Father and son launching bespoke north east bike brand
A North East father and son are setting out on their own road to commercial cycling success after launching a new range of high end bikes. Ian and Trevor Hughes are the management team behind Vielo Sports Ltd, and have two decades’ experience of working with leading British and European cycling brands, including bringing the […]
Patrick Parsons praises NEL investment impact as it plans next stages of growth
A thriving North East consulting engineering business has praised the impact on its development of its decade-long relationship with regional fund management firm NEL Fund Managers after exiting its final investment agreement with them. Newcastle-headquartered Patrick Parsons Consulting Engineering worked with NEL in 2011 to secure a £250,000 investment from the Finance For Business North […]
Outside investments crucial to helping Royston power on
The role of outside investment in helping a specialist North East engineering firm win contracts around the world has been praised by its management team. Royston Power Generation sells, installs, maintains, services and repairs diesel engines for a wide range of domestic and overseas blue chip clients in the marine, offshore, utility and defence sectors. […]
Scaling your business through mentoring
As a provider of growth capital to ambitious businesses, we’re strong advocates of sustainable business growth. Our team see scores of business plans every year from business owners striving for just that, and equally we see the impact that growth then has on the local economy. However, we also see the challenges faced when trying […]
Evaluagent making the right calls with new contract wins
A specialist North East software developer is casting its gaze across the Atlantic after picking up four major new contracts and increasing its annual turnover by 20 per cent in the last year. EvaluAgent designs software solutions for contact centres which use ‘gamification’ techniques to help ensure customers receive the best possible standards of service […]
New products in pipeline as Orcalight shines on Blue Planet once again
A specialist North East manufacturer is looking to build on its international underwater success by targeting new markets with new products. Orcalight manufactures the world’s most powerful dive light, which is the main light to have been used in the filming of the BBC’s forthcoming landmark natural history programme Blue Planet II. The County Durham-based […]
How to become a scale-up nation
“Competitive advantage doesn’t go to the nations that focus on creating companies, it goes to nations that focus on scaling companies” – Sherry Coutu CBE Defining scaling companies Scaling is achievable by any type of business; of any age, size and industry sector. While there are several analytical methods and criteria that can be applied […]
Engineering the Future with a Female Workforce
Today is International Women in Engineering Day, an annual celebration of the amazing work done by thousands of women in engineering roles across the globe. From the inventor of the Coston Flare to the first Briton in space, women in engineering have been inventing, innovating and inspiring for decades and more. It may come as […]
Demystifying Innovation – Guest Blog from Estelle Blanks, Innovation SuperNetwork
The deputy director of the Innovation SuperNetwork, Estelle Blanks, explains just what innovation really is, and how it can be used in businesses which are growing and scaling. What is innovation? The North East’s own Professor Roy Sandbach sums up innovation by describing it as “matching what is possible with what is needed, to create […]
Clifford James Consultants in Top Gear After Growth Fund Investment Exit
A Northumberland firm that specialises in a niche area of motoring and insurance law is in the fast lane towards becoming a UK-wide operator after exiting from a six-figure investment from the Finance For Business North East Growth Fund. Clifford James Consultants Ltd (CJC) is one of the UK’s market leaders in the provision of […]
