press

@ChamberWCNW Excel Publishing Company Ltd 6th Floor, Manchester One 53 Portland Street, Manchester M1 3LD Tel: 0161 236 2782

Pooling their knowledge at the Riverside

Not for profit

Honouring the past

The views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the Chamber. This publication (or any part thereof) may not be reproduced, transmitted or stored in print or electronic format (including, but not limited to, any online service, any database or any part of the internet), or in any other format in any media whatsoever, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

11 42

Setting out a clear message

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32 APPRENTICESHIPS

There has never been a better time to employ one

Annual Dinner raises thousands for Hospice

40 NEW MEMBERS

A list of our new members

TOGETHER WE’RE WELL CONNECTED

News

UK Government making it easier for Welsh SMEs to win more public sector contracts

John honoured by University of Chester

SMALL business leaders across Wales heard in November how the UK Government has committed to helping the sector win more business through public sector contracts. Three roundtable meetings took place in Bridgend, Llanrwst and Newtown as new government research revealed that only 13% of Welsh small businesses are planning to bid for a public sector contract in the next 12 months. The UK government spends £187bn on goods and services centrally every year and it has been working to open up its contracts to smaller firms, who often provide more innovative services at better value to taxpayers. It wants 25% of central government spend to be with small and medium sized businesses by 2015; well over £10bn of business for the sector every year and with 218,000 small businesses in Wales employing some 629,000 people, the opportunities to win public sector contracts will be outlined. The meetings came ahead the UK Investment Summit in Wales on November 21st, which showcased to global business leaders what makes Wales a great destination for investment. Led by Wales Office Ministers Baroness Randerson and Alun Cairns, the roundtable meetings highlighted how Welsh firms can take advantage of government commitments to remove

THE University of Chester has honoured a past Chairman of West Cheshire & North Wales Chamber of Commerce for his services to business. John Newton-Jones, who continues to serve on the Chamber’s Board of Directors, was awarded an honorary Doctorate in Business Administration at a special ceremony at Chester Cathedral on November 6th. His doctorate was awarded for his outstanding and tireless contribution to business and entrepreneurship in the UK. As a North Wales native, he was born into dairy farming and grew up on the family farm. He conducted his first business transaction at 16 and his first major feasibility study into a dairy food processing factory at age 18. He turned his attention to consumer affairs, trialling and eventually opening a food and farming based education and leisure park as a diversification and growth mechanism for the family business. John developed an early interest in food supply chain and consumer behaviour and worked in London (with visits and study opportunities in Japan and USA) before eventually finding a focus. Snowdonia Cheese was founded in 2001 as a venture by a group of North Wales’ dairy farmers who identified a gap in the market for a premium, contemporary range of cheeses. John was part

the barriers to help them bid for and win contracts, such as the removal of Pre-Qualifying Questionnaires for all low value contracts which are burdensome for firms with smaller resources. Francis Maude, Minister for the Cabinet Office, said: “As part of our long-term economic plan, we are putting in place radical reforms to help SMEs tender for and win business. They are the lifeblood of our economy but in the past it was far too difficult for them to win contracts with both central and local government. I am pleased that Wales Office Ministers and representatives from central government were in Wales to talk with small business leaders and I am looking forward to the feedback we get to help inform our future work.” Improvements to open up the market to small firms have included: • Making some contracts smaller • Simplifying the application process • Speeding up the payment system • Making buyers more accountable. In the New Year a new version of the Government’s Contracts Finder website will also make it easier to find all UK central government and a large number of Welsh tender adverts and business opportunities. Colin Brew, Executive Director of

the Chamber said: “It is refreshing to see government take time to listen to the views of business and to establish greater links. The roundtable discussions offered business the chance to have their say and to play a direct role in on-going reform. The Chamber welcomes any such opportunity and recognises the value of business better understanding the numerous ways in which it can get involved in public sector procurement.” For more information on how SMEs can benefit from government business, visit http://bit.ly/Help-SMEs.

Respected accountant Robert joins Chamber board HIGHLY respected local accountant Robert Ellis has joined the Board of Directors of West Cheshire & North Wales Chamber of Commerce. Robert, who is the founder and Principal of Chester and Wrexhambased firm Ellis & Co Chartered Accountants and Business Advisers set up the firm 25 years ago and is the driving force behind its success. He is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants, KPMG trained and advises clients on a wide range of business issues from tax and strategic planning to exit strategies and valuations. As the latest addition to the Chamber Board of Directors he joins a group of 20 key business people from a host of backgrounds

and disciplines from across West Cheshire and North Wales. Robert said: “I am absolutely delighted to have joined the Board of Directors of West Cheshire & North Wales Chamber of Commerce. As a long standing member of the organisation it is a tremendous honour and I very much look forward to being able to support the Chamber and its members in their continued development and growth.” Colin Brew, Executive Director of the Chamber said: “We’re thrilled to have a man of Robert’s experience, knowledge and integrity join our Board of Directors and we very much look forward to his contributions and working with him now and into the future.”

West Cheshire & North Wales Chamber of Commerce

of this but determined to pursue a number of new approaches in several areas of business strategy which were not always supported by his co-investors. He stuck to his guns and in 2003 published an ambitious 21 year business plan which focused on a globally recognised food brand, on promoting Welsh values and on reaching each continent. Since then the company, which is based in Rhyl, has seen its popularity among cheese lovers soar, with more than 2,000 UK outlets and 15 countries worldwide stocking the distinctive range. John has a long and wide ranging history of public service. He has worked with a number of Government departments, was on the Employment Taskforce from 1997 to 2001, is a member of the Public Service Board for West Cheshire and he recently chaired one of the most progressive periods of the Chamber. He has been closely involved with the development of the University of Chester’s Thornton Science Park. John’s mantra is to be brave, and constantly invest in the future. Fittingly, then, he was one of the ‘dragons’ for the first University of Chester Santander Enterprise Challenge which awarded £500 to a student business idea demonstrating creativity and innovation, as well as practical thinking.

‘Turkey Day’ celebrated at Chamber networking AROUND 70 delegates packed Holiday Inn Chester South for a very special Thanksgiving-themed lunch and networking event on November 26th organised by the Chamber. With the national holiday of the United States set to take place on the following day, a hungry mix of Chamber members and non-members headed to the venue eager to sample to themed-fayre and make the most of their networking opportunities. The team from Holiday Inn Chester South provided a delicious sit down buffet which included maple syrup roasted turkey, cream of spiced butternut squash soup, butter roasted potatoes, baked vanilla cheesecake and pecan pie; giving delegates an idea of

what makes the tradition so special for people in the United States. Caroline Sanger-Davies, Head of Marketing at Chester Zoo was special guest speaker; she updated delegates on the brand new £30m ‘Islands’ project which is due to open in spring 2015, spoke about the history of the zoo and what it’s like to work there and told those in attendance about the recent BBC drama ‘Our Zoo’, which chronicled the beginnings of the organisation. Debbie Stokes, Membership Director of West Cheshire & North Wales Chamber of Commerce said: “With Thanksgiving just around the corner this event gave us a wonderful opportunity to sample some of the foods and tastes that make it such important part of the heritage of people

in the United States. “I’d like to thank the team at Holiday Inn Chester South for putting on such wonderful food, Caroline from Chester Zoo for her fantastic talk and giving us such an exciting update about all the great work going on there, as well as all the people who came along to network and make the event such a success.”

TOGETHER WE’RE WELL CONNECTED

News

Authentica HR announces partnership with breatheHR

CLIENTS of Authentica HR can now access special software designed to help them reduce the time they spend on people management issues. Through a new partnership with nationally recognized company breatheHR, Authentica HR clients will benefit from their software package which is designed to reduce the volume of admin around managing their people. breatheHR was launched two years ago with the specific aim of reducing the time SMEs spend on people management issues (like holiday booking, sickness management and appraisals) and is now used by over 650 small to medium businesses across the UK. A recent survey by KPMG found that SMEs are keen to invest and grow, but 29% of those surveyed said that people management ranked as one of their two main daily pressures. What’s even more troubling is that it ranks higher that generating new opportunities / leads (28%). Visit http://bit.ly/ agendaforgrowth to read the document. Jo Parry of Authentica HR said: “Most business owners will agree that having a great team of people

around them is essential for their business to thrive. Equally, owners rarely go into business to manage people, it can be time consuming and very few would claim it’s something they find easy. “There’s a real skill in finding the right people, managing them effectively and dealing with dayto-day people issues. Authentica HR has many years of experience helping businesses build great teams, the businesses we work with recognize that having productive and happy employees is essential but they so often get swamped by HR admin. We selected breatheHR because it will help us support clients in growing their businesses; the system is really easy to set up and I know our clients will find it very easy to use.” A spokesperson for breatheHR said: “I’m really looking forward to working with Jo at Authentica HR. breatheHR will support the practical HR advice she provides and will help her clients dramatically reduce the time they waste on time consuming admin.” For more information visit www.authenticahr.co.uk or call 0800 612 0773.

West Cheshire & North Wales Chamber of Commerce

Engineering firm celebrates 25 years of silver service A leading engineering firm with an enviable reputation for quality is celebrating its 25th anniversary. Microtech Precision was founded at Bersham Enterprise Centre, near Wrexham, in 1989 and the high tech company now employs 17 people. They not only survived but thrived during the recession and are now the most prominent sub contract machining facility in the area. They also manufacture and supply components that are used globally in a variety of industries including aerospace, pharmaceutical, optical, medical and food and beverage canning. Directors Vaughan Hughes and Duncan Evans have been with the company from the outset. Managing Director Brent Evans said: “I joined the company four years ago and we have been having an exciting time with levels of investment going up with new machines and new software. “We are very optimistic as we look forward because turnover has grown by 10-15 per cent a year over the past three or four years. It’s going well.” “We are very busy at the moment, we’re always working overtime. In fact, it’s been buoyant throughout the recession. “Our 25th anniversary has been a big year for us, so we decided to celebrate our achievements by giving something back to the community.” The firm set up a £1,750 fund for local clubs and organisations to apply for the prize money. The winner of the £1,000 first prize was the KIM Inspire charity which runs Café Kim at Wrexham Maelor Hospital’s Heddfan Psychiatric Unit, received a cheque for £1,000. Meanwhile, the local junior rugby club in the village of Glyn Ceiriog, near Chirk, were awarded £500 and the 2nd Gresford Brownie Pack received £250. Anthony Lewis, a Director of accountants Coxeys, said: “The business is a great success story and Microtech are going from strength to strength.”

Shaun named among top young entrepreneurs in Wales A Glyndwr University graduate and Chamber member is taking the business world by storm after being named among the top young entrepreneurs in Wales. Shaun Roberts started online marketing agency Creative Catalysts at the age of 19 with support from the Wrexham-based institution. Specialising in in web design, marketing and SEO, Shaun has worked on projects for organisations across the region, including the Woodland Trust. A graduate in Computer Network Management and Security and self-confessed ‘computer geek’, the 23-year-old is now studying for a PhD in Context Aware Computing and is forging close links with some of the area’s top companies. Among them is Mike Scott,

of Mike Scott Associates, providing mentoring and support to the Big Ideas Wales role model. That said, having featured in WalesOnline’s ’35 young men making their mark in business’ list recently, Shaun is now the one offering out advice to other up-andcoming entrepreneurs. “When I was 14 I attended a Careers Wales event to inspire young entrepreneurs to work on their ideas,” he said. “I immediately got the ‘business bug’ but it was five years later, after taking a Go Wales placement at the university, that I felt I had gained the confidence and knowledge I needed to start my own business.” Shaun added: “When I started out I had a very broad view on how it may evolve; two years down the line the company has held true to its original aim. “I provide a service which supports other new or growing businesses, I gain a great deal of satisfaction working with them, their

business and providing them with an online marketing strategy that meets their needs. “However, the most important thing about being my own boss is how much I enjoy it. The whole process of business just fascinates me, from the strategic planning for the future of the company to working with a very broad client base – every stage within my business is a passionfilled exercise.” Looking ahead, Glyndwr University continues to play a big part in Shaun’s life. He works closely with the careers team and Zone enterprise hub, offering support and tips to other young entrepreneurs. “Anyone can start a business, it can be on a very small scale or you can become a big international player, you just need the confidence to believe in yourself and surround yourself with positive people,” said Shaun. “Seek advice and support

from a wide variety of sources and apply for opportunities such as the Big Ideas Challenge, make use of your enterprise champion at your college/ university and attend any networking events. Being young can be an advantage rather than a disadvantage and there is so much support to tap into.” Mike Corcoran, Zone Enterprise Hub Manager, said: “Throughout his time as a student of Glyndwr University, Shaun is someone who we have come to know very well. “His enthusiasm and passion for business have allowed him to take full advantage of the vast range of support on offer to him here, and as his business has taken off, it has been a privilege to see Shaun giving back to young entrepreneurs in the community.” For more information on Creative Catalysts, visit www.creativecatalysts.co.uk.

