News: Chamber appoints new president

Paul Jagger MBE has been appointed as president for a two year term of office at Barnsley & Rotherham Chamber of Commerce, with Lisa Pogson of Airmaster Air Conditioning appointed as a new vice-president.

Jagger was appointed pro-chancellor of the University of Bradford in April 2006 and chair of its council from August 2006. He became Chair of the corporation at Thomas Rotherham College in July 2013 and is also a councillor on Stocksbridge Town Council.

He was educated in Halifax and served an apprenticeship as a plumber in Halifax in the early 1960s. He went on to study Contemporary History and Politics at Salford University in the 1980s.

He was regional secretary of the Trades Union Congress for Yorkshire and the Humber for 19 years until October 2005. He was also the president of Sheffield Chamber of Commerce in its 150th year during 2006/07.

Paul is the vice-chair of the Committee of University Chairs, chair of the Consultative Council of UCAS and is vice-chair of the national negotiating team at UCEA, for the University sectors pay and conditions. He is also chairs the employers' panel at NEST (National Employers Savings Trust).

Lisa Pogson, resources director at Airmaster Air Conditioning Ltd based at Swallownest, Rotherham, was made the newest board member at the Chamber of Commerce in February.

Airmaster design, install and maintain bespoke, energy efficient heating and air conditioning systems for a range of market sectors. Lisa also sits on the Retail Sector Forum for the Sheffield City Region Local Enterprise Partnership and is a pro-active member of the Chamber's Women in Business group.

The appointments were confirmed at the eighth AGM of the chamber, where it was also confirmed that Helen Jaggar of Berneslai Homes and Matthew Stephens of Gateway Plaza Ltd were elected as new board members.

Andrew Denniff, chief executive at Barnsley & Rotherham Chamber of Commerce, said: "I am delighted with all the new appointments and look forward to working with them and the rest of the Board in continuing our recent progress and looking forward with enthusiasm to the future.

"I would also wish to place on record my own personal thanks to former president Chris MacCormac, who after many years of service, is standing down from his position as a director and board member."

Lisa and Paul are pictured either side of Immediate Past-President Owen Gleadall.

Barnsley & Rotherham Chamber of Commerce website

Images: Barnsley & Rotherham Chamber of Commerce

Read more...

News: Sam shines as Rotherham Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2014

Sam Goddard of Response Vehicle Lighting has been named as Rotherham Young Entrepreneur of the Year for 2014.

The awards, now in their ninth year, cover all sectors and look to recognise the achievements of business owners under the age of 30. Part of the Rotherham Youth Enterprise (RYE) project, which provides help and support to young business owners, the awards take place annually in partnership with UK Steel Enterprise, a subsidiary of Tata Steel that has set aside finance from its Kickstart Fund to target young entrepreneurs in Rotherham.

With twelve high-calibre finalists, judges were impressed with the vision, commitment and personal courage shown by all of the entrants. The winners were announced at the Local Employment Advisory Forum taking place at Magna.

Taking the top prize was Sam Goddard, whose company, Response Vehicle Lighting, first impressed the judges to win the Best Established Business category sponsored by The Source.

Sam developed his skills throughout his childhood until he could confidently get broken lights to work again. He found that there was a market on the internet for the products and maintenance services that he could offer to operators of recovery vehicles, highway maintenance firms and haulage companies.

After finishing his GCSEs, Sam decided to turn his hobby into a profession and visited business coaches at Rotherham Youth Enterprise (RYE) for some valuable advice and to discuss the way forward. Having steadily grown his sales through eBay and his own website over the past four years, the firm now supplies a wide range of vehicle lighting products to domestic and business customers and Sam has seen a huge increase in sales and growth over the last 12 months after securing accounts with two leading UK brands.

Having won the Most Innovative Business award last year, Sam this year received a special trophy and a cheque for £1,000 for winning overall.

Other worthy category winners included Adil Hussain, who won the Best New Start-up sponsored by Parkgate Shopping for his Adspec Ltd business that markets its own range of consumer electronic products and specialises in Android tablet computers.