Karen Brady set to inspire local businesses this January BUSINESSWOMAN and TV personality Baroness Karren Brady is set to give local businesses an inspirational start to 2015 at a special event hosted by West Cheshire College. The vice-chairman of West Ham Football Club and special advisor to Lord Sugar on The Apprentice heads to the Inspiring Business 2015 event at DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel & Spa, Chester on Thursday January 22nd between 5.30pm to 7.30pm. The seminar and networking event is aimed at business owners, senior directors and managers to inspire and drive growth and performance in your business. Karren will give a compelling account of her unstoppable success,

providing insights, advice and anecdotes gained from her career in football, publishing and business leadership. Christine Gaskell, Chair of Cheshire and Warrington Enterprise Partnership, will also be speaking about how businesses can directly access funding to train and develop your staff. To book your place for Inspiring Business 2015 visit www. inspiringbusiness.eventbrite. co.uk. For more information about funded training to develop and grow your organisation visit http://www.west-cheshire. ac.uk/employers/skillssupport-for-the-workforce/.

TOGETHER WE’RE WELL CONNECTED

International Feature trade Top Exporting Tips from British Chambers of Commerce

ore and more businesses are looking to overseas markets as a way to boost sales. But the process can be expensive and time consuming. Ahead of Export Week (November 10th to 15th) the British Chambers of Commerce released these top tips:

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Research your market Before jumping straight into exporting, you must research whether your product would be in demand in the country. Also look at if you should adapt your product. Speaking with locals, holding consumer focus groups and looking at how your competition has fared in the market first all helps. It is important to get the price point correct too, or it may fail from the start. Take it one market at a time It is important not to overstretch yourself and focus on tackling one market at a time. Take time to get to know customs and ways of doing business. This will ensure that all your efforts are focused, increasing your chances of success. Once you have entered a market successfully, then you can expand within that region. Look into the paperwork It is just as important to understand the different export document demands for the countries you are exporting to. The requirements are often above and beyond the standard requirements and knowing this in advance will make sure you are fully prepared and protected. Partnering up When starting, it may be easier to look for a partner who understands the market. You can use a sales agent or a distributor to sell your products on your behalf, easing your way gently into exporting to new markets. Once successful you are then in a better position to think about setting up a local subsidiary. Transportation methods Think carefully about the transportation of your goods. It is important that your goods are insured and that you consider the infrastructure in the country you are exporting to. Taking this into consideration will make planning timings easier. Build relationships When exporting to a new market, relationships are vital to your success. Connect regularly with your customers and agents to get feedback from those on the ground, this allows you to have a local presence in the market(s) you export to. Tailor your marketing There are different rules around marketing and advertising in different countries. Researching this in advance will ensure you don’t waste time on a marketing promotion that won’t work in the country you’re exporting to.

West Cheshire & North Wales Chamber of Commerce

Growing at the Riverside Get Export Expertise! Is your business looking to kick-start its global trade ambitions in 2015?

ign up for the Chamber’s highly regarded international trade training courses and get all the knowledge and skills required to arm you or your employees to successfully export. Developed by the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), you’ll learn everything from documentation, letters of credit and INCOTERMS, through to preference rules of origin and how to work with agents and distributors. The courses are made to suit anyone involved in importing and exporting goods; the types of people who attend include owner/ proprietors of small businesses that manage their own import and export services, through to employees working in import/export departments in larger organisations. As a whole, the course is made up of seven modules. Each is tested through an assessment process and marked by external examiners, so students don’t have to worry about stressful exams. Students will receive a certificate for each course they successfully pass, before being presented with a Foundation Award in International Trade (certified by BCC) after completing six. The BCC accredited modules are:

• Introduction to Exporting (March 4th, 2015) • Export Documentation and INCOTERMS (March 13th, 2015) • Methods of Payment and Letters of Credit (March 18th, 2015) • Agents and Distributors (April 17th, 2015) • Inward and Outward Processing (April 22nd, 2015) • Preference Origin Rules Explained (May 1st, 2015) • Import Procedures and Customs Audit Procedures (May 6th, 2015). We also run two nonaccredited courses that don’t form part of the official BCC curriculum for those wishing to delve a little deeper into international trade: • Dangerous Goods and Export Controls (May 15th, 2015) • Customs and VAT (May 20th, 2015) For Chamber members, each module costs £190+VAT per person to attend, whilst non members pay £225+VAT per person. If you book a place on all seven accredited modules you will receive a 10% discount on your total price. For more information, visit www.wcnwchamber.org. uk/exporting/internationaltrade-training or call 01244 669984/85.

“Our mission is to become the ‘Rolex’ of bespoke web application development and other web-based development services.”

hat’s aim of Matthew Ruddick, and Nicholas Hutchins, co-directors of SigmaServe; a company that creates bespoke software applications for both web and mobile platforms. Matthew and Nicholas, who are both 22 graduated from The University of Chester in November 2013 after studying Computer Science. The idea was born from a concept project of Nick’s during his third year of study, initially as a purely website hosting concept. After Matthew and Nicholas linked up, they realised that they could combine their skills and create a business, but decided they should consider something wider than the hosting market which they felt was ‘saturated’. The pair have comprehensive backgrounds in their field, with Matthew holding extensive server-side and web-based programming skills, as well as experience of producing advanced systems for financial companies such as The Funding Corporation during his university studies. Similarly, Nick has vast server and web language knowledge, building multi point-of-sale systems, content management systems and virtual processors. The company was originally set up in April 2013, then a chance meeting with a Dragon’s Den contestant led to SigmaServe’s first client, Matthew said: “Whilst Nick was working for another web agency, he met a gentleman called Nathan Pearson in a lift; after speaking for a short amount of time and maintaining communication with Nathan, we had our first client.

“We were tasked with making Nathan’s waste oil collection website appear higher up the positions on Google for the very competitive term ‘waste oil collection’, which we were able to do and made Nathan’s website number one for this term globally still to this day. “After that success our next project was again for Nathan, this time building a first of its kind waste comparison website. This project took around four months and involved around 170,000 lines of code; in exchange we received office space and business advice from Nathan, who became our business mentor.” Since then expansion of SigmaServe has been rapid, despite the fact the pair admit they haven’t been able to truly begin marketing themselves yet. Despite this, they’ve already been able to build an impressive list of projects and achievements,

including working alongside teams working for Vodafone and British Gas migrating intranet systems, their projects with Nathan Pearson, conducting search engine optimisation work for CSG, as well as helping other start up business in the local area by creating them a web presence in the form of their own websites. SigmaServe linked up with the Riverside Innovation Centre after Matthew and Nicholas attended an Accelerate event there. The Accelerate programme is designed for University of Chester students and graduates and gives them the necessary tools and skills to start their own business. Now based in prime location on the ground floor of the centre, working at the Riverside Innovation Centre has been an extremely positive experience for the pair as they look to continue growing and developing SigmaServe, Matthew said:

“The team at Riverside Innovation Centre have provided us with fantastic support and access to help to let us continue to develop and grow. “Our space has given us privacy and customisation options around our brand, for example wall vinyls and colour schemes. We obviously also have access to hire and use the professional facilities like meeting rooms and videoconferencing facilities as well, which really highlights the quality of the environment we work in to potential clients. “The expertise and advice from staff at the centre has been invaluable; as well as the fact that Chester is a business dense area and there are plenty of events, networking opportunities and talks from other successful business owners that you can attend at Riverside Innovation Centre which will help you pick up advice and guidance.”

Matthew Ruddick, and Nicholas Hutchins

TOGETHER WE’RE WELL CONNECTED

Getting Feature started “The classic thing to do is to buy a gym membership and it end up being a complete waste of money,”

Michael Glover, Owner and Head Coach Lean & Lively Health Studio, Chester

t’s January 1st 2015, after several weeks of ‘holiday cheer’ you resolve that enough is enough and you’re going to get active and fit for the New Year. After heading down to the local gym, you sign up for 12 months, have your induction, go several times before life begins to get in the way and good intentions become a faded memory… we’ve all been there. “The classic thing to do is to buy a gym membership and it end up being a complete waste of money,” said Michael Glover, 26, owner and head coach at Lean & Lively Health Studio, Chester. Having always been interested in health and fitness, Michael initially worked towards a career in sports journalism, but when the recession made opportunities in that field scarce he decided to get qualified as a personal trainer and take an alternative career route. Aware that people sometimes have difficulty sticking with their gym membership, Michael decided to find out why this can happen, he said: “There are a lot of people who want what the gym promises – to be healthier, look and feel better, be more energetic… but getting the membership is only the first step; actually using the equipment in the right way, combining it with good nutrition and keeping motivated to stay on track is where the real work comes in.” Michael pinpointed what he believed to be the three major problems gym membership can leave people with: • A lack of knowledge about putting together a complete programme • No workable plan of action incorporating everything necessary for success • Lacking the support system to make lifestyle changes necessary to achieve

goals and maintain them for life. Michael said: “I wanted to set up a business that catered to people with these problems and help them solve them, which is what I believe I have done with Lean & Lively Health Studio. The idea is to be a place where people can go and get a solution to their health and fitness problems. “We’re not a big gym, but we don’t need to be; taking your money and ushering you on to a treadmill until you give up three months into your contract isn’t our style. Our ethos is to solve those three problems, so we put a plan into place that incorporates everything needed to get you from where you are now to where you want to be to absolutely guarantee results.” Based at the Evans Business Centre off Sealand Road in Chester, Michael currently works solely, combining the responsibilities of coaching clients whilst driving the business forwards. A typical day currently involves training clients, writing fitness programmes, networking, marketing and trying to connect with other businesses, he said: “My vision is to make Chester the healthiest city in the UK; this will mean upgrading to a larger facility within one to three years in order to cater for more people, with other staff delivering programmes so I can concentrate on driving the business forward to help more people.” Describing how his first year in business had gone, Michael said: “Achievements for me are all based on client results, after all that’s the entire point of the business existing. I would put my greatest successes as being the clients I have been able to help, which can be seen on the ‘success stories’ page on our website

West Cheshire & North Wales Chamber of Commerce

www.leanandlively.com. “In terms of difficulties, I was inexperienced in marketing and effectively getting the word out about what we do and why we’re better than conventional gym membership. I’m a big believer in continuous learning and improvement and have seen the need to invest and get help in this area.” Whilst many businesspeople take inspiration from figures like Richard Branson, Michael prefers to learn from people ‘closer to home’, focusing on those who offer similar services to himself and taking the opportunity to learn as much as possible about how they became successful, he said: “Success to me isn’t about how much money I make, but how much control I have over what I’m doing on a day-today basis. “I choose to spend my time building a business that truly helps people with a service than can transform their lives, but also allowing me full control of my own as well.”

Neopost deliver the benefits of Multi-Channel Communications The digital communications revolution has arrived and Neopost now offers a range of expertise, products and services to ensure that businesses can benefit from the advantages of Multi-Channel Communications Neopost UK Marketing Director Andy MacKenzie explains, “Today, businesses communicate with customers, suppliers, associates and colleagues via a multitude of methods including the post, fax, email, SMS, social media and web portals.” Physical mail remains important but increasingly organisations are switching to digital alternatives. In ‘The Future of Multi-Channel Transactional Communications’, Infotrends predicts that by 2017, 35% of bills and statements delivered to US consumers will be paperless.

Why Neopost?

How Neopost can help

In recent years the company has expanded its areas of expertise to include data accuracy, address management, digital communications and electronic document management services.

Andy explains how Neopost support Multi-Channel Communications, “Adopting digital communications has big benefits, but businesses have to decide:

Neopost has done this through a combination of in-house product development and strategic acquisitions. In 2009, Neopost bought address management company Satori Software, customer communications management specialist GMC Software Technology and data quality solutions provider Human Inference in 2012. In March of this year, it acquired UK document management company Data Capture Solutions Ltd (DCS). These additions bring significant new capabilities that will enable Neopost to help customers improve their communications, save money and reduce their carbon footprint.

• What to send by email and what to print and post?

The advantages of digital communications • Less spend on paper, ink and postage • Reduced staffing and office costs • Faster internal distribution, processing and response • Easy personalisation • Simple to archive and retrieve • Customers increasingly prefer the immediacy and interactivity of electronic communications

“With our expertise in hard copy and electronic communications, we are well placed to manage the increasingly fluid relationship between electronic and paper documents.” Andy MacKenzie - Neopost UK Marketing Director

• How to manage people’s preferences? • How to integrate digital and paperbased processes? • How to validate the integrity of the document from the time it is sent to when it is received? • How to store documents so that you have a record of both physical and digital communications? With our expertise in hard copy and electronic communications, we are well placed to manage the increasingly fluid relationship between electronic and paper documents.” In addition to established output management software Neopost’s acquisition of GMC enables it to offer an end-to-end Multi-Channel marketing solution.

Going paperless Just 1% of businesses are truly ‘paperless’ according to a survey of 1,000 business leaders by document solutions company Altodigital - but many organisations aim to reduce paper wastage. Neopost helps organisations achieve these aims, not only by supporting the transition to Multi-Channel Communications, but also by creating digital workflows for inbound mail. Even if invoices are sent and received in hard copy, the inefficiencies of paper-based processes can be avoided by scanning paperwork on receipt and routing documents around an organisation digitally.

To find out more visit www.neopost.co.uk/wccmaut or call 0800 731 1334 quoting wccmaut.

advertorial

Manchester Expansion for MWL Systems

aving provided IT support and solutions to businesses for 30 years, the industry leading specialists at MWL Systems are renowned for their skill in providing solutions that really work for business, demystifying the complex range of products and services on the market today and providing world-class support to hundreds of companies, earning them a solid reputation in the region. The opening of the new Manchester city sales and support office is both the result of this success and underpins the company’s impressive plans for growth throughout the UK. Director Matt Kingsley-Williams said: “We are delighted to be forging ahead with our expansion plans. Having a presence in such a prestigious location in one of the UK’s foremost cities with so much commercial potential is a really exciting opportunity. “These days, more than ever, successful businesses demand stable, efficient, technically sound and well supported IT platforms on which to run critical applications, and that’s where we excel. We have a proven track record of delivering IT systems which enable businesses to succeed and prosper, and we’re looking forward to doing just that for businesses in and around Manchester. “To head up our new office we’ve employed a local chap, John Kay, who knows Manchester well, so will be best placed to serve our new and existing clients in and around the city. John has a wealth of experience in the IT industry and his knowledge of all the latest technologies and ability to provide effective solutions that bring greater business efficiency is a complete boon for both current and potential clients alike.” Strategically positioned to serve businesses throughout the UK, MWL Systems’ technical skills, knowledge and experience are recognised yearon-year by its successful attainment and retention of numerous professional and industry accreditations. The company achieves and maintains the highest levels of approval for its service standards and quality by being one of only a handful of IT solution providers to achieve the world-recognised standards of ISO9001 and ISO20000. MWL Systems has developed a winning method of designing, implementing and supporting systems which deliver world-class standards of

performance, based upon cutting edge products and best practice. Working with industry - leading technology such as Microsoft, VMware and Cisco, MWL Systems offers its expertise to businesses of all sizes and in all sectors. MWL Systems - proud patrons of the West Cheshire and North Wales Chamber of Commerce. For more information, to arrange a free consultation, or to speak to someone about how MWL Systems can support your business contact: Tel: 0161 914 8767 or 01978 858300 or e-mail info@mwlsystems.co.uk.

West Cheshire & North Wales Chamber of Commerce

Leading IT company MWL Systems has opened a new ofﬁce in the heart of Media City in the business district of Salford Quays, Manchester.

Thank you for your support! KPI Recruiting is celebrating its 1st birthday in Deeside and, after an amazing year of supporting local businesses’ recruitment drives, they are already seeking to move into larger premises and are in fact recruiting themselves!

■ Lee Bennett and Jon Cope with the new FC Nomads of Connahs Quay football kit recently sponsored by KPI Recruiting

210433-12-14 KPI EDIT.indd 1

KPI, currently based on Zone 1, Deeside Industrial Estate, recruits industrial, commercial and driving personnel for organisations of all sizes in both permanent and temporary positions. Since August 2014 KPI Recruiting has placed over 600 people into employment in Flintshire. Jon Cope, Branch Manager “I would like to thank the local business owners and managers for receiving us so well and giving us an opportunity to work in partnership to recruit new members of staff to their teams. We have found the local job market to be buoyant and opportunities for job seekers are plentiful, particularly in the warehouse and logistics sectors. Our current pool of personnel registered

available for work is of a very high calibre, with a broad range of skill sets and backgrounds. Our existing workers have been very reliable and hardworking and have helped us to quickly build an excellent reputation in the area for delivering a great service.” KPI are keen to continue playing a key part of the local community, offering advice and services for those looking to re-enter the work place, whilst also supporting local events, charities and sponsoring local teams. “I would like to think that anyone who has met us or had any experience with KPI Recruiting will say we are friendly, down to earth professionals that listen to our customers and deliver on our promises” Lee Bennett, Contracts Manager

If you are looking to further your career in recruitment, KPI has three vacancies for experienced recruitment professionals and offers excellent salaries and commission structure, recognised industry training and opportunities to progress within the company. They have created a relaxed and fun environment, with no sales targets! If you are interested in finding out more please contact jon@kpir.co.uk

Sift surf and selection

10/12/2014 12:29

We guarantee every time perfection!

Outstanding Recruitment Of Outstanding People

KPI found my details on-line. Here I am now…in a permanent position, I’m glad they found me! Charlotte Kettle - Administrator

“Its nice to feel valued. I am a happy driver and there are not many of us around!!” Peter Batewood – C+E Driver

“Found me work quickly, paid on time and correctly and I have been taken on permanently. Good agency!”

“Really impressed with thier service. KPI have provided me with a regular job I really enjoy. Alicja Wiczynska – Production Op

Craig Cope – Returns Operative

Providing both temporary and permanent recruitment services to companies across Flintshire

t: 01244 289800 w: www.kpir.co.uk 210433-12-14 WCNW KPI.indd 1

08/12/2014 10:57

New website

New Chamber Website is Live! The Features

West Cheshire & North Wales Chamber of Commerce revealed its brand new website in October after the ‘launch button’ was ofﬁcially pushed.

ogether with web design agency Sutton Silver and a host of members eager to know more, the ‘go live’ on the new www.wcnwchamber. org.uk was celebrated at a special event held at Village Urban Resort St Davids, Ewloe on October 22nd. The event saw the team from Sutton Silver showcase the new site, explain the development process, as well as highlight how they can help members with their own online projects. The new website features a wide variety of brand new functionality, including: • Comprehensive company profiles with the ability to link multiple staff, social

A stunning new look Featuring a contemporary, clean and relevant design, the new Chamber website aims to be as clear and easy to use as possible and aware of the wider business network it represents. Whilst each Chamber has its own individual identity, the British Chambers of Commerce accredited network has a unified brand which our website takes into account throughout. The ‘vine and leaves’ guide you through our new homepage and appear as subtle motifs across the site to provide structure and consistency.

media accounts, images and videos • Create and advertise your own events • Create and advertise special offers • Download event reminders direct to your calendar • Links to meeting and conference facilities that provide members with discounts • Stylish new look and feel with the ability to comment on news stories • Clearer navigation. Debbie Stokes, Chamber Membership Director said: “The new site is about giving members more control over how they use their membership as part of our online service. It allows

West Cheshire & North Wales Chamber of Commerce

them to associate staff within their organisation to their company profile, submit their own events, advertise special offers and have clearer methods to communicate with fellow members. “We’d like to thank everyone who came along to our launch event, everyone who has used and embraced the site so far and the team at Sutton Silver for creating such a fantastic resource which will serve us well into the future.” Simon Dodd, Managing Director of Sutton Silver said: “We’re especially pleased with the new Chamber website for West Cheshire and North Wales. Our dedicated team have once

again pushed the boundaries to produce an outstanding website full of really useful features.” The team at Sutton Silver have an enormous passion for brilliant web design. Their keen focus on quality has allowed them to produce a website that both looks stunning and is easy to navigate. The modern and forwardthinking approach Sutton Silver took with the new Chamber website strongly demonstrates the team’s creative talent and positive working energy. For more information about Sutton Silver, visit www.suttonsilver.co.uk or call 01244 347680.

Your profile When you join the Chamber and logon to the website for the first time, you’ll find your base profile has already been created and includes the data you provided during your membership signup, but that’s really just the beginning! From the ‘Company Details’ page you can update everything that’s already there, as well as add your logo and provide details of all the ways fellow members can get in touch with you, including all your social media accounts like LinkedIn and Twitter. You can also add more detail to your company profile so others know exactly what services you offer, as well as add an additional image showcasing your product, team, premises or anything you wish. Also, if you’ve uploaded videos to YouTube to highlight your company’s work, you can embed them into your profile page so other members can check them out when they view your profile.

One profile, multiple staff The great news is your new profile allows you to associate multiple people from the same organisation with your Chamber membership; meaning they too can log on to the new Chamber website and access the member benefits. To do this, simply go to your ‘Company Details’ page and fill in the details in the ‘Invite Colleague’ form. Please note this will only work with people within the same organisation with the same email extension. Create opportunities Whilst your profile itself is a powerful tool, the members area as a whole gives you access to a wide-range of features you can use to create interest in your business. Holding an event? Head to the events page whilst logged in and you can add your event to our listings which are promoted throughout the website, in our weekly events and training e-newsletter and on our social media accounts – just fill in the details and leave the rest to us!

members directly? The members area gives you all information you need to build your own up to date database of fellow members for your own marketing purposes. Whilst we can’t simply hand over a database file, the filters and search options within the members directory let you find the businesses in the sectors or areas you want to target and get in touch with. Never miss an event Not only does our new events section include comprehensive details and mapping information about each event the Chamber holds and our members choose to advertise with us, but it also includes a special feature that lets you ensure you’ll never forget they’re taking place. Each event listing includes an ‘Add to Calendar’ feature which when clicked, will download an automatic diary marker to your Outlook, Google or iCal calendars. This, together with our regular events e-newsletters will ensure you always know

what’s coming up and when. Stay up to date and have your say We always like to ensure both Chamber news and member news is shared with you as soon as possible to make sure you’re always ‘in the loop’ and we’re pleased to say the new website lets us do that better than ever before. As well as being better able to highlight your news and our news, members can now comment on stories using our new comments system at the bottom of each story page. So whether it’s new legislation, a member of staff who’s won an award or success for a local business, you can have your say and let us know what you think right on the page. If you haven’t already visited the new www.wcnwchamber. org.uk, please take the opportunity as soon as possible and be sure to login and sample all these features and whole a lot more!

Want to promote an offer? You’ve come to the right place, the special offers section within the members area lets you create and advertise offers and discounts relating to your products and services. You can select how long they run for and again they’ll be promoted in our monthly e-newsletter. Showcase your facilities: The facilities section lets you promote your venue or meeting room and provide a discount on it to Chamber members to encourage them to book it. Want to contact fellow

TOGETHER WE’RE WELL CONNECTED

Busy Autumn Events Programme for Cheshire West and Chester Cheshire West and Chester’s autumn programme of events got off to a racing start with Construction Connect at Oulton Park circuit on September 10th.

Planning for the weather keeps businesses running Businesses in Cheshire and Warrington have been learning how to reduce the risk of weather hitting their business operations and proﬁts.

eld every two years, this ‘meet the buyer’ event provides a marketplace where the council’s construction framework providers source local supply chain partners. Balfour Beatty presented opportunities at the site of the new retail and leisure area in Barons Quay, Northwich, while Wates Construction discussed the town’s Memorial Court development, as well as the Ellesmere Port Sports and Leisure Village. Kier, ISG and Norland were amongst the other businesses at the event which attracted more than 400 Cheshire based companies and tradesmen. As well as meeting new partners, attendees were able to take part in workshops covering topics such as successful tendering for contracts, asbestos safety and BM-readiness. Councillors Lynda Jones, Eveleigh Moore Dutton and Stuart Parker visited the event, with Councillor Moore Dutton commenting: “It’s great to see so many people here today. It is a sign that our economy is continuing to grow and with

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events like this we can make sure that money being spent on the borough stays with the borough.” On September 17th the council’s Business Growth team welcomed a delegation of visitors from UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) to Chester. The sector specialists were given a tour of the city’s key sites for financial and professional services, starting with Chester Business Park where they visited Next Gear Capital and were entertained by MBNA. MBNA’s Head of Corporate Affairs told the UKTI team about the strengths of Chester and how the skilled labour pool was one of the key factors in locating their Global Technology Centre on the site. The delegation was then shown the site of City Place, which will be the centrepiece of Chester’s Central Business Quarter. City Place will offer more than 500,000 square feet of BREEAM excellent office space (an assessment method for sustainable buildings), as well as an hourly direct train service to London (taking just two hours) making it a high-profile yet cost effective choice of location. City Place was also promoted to regional property agents with a launch event on October 2nd. The Council’s Chief Executive Steve Robinson, alongside Muse Developments

West Cheshire & North Wales Chamber of Commerce

welcomed the agents, he said: “City Place is an amazing opportunity. Companies can choose Chester as a location that not only has a background and skills base in this sector, but also offers fantastic new office space.” October also saw Cheshire West and Chester take part in the first MIPIM UK event. In partnership with Manchester, Liverpool and other local authorities from across the North West, council representatives mixed with investors, developers, agents and business service providers to discuss the progress of regeneration programmes and promote future opportunities. At the Trinity Mirror Business Awards, the council sponsored two awards: Inspiring New Apprenticeships, won by Weaver Vale Housing Trust, and Start Up of the Year won by Emma Cornes bag makers. The launch of the West Cheshire Embassy took place at the end of November. The Embassy will take the form of a series of events at various locations in London aimed at encouraging businesses to look beyond the South East in their expansion plans. On November 25th, a breakfast networking event was hosted at the Grosvenor Estates offices in Mayfair with future dates to be planned for 2015.

CHESHIRE and Warrington Enterprise Local Enterprise Partnership has been supporting a programme to help small business owners become more aware of their risks and plan to avoid or manage them. Companies attending business resilience training events in Chester and Warrington found that, once identified, most of their risks could be readily managed through existing processes. The key thing is to have a system for monitoring risks, understanding how they could affect you and having a plan in place to

deal with them. In recent years bad weather has been hitting the UK annually, and climate change will bring more frequent severe conditions. For businesses in Cheshire, the biggest risk is storms and flooding, causing damage to property and chaos on the roads. Whilst more heat waves may be good for our tourist businesses, companies in the food, drink and chemical sectors that rely on large quantities of water can be badly hit by summer droughts. The Association of British Insurers has found that small businesses are particularly vulnerable to climate risks, with many never recovering from a severe incident such as flooding. As well as flooding, businesses could be hit by: • Loss of power • Loss of data through IT failure • Difficulties in delivering to customers • Important suppliers unable to deliver due to transport problems, or by being affected themselves • Staff unable to get to work if their homes or transport routes are affected. In December 2013, The Blue Moon Cafe was on the frontline as the River Dee rose. Sarah May from the riverside-based restaurant said: “Any form of flood warning that could be provided, other than watching the news or searching the internet for updates would be really

helpful. “As a business if we can have disaster plan ready (even if the warning ends up being a false alarm)… moving equipment and making sure flood guards are in situ is better than coming in to a soggy building the next day. I appreciate resources and funds are tight, but knowing where to get the correct information from to prepare for a situation like this would be helpful.” In his role as Health and Safety Manager at Chester Zoo, Ian McIntosh manages risks on a large estate, with lots of trees, buildings, up to 750 staff, as well as animals and visitors; he believes the main lessons are to keep checking the risks, testing your systems and communicating your plans: “We don’t ever want to close, so it’s a team effort. We run several incident exercises each year. This keeps us prepared and lets us make continual adjustments to manage our risks and the communications systems.” If you think you may be at risk, there’s an online toolkit to help you make a Business Resilience Plan at www. businessresiliencehealthcheck. co.uk. Or the ‘Weathering the Storm’ guide produced for Cheshire and Warrington businesses gives a checklist to help make a resilience plan and lots of useful resources for more information. You can pick up a copy of from your local council; email peter.bulmer@ cheshirewestandchester. gov.uk or download it from www.claspinfo.org/SMEadapt

TOGETHER WE’RE WELL CONNECTED

News

“Our goals are about changing place and changing lives for the better, not about meeting ambitious sales targets. We still have to deliver our business plan and provide a return on investment for funders, but the not for proﬁt-driven outcomes have to be the best!”

British Chambers of Commerce workforce survey 2014 THE British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) is calling on businesses of all sizes and in all sectors in the UK to invest in workforce training as a key driver for economic success and improved productivity performance. In November the business group published further findings from its 2014 Workforce Survey: Training and Skills, which show that an overwhelming majority of firms (92%) have identified a skills shortage among their workforce in at least one key competency. Results from the survey of nearly 3,000 businesses from across the UK suggest the most common skills shortages are leadership and management, planning and organisation, languages, computer literacy and creativity. In order to address these skills gaps, most respondents (80%) have indicated plans to invest in training their workforce over the next 12 months. The majority of businesses strongly agree (78%) that training is worthy of investment as a driver for growth and improving productivity performance, with large businesses most likely to strongly agree (90%). Four in ten firms (39%) plan to invest more than £500 per employee in external training over the next year. However, the major barriers to training investment are: cost (50%), freeing up staff to participate in training (31%), and a lack of suitable courses (19%). Companies looking for guidance on appropriate training courses are turning to private training providers, (71%) sector based bodies

(38%) and further education colleges (35%) to source and deliver training, frequently brokered by local Chambers of Commerce. Key Findings • Companies report that communication skills (83%), teamwork (82%) and customer service (72%) are important skills they look for when recruiting. Encouragingly, less than one in five firms report a shortage in these areas • Around a third (33%) of businesses say they have a skills shortage in leadership and management and planning and organisation (26%), which businesses recognise as core skills relating to commercial development. Firms also report a skills shortage in languages (35%), computer literacy (23%) and creativity (20%) • In terms of future investment plans, more than a third of companies (41%) plan to invest up to £500 per employee in external training, while a similar proportion (39%) plan to invest a higher amount • Businesses within the energy, mining and utilities (59%), education (50%), IT and telecoms (48%) sectors are most likely to invest more than £500 per employee in training • The type of training being invested in varies, but for the majority it is on-thejob training (78%). More than half of companies

West Cheshire & North Wales Chamber of Commerce

have invested in health and safety (59%), first aid (56%) and technical / job specific training (56%) • Within a firm, the overall workforce tends to receive one to five days training per annum, with 65% offering that amount. Newer members of staff (under one year) often receive more training – 34% receive one to five days, 26% receive five to 10 days and 16% receive 11 to 20 days. Nora Senior, President of the British Chambers of Commerce said: “Businesses recognise that investing in training can drive higher productivity and increased profits. In addition to specialised training, however, our findings make it clear that investment in leadership and management skills are crucial to enhance strategic thinking, foster innovation and motivate a firm’s employees.

“It is good to see that most businesses are taking a proactive approach by investing in their existing workforce. Four in ten tell us they are planning to invest £500 or more per member of staff to address skills shortages. Yet we need far more companies to reach this level, which will only happen if we break down the barriers to investing in training. “Long-standing complaints around the cost of training, a lack of suitable courses, and staff availability – since people are needed at the front line – remain important issues. To ensure that even more businesses can invest in training, which in turn will drive higher wages, we need to improve dialogue between firms and the organisations that offer training – so that companies find training that is relevant, cost-effective and a good fit with staff working hours.

hat’s the view of Karen Balmer, Chief Executive of Groundwork North Wales; a charity based in Tanyfron, Wrexham and dedicated to improving people’s lives. Established in North Wales in 1991 as part of the pan-UK Groundwork Federation, the organisation works alongside local communities, public bodies, private companies and other voluntary sector organisations to support communities in need. Groundwork help people and organisations to make changes in order to create better neighbourhoods, build skills and job prospects and to live and work in a greener way. The organisation focuses on communities where it can make the most difference and in 2013 alone delivered over 126 projects across North Wales. The organisation offers a variety of B2B services, the profit from which is reinvested to support their charitable activities in local communities. These services include waste audits, resource efficiency audits, PAT testing and opportunities for companies to volunteer

24 hours

in their communities through team building days. Since joining the organisation in February 2011, Karen’s role has been to oversee the running of the organisation with an emphasis around ensuring the charity remains sustainable through business development and strategic direction. Born in Manchester, she spent many years working for the National Health Service where she qualified as an accountant with the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy. After moving to Chester she left the NHS and spent five years working as Director of Resources for a tourism and destination marketing organisation making Groundwork was a natural progression for her, she said: “I am very much a ‘people’ person and so this move from pure finance gave me the opportunity to combine my professional skills with the ability to work in an environment where people are very much the focus.” After beginning her day with ‘a smile and a can of Pepsi Max’, Karen’s commute begins with children requiring drop-off and collection, she said: “We live 15 minutes from the office in Wrexham. Groundwork’s patch is the six counties of North Wales, down to Aberystwyth and back up to Newtown; our main office is in Wrexham and we have a satellite office in Caernarfon. As Groundwork North Wales is part of the federation of Groundwork Trusts in the UK, I frequently have the opportunity to

venture over the border.” Karen’s days are extremely varied, with rarely two being the same; more ‘typical’ ones will generally see her working closely with Groundwork’s Head of Service Delivery and Business Development Manager, as well as spending time in meetings with partners and funders. The times Karen finishes off in the office varies, but she often spends her evening completing work or attending networking events or fundraising activities; most recently Groundwork held an ‘Evening of Indulgence’ at Eaton Park for Pedal Power (the charity’s all ability cycling scheme). Looking ahead, Karen’s aim for Groundwork is continue to be around and to support local communities where support is most needed, she said: “The economic climate has not been the best for any business and the third sector has seen its share of difficult times over recent years. When I joined Groundwork it was clear that if it was to survive for the longer term it needed to evolve. We rapidly entered a period of change as the organisation had to learn to become more commercially focused to ensure survival and to continue delivering our charitable objectives. “Not selling a specific product adds to the challenge, how do you put a price on enabling an individual to grow in confidence and self-esteem? How do you charge for the health benefits and future cost reductions to the health service of someone actively engaged in

volunteering? “As our B2B offer continues to grow, we are now considering setting up a formal trading subsidiary for this activity. We are also looking into setting Pedal Power up as a separate charity as it this seems the most practical solution for its long term viability.” Despite the difficulties, Karen describes the best part of her job as the people Groundwork meet and are able to support along the way, she said: “It makes you feel that the stresses and the strains of running a charity and a business are all worthwhile.” Find out more about Groundwork North Wales at www.groundworknorthwales. org.uk or call 01978 757524.

Karen Balmer, Chief Executive, Groundwork North Wales

TOGETHER WE’RE WELL CONNECTED

Events round up ‘Hog’s Heaven’ at Llyndir Hall

Chamber Networking Marks The Regent’s First Birthday

A mouth-watering hog roast, a birds of prey demonstration and edible creepy crawlies were the highlights of a very special networking event held by the Chamber on September 25th. Held in the stunning surrounds of Llyndir Hall, Rossett, the event saw around 80 delegates enjoy a fantastic afternoon of networking, fun and food in the early autumn sunshine. Following a complimentary drink on arrival, guests were welcomed into the hotel’s

A special networking event held by the Chamber helped to mark the first birthday celebrations of The Regent offices and business centre in early September. The Wrexham-based business venue was officially opened by the Mayor and Mayoress of Wrexham on August 27th 2013 and enjoyed a successful first year of operation. More than 30 delegates attended the special ‘birthday party’ themed event, which featured a ‘Person Behind the Business’ interview with Jane Harrad-Roberts from Marketing PRojects. Jane spoke about her career, life and business experience with Chamber Membership Director Debbie Stokes, as well as shared

spectacular courtyard where they were greeted with the opportunity to meet some of the feathered guests who were on show from Chamber members Rentokil, as well as sample the ‘delights’ of their edible creepy crawlies. After an informative demonstration of their breathtaking birds of prey (which Rentokil use as a humane way to deter pest birds), delegates enjoyed an exquisite and delicious hog roast with all the trimmings. Chamber Membership Director Debbie Stokes said: “We’ve had some memorable events over last few months but thanks to Steven Scoullar and his team at Llyndir Hall this went to a whole new level with everything that was on offer for our guests. “May I take this opportunity to thank everyone at the venue for their hospitality, Rentokil for bringing their beautiful birds and for creating a fantastic talking point with their edible bugs, Marie-Claire from Fluke Photography for capturing the event and

Thursday, November 6th. Guests enjoyed a Bellini on arrival, a buffet lunch and a selection of Italian desserts, as well as a talk from Chamber member Dougie Eaglesham from Solvings Ltd, who spoke about the Recovery Career Services; an organisation that supports people who are leaving the Armed Forces whilst wounded, injured or sick to find new, fulfilling careers to meet their own needs.

West Cheshire & North Wales Chamber of Commerce

tricks and insight; we’ll be hosting more of these in the future.”

Networking Fun (and K-os) at Dangerpoint

of course and everyone who came for making it so special.” Phill Jones, Director of Chamber members Insignia

Resourcing said: “The hospitality from all the staff at Llyndir Hall was exceptional and what a great place for an event.”

Italian-Themed Networking at Convivio is Fantastico! AROUND 70 delegates packed Convivio Bar and Restaurant, Chester for a networking event with an Italian-twist. The Chamber teamed up with the popular restaurant to host a special lunchtime get-together for networkers from across the region on

pictures and video highlighting her experiences. Debbie Stokes said: “Firstly let me say thank you to Joanna Kinch at the Regent for hosting what was another wonderful networking event at her fabulous venue in Wrexham. The Regent has grown more and more in reputation during the course of the last year and she should be extremely proud of her efforts… happy birthday! “Also thank you to Jane for being brave and sharing her experiences with all the delegates in attendance. Our interview slots are fantastic opportunities to learn more about our members in detail and pick up on some of their invaluable tips,

Debbie Stokes said: “We enjoyed a wonderful networking event at Convivio, so thank you to Thanasis, Giovanni and the entire team there for hosting us in their wonderful venue and providing a delicious spread of food and refreshments. “I’d also like to thank Dougie for such an informative talk about such an important subject, particularly ahead of Remembrance weekend.”

Sponsor a Chamber Lunch! New for 2015; the Chamber can now offer you sponsorship packages for our lunch events. Email Debbie Stokes on d.stokes@ wcnwchamber. org.uk for further information!

CHAMBER members got a health and safety lesson with a difference at a special event at Dangerpoint.

Around 20 delegates came together at the centre in Talacre, North Wales on October 16th to learn about health and safety as well as enjoy Chamber networking. Dangerpoint is an award-winning interactive visitor centre that teaches young children to teenagers about risks, how to stay safe and life skills. Around 50,000 visitors have visited Dangerpoint since it opened in 2005. Victoria Burrows, Deputy Manager/ Funding and Development led interested delegates on an interactive tour of the facility and introduced them to resident alien visitor K-os; a green visitor from space who doesn’t understand the dangers of our planet.

During the tour, delegates had the opportunity to talk to K-os to help him understand the dangers and what he could do to stay safe in the future. Debbie Stokes said: “Dangerpoint is a wonderful, fun attraction on the North Wales coastline for all the family which does a fantastic job of communicating the importance of health and safety. “I’d like to thank Victoria, K-os and the rest of the team at Dangerpoint for welcoming us to the centre for this special event. Everyone had a wonderful time on the tour and enjoyed a great opportunity to network in very special surroundings.”

TOGETHER WE’RE WELL CONNECTED

WCNW: To begin, remind us how you started working with the Chamber. CB: I started at the Chamber back in 2010; I’d previously worked for Lloyds Banking Group but got made redundant, so I took a job as Membership Manager. Over the course of a three-year period I was then promoted to General Manager and then Executive Director. WCNW: And how have things changed?

The Big Interview Colin Brew

2014 has been a massive year for West Cheshire & North Wales Chamber of Commerce.

Executive Director, West Cheshire & North Wales Chamber of Commerce

West Cheshire & North Wales Chamber of Commerce

ot only has the business organisation launched this very magazine you’re reading now, but it has developed a brand new website, held a host of successful events across North Wales and West Cheshire, successfully collaborated with neighbouring Chambers and business groups, as well as welcomed a host of new members from a variety of backgrounds, trades and industries. Working hard to make to make it all happen is Colin Brew, Executive Director of the Chamber; after such a busy 12 months, he decided to speak with WCNW to give members a rundown of all the work that has been going on at the organisation and what they can expect now and into the future.

CB: Massively! Back then times were obviously tough for everyone because of the economic situation and the Chamber had experienced some unexpected senior staffing changes, so from my point of view it was about picking the business up, stabilising things and moving it forwards. At the time we needed to refocus our efforts, review what we were doing and establish a plan for the future. We decided to focus on the core elements like our membership package; making sure we offered our members a valued service, retaining them and obviously recruiting new ones. Also it was very important to focus on the team we had in place and stabilising the departments within the Chamber to help work us towards a three year business plan. WCNW: Obviously 2014 has seen the Chamber perform some major projects, what does this mean for the organisation? CB: Projects like our new website show a huge statement of intention in terms of how far we’ve come in recent years. The website is a huge step forwards and sets our stall out for the future; we’ve invested both finances and resources in getting it up and running for the benefit of the members. Above all our plan right now is the same as it was five years ago, everything we do has to be for the benefit of the membership; whether it’s creating a website, developing our team or bringing in new people. At that time we realised that once all those elements

were in place, we could then think about improving the networking element of things, the policy work like the Campaign for Welsh Business – which is a great example of us getting the business in the right place to develop our position economically. WCNW: Networking is always an important draw for Chamber members, how has that developed? CB: We’ve developed networking hugely from two or three years ago when things felt regimented at times; now with all the changes we’ve put into place the feedback we get from members says it’s working for them. We’re offering a different flavour to networking, a social flavour if you like, and that’s all about people building relationships; so I suppose we’ve taken a slightly different approach on networking, getting away from the ‘selling’ element of it and more towards the building of relationships. The team have been core to making that happen and I think the proof is in the pudding that the feedback we’re getting is great. The other thing to be positive about is the numbers, whether that be 80 for an event at Llyndir Hall or 200 at the annual dinner… the numbers indicate we’re doing things the right way. WCNW: How has the Chamber worked collaboratively in recent times? CB: We’ve been doing a lot more work with other chambers in recent times; it’s hugely significant that we’re part of the British Chambers of Commerce accredited network, so we steer towards working with and supporting our ‘sister’ chambers in the accredited network. I think for collaboration as a whole the landscape has changed from five years ago when people did things themselves, there’s much more openness for people to want to work with key stakeholders, colleagues, other partners, whether that be universities or local authorities to do stuff together and save on resource, save duplication, and to create the right support needed for

businesses in our area. Obviously we recently released the Campaign for Welsh Business document with our colleagues at South and Mid Wales Chamber in early November, and from a pan-Wales perspective it’s really important that the Chambers speak as one because we submit that to Welsh Government. The element of other key stakeholders trying to understand how Chambers work or who’s accredited and who isn’t is irrelevant… the point is that we’ve come together to create a document that we’re all in favour of, whether North or South. Obviously there’s different issues in both regions, but we’ll tailor our discussion around it; what the document gives us is proof that we’re working with other Chambers and collaborating and that we’re all speaking with one voice. There’s obviously a lot going on in Cheshire too, specifically with the local enterprise partnership and again that’s where we work closely with the four other Chambers in Cheshire and Warrington under the banner of Cheshire Chamber Enterprises Ltd, because we understand that’s the most beneficial route for our members to ensure they’re getting the business support delivery that the LEP can offer them. WCNW: To the future, what do you expect the New Year will bring? CB: Looking ahead for 2015, it’s about continuing to grow the membership; we’re bringing in a great deal of new members and stemming our membership resignations. Obviously we’re looking at the next big scheme we can offer our members; with the website now done we want to encourage interactivity within it, networking is really strong, so the next big thing we’re looking at is a forum so members can feed into the Board of Directors and tell us what they’re looking for from us into the future; we’ll let you know the details of this scheme in due course. We have a Board which is strong and acts as an advisory panel with all the key business sectors represented by it, but at the same time we really value what the members want from us.

TOGETHER WE’RE WELL CONNECTED

Spotlight

on Chester

½ road traffic

Big things are happening in Chester to transform the health, wealth and happiness of the community reversing a decline in the city’s economic fortunes and restoring it as a major regional economic powerhouse.

New cultural centre

ighlights include a business quarter providing up to 3,600 new jobs; the longawaited Northgate retail and leisure development creating around 1,200 jobs adding £86m a year to the city’s economy; a cultural centre including 800-seat theatre, library and multi screen cinema; a new market; a water strategy to make the most of the canals and river. Renaissance is also leading a major project, still in its very early stages, to restore the glory of Chester’s unique Rows, offering major business opportunities and creating a Medieval City story to rival the city’s Roman “brand”. Existing city centre companies have shown their resolve to promote Chester back up the league table by voting in favour of the creation of a Business Improvement District company, independent of the local

authority, agreeing to a one per cent increase in their business rates to create an annual £500,000 fund to be spent for the benefit of city centre and the community. Chester has an expanding university, increasingly popular and increasingly successful, with bold plans to retain talented individuals in the city. The blueprint for the host of projects underway and planned was laid down in 2012 with the launch of the One City plan, a 15 year action programme drawn up following consultation with hundreds of individuals and organisations. The One City “People’s Plan” set a timetable for key projects and the transformation is well and truly underway. None of the schemes I have mentioned will, on their own, achieve the goals set for Chester. It is their

combined effect, the big picture, which will create jobs, business opportunities, and attract the required investment. In addition, Chester Zoo’s brilliant Islands project opens in 2015, with the recent highly-acclaimed television series about the zoo’s founder fanning interest throughout the UK and already delivering more visitors to the city. Looking at some of the projects in more detail reveals Chester is building a future that we can be just as proud of as its citizens are of the history and heritage past. Work is already underway on the Central Business Quarter to provide more than 500,000 square feet of Grade A office accommodation, the first in the city to be BREEAM rated excellent. Within the scheme there will also be 220 new homes, retail and leisure opportunities, and public CONTINUED ON PAGE 28 ➞

West Cheshire & North Wales Chamber of Commerce

The current nuclear fuel output saves as much CO2 emissions as halving Britain’s road traffic.

UK total CO2 emissions from road traffic represents more than 80Mt a year

Now that’s a powerful fact. CO2 emissions from the production of nuclear energy are virtually non-existent. Including nuclear power as part of our energy mix will ensure we can afford to keep our CO2 emissions at a responsible level. URENCO plays a key part in the nuclear process – we are committed to improving environmental standards, ensuring better lives for future generations. Our four enrichment facilities enable nuclear power to produce the affordable, low-carbon electricity the world needs. www.urenco.com/powerfulfacts

enriching the future

Spotlight on Chester

realm work to include the creation of a winter garden access from the adjacent railway station. Developers Muse report lots of interest from significant national companies in the first phase City Place, ready for occupation in November 2015, and also local firms looking to upgrade the quality of their accommodation and enjoy the caché of what looks set to be the number one Chester business address. Waitrose’s new store and canal bridge linking it to the business quarter site is already open – with an impressive modern copper-faced building smartening up one of the key gateways to the city centre. At the most recent Renaissance board meeting, Muse spelled out some of the Chester factors creating the interest of nationals in the business quarter development: • 75% of students from Chester University secured employment within 6 months of graduating

Mustard Print is a small, dedicated company that prides itself on its friendly, personal service, welcoming trade customers and the general public alike. Customers can pop in any time to discuss their needs and enjoy a delightful cup of fresh coffee – on occasions there’s even home-made cake – so this is a company that definitely doesn’t stint on service. This Chester company has been providing all this – and at competitive prices too – for the last seven years. Over that time, Mustard Print has built up a loyal customer base, mainly located in the city. Clients range from

• High retention rate of skilled labour • Excellent track record in the Financial Services Sector (M&S Money, Bank of America, Lloyds Banking Group & Money Supermarket.com) • The local economy has an strong bases in Advanced Engineering, Automotive, Food & Drink and the Creative Industries sector The Northgate project is a strong mixture of leisure and retail including a multi screen cinema, new market hall, and car parking ready in 2018 with retail units, cafes, restaurants and open spaces to follow. Long frustrating delays in getting a Northgate scheme underway cast a dark cloud over the city’s plans to combat a slow but steady retail decline have proved to have something of a silver, or even golden, lining. The delays largely caused by the financial crisis have meant that Cheshire West and Chester Council decided to wrest control of the

multi-million pound businesses, to individuals wanting a picture placed on a canvas. Directors each have over 20 years of experience within the printing industry, and are happy to pass on their knowledge to their customers. With its own in-house printing facility, Mustard Print can provide the best possible product and service, ensuring that printing jobs are dealt with quickly and efficiently to a high standard. The directors themselves enjoy taking a hands-on approach to ensure a satisfied customer.

View of North Market Square

project back from developers, acquiring most of the site. The massive changes in retail habits and need to create a shopping and lifestyle experience for visitors and locals is being designed into the Northgate project which would not have happened of the scheme announced six or seven years ago had gone ahead. I have heard people ask why build more shops when there are currently empty premises in the city centre.

“Really please with the facilities they made our lives a lot easier whilst visiting our daughter on the ward”

The company is also proud to be part of the Woodland Carbon Capture Scheme. Mustard Print Limited provides a full range of print services in Chester from: Office/Corporate Stationery: l Letter Heads l B/Cards l NCR Sets, Pads, Books l Comp Slips l Leaflets l Etc Large Format: l Signs l Banners l Posters l Exhibition Stands l Etc

mustardprint ltd Unit 44, Evans Easyspace, Chester West Park, Minerva Avenue, Chester CH1 4QL tel: 01244 389360 • fax: 01244 389362 • email: info@mustardprint.co.uk • www.mustardprintltd.co.uk

211544-12-14WCNW14 MAG Mustard Print.indd 1

West Cheshire & North Wales Chamber of Commerce

But that misses the point. Empty shops are on every high street in the country. For Chester to continue to be a major regional shopping centre it has to create the gravitational pull of more choice, social and leisure activities. That also means having unique offers, great service, and improved access through clean and modern car parking, additional park and ride, shopper hopper buses, and a new bus station with improved links to the railway station and the Frodsham street area of the city centre. A recent visit by Peter Bazalgette, Chairman of the Arts Council, to see how the £3m they are investing in the new £38m theatre and library on the site of the old art deco Odeon cinema in Northgate is being used brought a glowing tribute and the forecast it would help turbo charge the city’s economy. The theatre, library, and nearby multi-screen cinema, together with

the Chester Cathedral and its new Cathedral Heights attraction plus a new concept market hall, is already stirring activity amongst local businesses looking to benefit from the cultural and leisure activity those developments will create. The Chester Rows project is currently being defined and discussions are taking place with possible funding bodies, including the Heritage Lottery and European funding pots. The ambition is to build on the fabulous history of the Rows that include the UK’s best examples of fine town houses through the ages. Being discussed are ways of improving access, training and learning centres, and an interactive Rows attraction. At the very top of the Rows agenda is the need to get more feet up onto the covered walkways and provide opportunities for new businesses, including startups, to be part of what my personal hope will be a project which could

Aerial view of Northgate

put this unique part of Chester city centre up for consideration as a world heritage site. Contact information Starting point for businesses interested in expanding within or re-locating to Chester is the recently launched website finditincheshireandwarrington.co.uk CONTINUED ON PAGE 30 ➞ advertorial

Putting Mothers and Children first......................... THE Chester Childbirth Appeal has supported the Maternity Unit at the Countess of Chester NHS Hospital since its inception in 1991, providing facilities and amenities over and above those afforded by the NHS and has enjoyed Patronage from Diana Princess of Wales, Her Grace The Duchess of Westminster and currently Michael and Louise Owen. Only with the help of fund-raisers, volunteers and the great generosity of our supporters have we been able to raise money to finance these improvements. We have raised over £1.5M and improved the environment enormously over the last 24 years

With your help we have accomplished some amazing things here’s just a few of them • A fully furnished and equipped family room where bereaved parents can stay together away from crying babies until the mother is fit to go home. • The Snowdrop room where the babies of bereaved parents can be sensory garden to commemorate tended Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee. • Ensuite accommodation for • An overnight stay room for the parents of premature babies parents of ill babies on ward 32 nursed on the SCBU • A quiet infant feeding room on • A baby memorial garden at Blacon ward 32 Crematorium, Chester. • A Japanese garden for visual pleasure, • A furnished and decorated sitting replacing a concrete courtyard. room on the labour ward. • A fully furnished and equipped To find out more about how water-birth suite. you and your company can help • The Comfort Zone shop, cafe and by donating, volunteering or childrens play area - all profits fundraising please contact Pat transferred to the appeal. Daniels on 01244 350 755 or email • Adolescent unit for the care of chester.childbirth@nhs.net teenagers. or you can visit • Christopher Wing where the www.chesterchildbirthappeal.org.uk parents of ill children can stay. • The childrens playground and Registered Charity in England and Wales No. 1003772

04/12/2014 10:30

TOGETHER WE’RE WELL CONNECTED

Spotlight on Chester

By registering you have access to business advisers, property

Aerial view Chester Zoo’s Islands project

and business locations, help with start-ups and innovation, advice on accessing finance and much more. Marketing Cheshire has its base in Chester and can provide invaluable information for businesses interested in locating in Chester as well as offering core marketing services including PR, event management, social media support and brand consultancy. Tel: 01244 405600 Email: info@marketingcheshire.co.uk

or contact Muse Development on 0161 877 3400Get the inside story of CH1 Chester Bid Company via www.ch1chesterbid.co.uk or by contacting them on 01244 403680 or email info@ch1chesterbid.co.uk Chester Business Club embraces leading business representatives from the professions, retailing, manufacturing, local authorities, education, tourism and the service industries. www.chesterbusinessclub.co.uk

To find out more about City Place and the Chester Business Quarter take a look at www.cityplacechester.co.uk

For Chester Renaissance contact Chris Capes, Programme Manager on 01244 973164.

TAN Y BWLCH CENTRE, LLANLLECHID, BANGOR, GWYNEDD LL57 3HY

Confined Spaces, Work at Height and First Aid courses If your work includes confined spaces, working at height or other safety critical activities, we can deliver the training and advice you need to meet all your legal requirements and responsibilities We are fully accredited in accordance with the needs industry as well as being able to provide bespoke courses and solutions for any specific identified need. We are also able to deliver the full range of training programmes accredited by IRATA.

Finance

Graham Ingham joins FW Capital’s Merseyside team

SAFE WORK AT HEIGHT

SAFE WORK AT HEIGHT – COMPETENT PERSON

familiar face in the North West’s business and corporate finance community has joined FW Capital, the company which manages The North West Fund for Loans Plus. Graham Ingham has joined the fund manager as an Investment Executive based at its Liverpool office. Working alongside Investment Executives, Simon Berry and Carol Bolland, Graham will be responsible for FW Capital’s Merseyside business development activities. Joining from GP Commercial Finance, he is an experienced business banker whose career includes time at Alliance & Leicester Commercial Bank, Barclays Mercantile Business Finance and GMAC Commercial Finance. He was also a regional director with Begbies Traynor in Manchester. “Over the last four years, FW Capital has established a strong reputation in the North West thanks to its expertise and flexible

approach. It has backed businesses in all sectors across the region, boosting their prospects by providing them with much-needed capital in tough times. “Merseyside is home to an impressive mix of businesses, including some well-established businesses that have stood the test of time, created jobs and are continuing to make a contribution to the local economy. I’ll be working with my contacts to ensure they understand what FW Capital can offer,” Graham explained. The North West Fund for Loans Plus, managed by FW Capital, is part of the £155m North West Fund and is financed jointly by the European Regional Development Fund and the European Investment Bank. FW Capital works with banks and other funders on a wide range of requirements and the Fund’s flexible lending criteria means FW Capital can consider cash flow loans and not simply accept or reject on the basis of

available security. Established businesses in all five Merseyside boroughs have benefitted from loans from the £45 million North West Fund for Loans Plus managed by FW Capital. FW Capital is keen to provide further funding in the region. Gary Guest, FW Capital’s Fund Manager in the North West is pleased to welcome Graham. He said: “In the last financial year, loans from The North West Fund for Loans Plus helped create or safeguard 750 jobs and injected £8.8 million into the economy. “With part of the Fund allocated for Merseyside, Graham will help us ensure that more Merseyside businesses benefit from what the Fund can offer. He’s a respected member of Merseyside’s business and corporate finance community and has considerable commercial lending experience as well as experience of securing finance for businesses.” Flexible loan finance of between £50,000 and

SAFE WORK AT HEIGHT SUPERVISOR (City and guilds) BASIC SAFE WORK AT HEIGHT RESCUE (use of pre-rigged vertical rescue kit) IRATA (All levels) CONFINED SPACES WORKING (All levels) City and Guilds If you would like more information on the above courses or on any of the other programmes that we provide please contact us. £750,000 is available for a range of purposes, including owner-occupier property purchases, asset/ equipment purchases or growth capital requirements. Businesses, their advisers and other intermediaries can contact Graham at FW Capital’s Liverpool offices at The Plaza, 100 Old Hall Street, Liverpool L3 9QJ.

Outreach Rescue Industrial Training 01248 603013 / enquiries@outreachrescue.com

www.outreachrescue.com

Contact: graham.ingham@ fwcapital.co.uk T: 0151 600 5360 M: 07881 379 016 ABTECH FPA.indd 1

West Cheshire & North Wales Chamber of Commerce

08/12/2014 12:08

advertorial

Apprenticeships

Meeting the challenge of education success

There’s never been a better time to employ an apprentice Apprenticeships deliver real returns for businesses and the economy.

hey help businesses to improve productivity and competitiveness. Nearly every employer that takes on an apprentice (96%) reports benefits to their business. Some 72% of businesses report improved productivity as a result of employing an apprentice. The average apprenticeship completer increases business productivity by £214 per week, with these gains including increased profits, lower prices and better products (Evaluation of Apprenticeships for Employers, BIS, May 2012 According to the British Chambers of Commerce, most employers say a wish to improve their skills base is the main reason for taking on an apprentice, and companies offering apprenticeships view them as advantageous to their long-term corporate development.

There are three levels of apprenticeships: • Intermediate – equivalent to 5 A*-C GCSEs; • Advanced – equivalent to 2 A-Levels; • Higher – A higher apprenticeship incorporates qualifications at Levels 4 and 5 (for example a Foundation Degree) and can extend to Levels 6 (BA/BSc) and 7 (MA/MSc). Higher apprenticeships enable apprentices to develop the knowledge and competence required to perform effectively in a specific management or professional role. Employers may also like to consider offering traineeships, which give young people aged 16 to 24 the essential work preparation training, maths and English skills and work experience needed to get an apprenticeship or

other job. Developed in response to business needs, traineeships give employers an opportunity to help build a pool of high-quality future recruits for their sector. Currently, more than 100,000 employers in England offer apprenticeships in 200,000 locations, covering over 170 industries and 1500 different job roles. Apprenticeships help employers attract new talent, up-skill their staff and tackle skills shortages. Some businesses may be eligible for a £1,500 apprenticeship grant. These funds are to help smaller businesses recruit a new apprentice aged 16 to 24. Employers can claim support for as many as 10 apprentices (up until December 2014). The grants do not have to be repaid. Employers receive dedicated support from the National Apprenticeship Service during the process of employing an apprentice, which supports, funds and co-ordinates the delivery of apprenticeships throughout England. And the apprenticeship vacancies job site enables employers to advertise their apprenticeships free to a large number of potential candidates. Sue Husband, Director of the National Apprenticeship Service, says: “Apprenticeships are becoming an increasingly popular option for businesses and it’s easy to see why. They enable companies to grow their own workforce, providing highlyqualified and motivated employees. Apprentice employers report real business benefits and I would encourage all businesses to consider how employing an apprentice can help them grow.”

VERY few organisations find themselves

without increasing competition and the need to differentiate their products and services. Whilst investing in the skills of employees may be viewed as non-essential, this approach is illadvised and the impact is far reaching. Organisational effectiveness and profitability can be attributed at least in part to having motivated, capable employees with the right skills, who are capable of embracing the challenges of ongoing technological change. Can you afford not to invest in your employees? Failure to invest in your employees manifests itself in a number of organizational ‘ailments’ including absenteeism, lack of employee motivation and low morale, inefficiencies and low productivity, all of which have a direct impact on cash flow and profitability. Mistakes cost lives and profits … The dire impact on employees of poor training in health and safety matters goes without saying, whilst the financial fall-out and damage to reputation

could jeopardize the future of the organization. Putting more emphasis on training and development of your staff will help prevent underperformance or disengagement and leave you with a happier, more motivated and productive workforce. A simple, well structure training and development strategy can make all the difference. Training and development can empower employees to review and improve work processes and develop their skills to take on new roles and responsibilities. Wirral Met College’s Employer Services team work in partnership with employers to carry out an organisational needs analysis, so that a specific package of training and development can be customized to address the issues identified. A dedicated training and development specialist will be appointed to your organization, to co-ordinate training programmes, monitor their effectiveness and evaluate the impact on employees and the organisation as a whole, so that the

benefits are clear to see. They will advise on the funding options available to support investment in training and development, and devise a flexible programme of development which accommodates shift patterns and individual employee requirements. Apprenticeship Grant for Employers of 16 to 24 year olds (AGE 16 to 24) The Apprenticeship Grant for Employers of 16 to 24 year olds (AGE 16 to 24) aims to support businesses with fewer than 50 employees, who would not otherwise be in a position to do so, to recruit individuals aged 16 to 24 into employment though the Apprenticeship programme. Don’t miss out! Contact Wirral Met College’s Employer Services Team on 0151 551 7610 or email employer. services@wmc.ac.uk, to find out how you can take advantage of this funding before it runs out. For more information about how Wirral Met’s Employer Services team can support your organisation, call 0151 551 7610 or visit wmc.ac.uk/employer-services.

To find out more about the business benefits of apprenticeships call 08000 150 600 or visit greatbusiness. gov.uk/apprenticeships

West Cheshire & North Wales Chamber of Commerce

TOGETHER WE’RE WELL CONNECTED

Case Study

advertorial

Apprenticeships

The sky’s the limit

COMPANY: Barlows UK Ltd

WALES Air Ambulance in Dinas Dinlle has been working with Careers Wales to make school pupils aware of potential careers and opportunities in health and social care. Keen to develop their links with schools, staff at Wales Air Ambulance signed up for the Careers Wales Business Ambassador Training Programme. Jon Earp, Wales Air Ambulance pilot, said: “The Business Ambassador Training helped us to improve our confidence so that we felt totally prepared when attending an event in a school or college. The training sessions are very interactive and relaxed and it was a great opportunity for us to identify any areas where we might need

Business ambassadors at Wales Air Ambulance ready to motivate and inspire pupils

BUSINESS: Electrical and Gas Company Quality apprenticeships are the cornerstone of growth and recruitment in this growing family-run company. David Barlow, Training & Development Director of Barlows UK Ltd, has seen the company invest in apprentices across the North West of England for over 30 years, and is in no doubt about their benefits to the business. Growing workforce Barlows UK Ltd, a company installing and maintaining gas and electrical appliances, first started training apprentices in 1980. “In the early 80s, Barlows tried to expand, but there were no skilled electricians available. Therefore training our own staff was the best option,” explains David. When apprentices were first employed by the company, it only had five staff; now its workforce numbers nearly 250. David credits

apprenticeships with fuelling this development, and the company plans to keep taking on more apprentices as it grows and diversifies. “Due to the specialisation opportunities in the electrical and gas industries, further sections of the company are planned,” says David. “It is via apprenticeships that competent, well-qualified young employees are developed, which allows the company to expand.” Skills and experience The intermediate and advanced electrotechnical apprenticeships offered by Barlows ensure that on completing their training, the apprentices are fully prepared for their future roles. “Our approach to training emphasises the ‘on the job’ aspect, as we understand the range of practical experience each member of staff requires,” explains David.

The advantages of apprenticeships to the organisation are clear, as David describes: “As the apprentices complete their training, they join one of our 15 sections, and provide new impetus and enthusiasm. We have a highly skilled workforce, which understands the customers’ needs and has a positive culture.” The company’s apprenticeships have even helped the business weather tough economic times. “The apprentices at Barlows contribute to the team, so that even in a recession, new opportunities have been discovered,” says David.

Loyal staff As a result of its investment in apprenticeships, Barlows enjoys long-term retention of staff, with many exapprentices progressing to senior levels. “All the directors served their apprenticeships within the company and almost all of our managers and staff followed the same path,” explains David. “Our staff retention has proved the value of the company as viewed by the workforce, as for anyone to leave is rare,” he adds. “We are proud that most of our people decide to stay with the organisation and grow together.” David Barlow is also an Apprenticeship Ambassador for the North West. The company works with local schools to offer pupils electrical training sessions at a dedicated centre, and is committed to providing increasing the numbers of Apprenticeships in the future. In recognition of the company’s achievements, Barlows UK Ltd was crowned the Medium Employer of the Year in the North West region at the National Apprenticeship Awards in 2012, 2013 and 2014. To find out more about apprenticeship opportunities, please contact the National Apprenticeship Service on 08000 150 600 or visit the website greatbusiness. gov.uk/apprenticeships

West Cheshire & North Wales Chamber of Commerce

benefit considerably from broadening their horizons and finding out about different careers. Equally, employers can gain from understanding how their sector is perceived by young people and teachers.” Business Ambassador activities could include talks and presentations in the classroom, hosted visits to

business premises, student mentoring, mock interviews and supporting teachers with up-to-date information about their job sector. If you would like to inspire your future workforce and want more information about becoming a Business Ambassador, why not speak to Careers Wales. Call 0300 123 38 33.

Cysylltiadau Addysg Busnes

Education BusinessLinks

Adeiladu perthnasau cadarnhaol yn eich cymuned

Build positive relationships in your local community

Herio’r rhagdybiaethau am eich diwydiant

Challenge perceptions of your industry

Ysgogi myfyrwyr a datblygu dyheadau

Motivate students and develop aspirations

Mae Gyrfa Cymru yn cynnig cymorth yn rhad ac am ddim er mwyn ffurfio cysylltiadau gwerth chweil ag ysgolion a cholegau

Careers Wales offers free support to get easy access to rewarding links with schools and colleges

Cael gwybod mwy… | Find out more … 0300 123 3833 www.gyrfacymru.com/cyflogwyr | www.careerswales.com/employers post@gyrfacymru.com | post@careerswales.com

Buddsoddi yng ngweithlu’r dyfodol ac ysbrydoli pobl ifanc 211443-12-14 Careers Wales.indd 1

support when going into school. We were also encouraged to share our own ideas on how we’d like to fully engage with learners.” Careers Wales can introduce local employers to schools and colleges that are looking to develop partnerships and enrich pupils’ learning. With curriculum-linked activities that provide insights into the world of work, young people are given opportunities to develop the confidence, awareness and skills needed for the future. Ellen Williams, Education Business Adviser at Careers Wales explained : “We work with schools and colleges to help identify appropriate Education Business activities. Learners

Invest in your future workforce and inspire young people 08/12/2014 10:47

TOGETHER WE’RE WELL CONNECTED

Annual Dinner Raises Thousands for Hospice T

aking place for the very first time in the historic sporting surroundings of Chester Racecourse, the event was held in support of the Chester-based charity the Hospice of the Good Shepherd. The charity works to help improve the quality of life for people living with any incurable illness and giving support to families, friends and carers. Nearly 200 guests were treated to a delicious three-course meal of fine banqueting fayre, laughter and fun from entertainment personality and special guest host Ted Robbins, a business update from British Chambers of Commerce President Nora Senior, as well as a cacophony of musical hits from party band Le Funk. As part of the festivities in support of the hospice, Ted Robbins hosted a special charity auction and raffle for a selection of special prizes during the dinner to help raise money for the good cause. Colin Brew, Executive Director of the Chamber said: “We enjoyed a wonderful Annual Dinner and we thank everyone who came along and helped to make it so very special. We’ve already received some wonderful feedback on the event and are already looking forward to 2015! “The Chamber was also delighted to be able to provide support to the wonderful cause of the Hospice of the Good Shepherd. It shocked us to learn that the hospice needs to raise nearly £7,000 a day to be able to provide the vital care and support they give to people in desperate need, so we were only too happy to provide them with a platform to help them towards this goal. “I’d also like to thank Chester Racecourse, Marketing Cheshire, Nora Senior for coming along to provide her support and business insight, Marie-Claire Ashcroft from Fluke Photography for capturing the dinner, Le Funk for bringing the venue alive with music and of course our guest host Ted Robbins for expertly hosting the evening.”

West Cheshire & North Wales Chamber of Commerce

Big-hearted guests raised around £3,000 for charity at West Cheshire & North Wales Chamber of Commerce’s Annual Dinner on Friday, October 10th.

TOGETHER WE’RE WELL CONNECTED

Sanctuary Launches National Training Centre

anctuary Group’s new National Maintenance Training Centre in Chester is now up and running following a major investment by the Group.

Apprentice skilled operative Jack Sare tells Cllr Stuart Parker, Cheshire West & Chester Council, how Sanctuary’s training is benefiting his career

Helping New Businesseses A new state-of-the-art business enterprise centre in Chester is set to open by Spring 2015. Part of the £19.5 million Blacon Parade development, the new centre will be managed by a team of specialist business advisors from Avenue Services (a joint venture between Sanctuary Group and Cheshire West and Chester Council) who will transfer from nearby Hatton Road. The advisors provide expertise, coaching and marketing support to entrepreneurs, small businesses and social enterprises to help them turn their ideas into reality. The Parade Enterprise Centre will boast well designed, affordable office space with fast connectivity, staffed reception services, and free use of meeting rooms and hospitality area. Business incubation space will be provided allowing new businesses to share telephone, network and reception support to reduce operational costs during the critical startup phase. Work at the Parade also includes additional retail space, improvements to existing shops, the construction of 62 homes and new play and public spaces. The scheme is funded by Sanctuary Group, Cheshire West and Chester Council, the Homes and Community Agency and the European Regional Development Fund.

Based at the Octavian Centre, near Chester Retail Park, the training centre is the latest national service to be located in the city by the leading housing and care provider. In October, partners from Chester were given the opportunity to tour the new facilities and interact with staff undertaking plumbing and joinery sessions, to see first-hand the level of support and guidance provided by our expert trainers. The partners learned how Sanctuary’s national training facilities have created a centre of excellence for the organisation’s repairs and maintenance workforce. This means that regardless of geographic location, customers can be assured of a consistent service thanks to the high quality training and support delivered to staff. New Homes for Local People Sanctuary is continuing its aim to increase the supply of new homes to local people including on four new sites across Chester. Nine apartments in Essex Road, Newton and a further three family homes in Springfield Road, Malpas have recently been completed by Sanctuary Maintenance Contractors Ltd. All will be available for rent. In Lache, a £1.3m project involving the construction of 13 homes for rent and shared ownership is well underway, while in Upton a £1.6m scheme to develop 16 family homes for rent is moving closer to completion. Both are expected to be ready for occupation by Spring 2015. All our developments are creating employment opportunities for local people while supporting the need for more affordable housing.

West Cheshire & North Wales Chamber of Commerce

Newly completed homes in Malpas

Social psychology for marketers: eight lessons in buyer behaviour

Productivity

A major part of every marketer’s job is to understand why and how their prospects act and behave the way they do.

W Cllr Sam Dixon, Cheshire West & Chester Council, discusses training with Sanctuary Maintenance electrician David Butters

Teaming Up With Chester FC

CDHT residents Ron Graves and Felicity Turner, Community coach Richard Smith, CDHT youth engagement officer Libbie Stock, resident Mike Reece and chief executive officer of Chester Football Club Community Trust Jon McCarthy

Sanctuary and Chester and District Housing Trust (CDHT) have teamed up with Chester Football Club to deliver a range of sporting sessions to residents in the region. Local people of all ages are able to choose from a range of interesting and interactive sessions including ‘minikicker’ sessions for young children, sport training for girls, and over 50s football. The sponsorship will also see the over 55s benefit from computer skills programmes to enhance their IT skills.

riting on inbound marketing blog Hubspot, Lanya Olmsted has detailed the psychology behind the behaviours of buyers, she said: “How useful would it be if you could predict or inform their behaviour and then base your marketing on that information? “Armed with a few social psychology lessons, you can get pretty darn close.”

8 Social psychology lessons applied to marketing • Reciprocity: Before asking something of your prospects, provide them with a ‘gift’, it doesn’t have to be big, a helpful ebook, free consultation call etc. Not only will people be more willing to complete your request, but you’ll portray your company positively and establish brand loyalty. • Foot-in-the-door: You’re more likely to get a big ‘yes’ from someone if you get a small ‘yes’ from them first according to Freedman and Fraser’s 1966 ‘foot-in-the-door’ experiment. Don’t ask someone to buy your product or set up a long demo when they visit your site for the first time, make a smaller request first like a 15 minute call before moving on to the

larger one. • Peer comparison: Connected to the theory of social proof, which is the positive influence created by finding out other people are doing a certain action, which can lead someone to believe they should be doing the same. For example your website could show prospects how many people in the same profession have downloaded a certain document or template. • Environmental effect: When setting up a sales call, schedule the call when the potential buyer is an environment where they would be using the product. • Mere exposure effect: The theory that you are more likely to have good feelings towards something you are often exposed to. Expose your marketing content to your buyers regularly and the more likely they will feel positively towards your brand. • Warm environments and product valuation: Studies have shown that warm temperatures (which activate positive emotions) can increase a consumer’s product valuation. This is relevant to companies that have storefronts; when choosing your atmosphere it may be better to set it on the warmer side. • Expected vs surprise rewards: Try providing your potential customers with surprise coupons or deals, rather than ongoing promotions.

“Armed with a few social psychology lessons, you can get pretty darn close.”

• Scarcity: The rarer the opportunity, content or product, the more valuable it is to a customer. Scarcity is especially powerful for event marketing, for example if you’re looking

to increase ticket sales it might be worth sending personalised emails to people who haven’t registered to remind them only a limited number remain.

TOGETHER WE’RE WELL CONNECTED

New Members Mr Jim Smith

ACJ Risk Solutions Limited 20 Broadoaks, Rossett, Wrexham LL12 0FA T: 01244 577960 E: acjrisksolutions@btinternet.com

Mr Andrew Thompson

Anglesey Training Services The training Centre, Cefn Llongau, Gwalchmai, Holyhead, Gwynedd LL65 4SH T: 07796 341484 E: enquiries@ angleseytrainingservices.com www.angleseytrainingservices.com

Mr Gary Myers

New Members Ms Michelle Wynne

Costco Wholesale UK Ltd Dunkirk Trading Estate, Chester Gates, Chester, Cheshire CH1 6LT T: 01244 852070 E: mktmgr119@costco.co.uk www.costco.co.uk

Mr David Atkinson

David Atkinson - Media Writer & Tutor 3a Handbridge, Chester, Cheshire CH4 7JE T: 07974 390436 E: atkinson.david@icloud.com www.atkinsondavid.com

Ms Sue Gallagher

Apogee Wealth Management Ltd 1 Booths Park, Chelford Road, Knutsford, Cheshire WA16 8GS T: 01565 757 811 E: gary@apogeewealth.co.uk www.apogeewealth.co.uk

DSG Chartered Accountants Unit 5, Evolution House, Lakeside Business Village, St David's Park, Deeside, Flintshire CH5 3XP T: 01244 526030 E: spg@dsg.uk.com www.dsg.uk.com

Mr Graham Dobbin

Mr Graham Bradley

BHH Progress 1A Tudor Avenue, Prestatyn, Denbighshire LL19 9HN T: 07816 672505 E: grahamdobbin@bhhprogress.com

Mrs Louise Wilson

Brighter Choices 2nd floor, Watergate Building, New Crane Street, Chester, Cheshire CH1 4JE T: 0845 8330551 E: info@brighterchoices.co.uk www.brighterchoices.co.uk

Mr Ciaran O Braonain

Ciaran O'Braonain Custom Woodworking 8 Brookside, Ashton Hayes, Chester, Cheshire CH3 8BZ T: 07768076990 E: ciaran@obraonainwoodworking. co.uk www.obraonainwoodworking.co.uk

Eastgate Asset Control Ltd 4 Vivienne Smith Lane, Upton Dene, Chester, Cheshire CH2 1DZ T: 01244 376582 E: graham-bradley@btconnect.com

Ms Caroline Ackroyd

Excel Publishing Company Ltd 6th Floor, Manchester One, 53 Portland Street, Manchester M1 3LD T: 0161 236 2782 E: info@excelpublishing.co.uk www.excelpublishing.co.uk

Mr Kevin Easterbrook

Green Energy Solutions (NW) Ltd Suite 9, The Technology Centre, Inward Way, Ellesmere Port, Merseyside CH65 3EN T: 0151 7928573 E: sales@greenenergysolutionsnw.co.uk www.greenenergysolutionsnw.co.uk

Mr Mark Williams

Horner Downey & Company Limited The Annexe, The Old Coach House, 8 Garden Lane, Chester, Cheshire CH1 4EN T: 01244 283340 E: enquiries@hornerdowney.com www.hornerdowney.com

Mr David Moody

Incloud Business Apps Ltd 20 Cheriton Avenue, West Kirby, Wirral, Merseyside CH48 9XX T: 0151 5880925 E: david.moody@ incloudbusinessapps.co.uk www.incloudbusinessapps.co.uk

Mr Tony Jones

It'seeze Web Design Claremont, New Brighton, Minera, Wrexham, Cheshire LL11 3DT T: 01978 799398 E: tony.jones@itseeze.co.uk itseeze-wrexham.co.uk

Mrs Johanne Harland

Johanne Harland 24 Cornelius Drive, Wirral, Merseyside CH61 9PR T: 07550 090750 E: johanne@utilitywarehouse.org.uk www.josavememoney.co.uk

Mr Jack Sullivan

JS-PT JS-PT Studio, Maengwy Avenue, Connahs Quay, Deeside, Flintshire CH5 4UQ T: 07715 643062 E: jack@js-pt.co.uk www.js-pt.co.uk JSW Insurance 34 Cuppin Street, Chester, Cheshire CH1 2BN E: debbiw.rush@jswinsurance.co.uk

Mrs Clemency Jones

Konica Minolta Business Solutions (UK) Limited Unit 99, Bowen Court, ST. Asaph, Denbighshire LL17 0JE T: 01745 583324 E: clemency.jones@konicaminolta.co.uk www.konicaminolta.co.uk LearnerVerse Professional Universe, Riverside Innovation Centre, Castle Drive, Chester, Cheshire CH1 1SL T: 01244 515550 E: russ@learnerverse.com www.learnerverse.com

Ms Tansy Rogerson

Lion Quays Hotel & Spa Weston Rhyn, Oswestry, Shropshire SY11 3EN T: 01691 684300 E: tansy.rogerson@lionquays.co.uk www.lionquays.co.uk

Ms Emma Rogers

Merseyside Special Investment Fund 2nd Floor, Exchange Court, 1 Dale Street, Liverpool, Merseyside L2 2PP T: 0151 236 4040 E: emma.rogers@msif.co.uk www.msif.co.uk

Mr Neil Fuller

Neil Fuller Associates 5 Woodslee Cottages, Spital Road, Bromborough, Wirral, Merseyside CH62 2BJ T: 0151 334 1366 E: neil@nfassociates.demon.co.uk www.neilfuller.com

Ms Claire Myatt

Nelson Myatt Solicitors LLP Suite 10, Conwy Business Centre, Junction Way, Llandudno Junction, Gwynedd LL31 9XX T: 01492 588200 E: info@nelsonmyatt.com www.nelsonmyatt.com

Mrs Hannah Clarke

Mr Simon Dodd

Ms Judith Sinclair Smith

Ms Svitlana Bulava

North Wales Crusaders Suite 3, Bryn Estyn Business Centre, Bryn Estyn Lane, Wrexham, Cheshire LL13 9TY T: 08432 896407 E: hannah.clarke@crusadersrfl.com www.northwalescrusaders.co.uk

Northern Pear Ltd 69 Westway, Holmes Chapel, Crewe, Cheshire CW4 7DG T: 01477 533347 E: info@northernpear.co.uk www.northernpear.co.uk

Mr Phil Smith

Sutton Silver Ltd The Steam Mill Business Centre, Steam Mill Street, Chester, Cheshire CH3 5AN T: 01244 347680 E: simon@suttonsilver.co.uk www.suttonsilver.co.uk

The Green Pages Ltd Riverside Innovation Centre, 1 Castle Drive, Chester, Cheshire CH1 1SL T: 0771 4634555 E: info@mygreenpages.co.uk www.mygreenpages.co.uk

Phil Smith Associates Tarrant Lodge, Tarrant Court, Chester, Cheshire CH1 6NL T: 07725 223036 E: phil@philsmithassociates.com www.philsmithassociates.com

Mr Haydn Taylor

Mr Paul Crudge

Zeta Learning 4 Change Ltd 16 Alwen Drive, Colwyn Bay, Conwy County Borough LL28 4YB T: 01492 550632 E: bridgette.handley@ zeta-training.co.uk www.zetalearning4change.co.uk

Pro-Networks Ltd Network House, St Ives Way, Sandycroft, Deeside, Flintshire CH5 2QS T: 01244 535527 www.pro-networks.co.uk

Mr Barry Roberts

Roberts Development Solutions Ltd The Old School House, Ruthin Road, Llanferres, Mold, Flintshire CH7 5SN T: 07967 677381 E: info@rdslimited.com www.rdslimited.com

Ms Helen Studdart

St Beuno's Tremeirchion, St. Asaph, Denbighshire LL17 0AS T: 01745 583444 E: bursar@beunos.com www.beunos.com

Wrexham Business Group 122 Chester Road, Wrexham, Wrexham County Borough LL11 2SN T: 01978 265699 E: ht@wrexhambusinessgroup.com

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Discover how you can become a member by calling 01244 669988!

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What Feature I’m passionate about

we have Proof !

Phill Jones, Director and Owner, Insignia Resourcing Limited MANY people work in jobs throughout their lives that they are less than passionate about. In some ways, it’s important to help gain a perspective on what you really enjoy and what you like the least… ultimately, what makes us tick, what really does light our fire. The reality is that most work has elements within it that we really don’t enjoy. Most people ‘accidentally’ fall into the recruitment industry (of which I am one of them) and it’s an industry that I’m very passionate about, after all I have been in it for 17 years! For a career, working in recruitment ticks many boxes for me and I consider this to be very important part of the role, as well providing job satisfaction.

When I joined this industry, my mentor told said to me: “The day you lose the enjoyment of placing a candidate in a role is the day you should leave the industry,” never a truer word spoken and I’m as passionate about it now as I was back then. My business Insignia Resourcing Ltd ultimately helps to solve other people’s problems and no two days are the same. But like anything that’s good, working in recruitment is not easy and it has its challenges. In simple terms, the core of recruitment is matching the right people to our clients or our clients to the right people. It’s very difficult to help people if you are not interested. Being interested and passionate about

people, their career or organisation doesn’t stop at just paying attention when they’re talking to you (although this is very important). Being passionate in recruitment means being aware of the broader issues that affect my job, my candidate’s careers and my client’s business and industry sector; it’s really a case of successfully joining all the dots. The key in this industry, and what I am ultimately passionate about, is being genuinely interested in what both the candidates and clients are saying. Within recruitment, we have two clients and they are candidates looking for that next career move or clients looking to place that next candidate; we are here to help.

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West Cheshire & North Wales Chamber of Commerce