In the Most Innovative Business category, sponsored by AESSEAL, digital marketing specialist Rebecca Coupe and Infinity Digital was recognised for delivering a marketing service that brings together social media, content marketing, public relations and search engine optimisation to deliver tangible results.

RCAT sponsored the Business Most Determined to Succeed category which was won by Charlotte Scothern from Patchwork Pig, the colourful gift shop on Rotherham's High Street. The award recognised Charlotte's involvement in initiatives to work with other town centre businesses, the relaunch of Junior Chamber International (JCI) in Rotherham, and in local schools.

Presenting the awards, Jackie Frost, manager of Rotherham Youth Enterprise, said: "Despite challenging times, Rotherham continues to be amongst the leaders in encouraging and stimulating enterprise amongst young people."

After thanking organisers, judges and sponsors, Jackie thanked the young entrepreneurs for having the courage to start their own business and to enter the competition. "Judging by the standards we have seen here today, the future of the Rotherham economy is in good hands."

Response Vehicle Lighting website
Rotherham Youth Enterprise website

Images: Tom Austen

Read more...

News: Macalloy strengthens plans to expand in the USA

To maintain its place as an innovator and market leader in the construction sector, Rotherham-based Macalloy is taking advantage of local business support to help boost exports and grow and expand its operations in the USA.

Dinnington-based Macalloy are world leaders in design, manufacture and supply of threaded bar and cable systems to engineering and construction projects across the globe. Approximately 80% of the company's turnover is from export and Macalloy has been supplying the North American market for over 20 years. The Chicago Arts Institute Building uses Macalloy tension bars in the roof structure and the science teaching and student services building at The University of Minnesota utilises both Macalloy compression struts and tension bars (tie rods).

To identify future export opportunities, support from RiDO's Soft Landing Zone project saw business development co-ordinator Nathan Woodcock carry out an extensive research project into the top twenty live civil engineering projects covering stadiums, sports arenas, bridges and airports in the USA.

This in-depth market research included providing Macalloy with contact details of architects, structural engineers and clients for a number of live projects. The research also included a competitor analysis and relevant information on exhibitions and associations in the USA.

RiDO collaborated with Enterprise Europe Network and UKTI to help Macalloy identify and target new agents in key locations such as San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, Las Vegas, Pittsburg, Washington DC and Philadelphia.

Martin Dootsan, product manager at Macalloy (pictured top, left), said: "We have found the research carried out by RiDO to be extremely useful and will be using the findings to implement our plan to further expand in the USA over the next two years. The research gives a clear indication what projects are being carried out, the location, the key stakeholders we need to communicate with and the value, which is all vital information for us.

"We are already planning to attend a number of the exhibitions that were revealed in the research and are joining the recommended trade partnerships. It has been great having the support of RiDO and the research project is something we would not have had the internal resource to do. It has springboarded our plans to expand further into the USA and should lead to major potential growth opportunities."

Nathan Woodcock, business development co-ordinator for RiDO's Soft Landing Zone (pictured top, right), added: "This has been a very thorough and in-depth research project that has identified many exciting new opportunities for Macalloy. We are looking forward to seeing the company grow and expand its operations in the USA."

One of Macalloy's recent projects involved supplying tension rods in M56 and M90 diameter to be used as bracing on the steel frame structure in the reconstruction of the iconic Citrus Bowl stadium in Orlando, Florida (pictured) which reopens this weekend.

Rotherham Investment & Development Office's (RiDO's) Soft Landing Zone project attracted £842k investment from the European Regional Development Fund and aims to assist Rotherham companies in accessing international markets.

Macalloy website
RiDO website

Images: RiDO / Florida Citrus Sports / Facebook

Read more...

News: Deputy PM opens EEF HQ

Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg has officially opened manufacturers' organisation EEF's new offices in Rotherham.

The Engineering Employers' Federation (EEF), the UK trade organisation dedicated to the future of manufacturing, signed up to take nearly 7,000 sq ft of office space at Advantage House, Poplar Way, Catcliffe in a deal secured by BNP Paribas Real Estate.

The EEF offers business services, government representation and industry intelligence and around a quarter of the UK's manufacturing businesses are members and many more use its services to help them work. The modern new offices will now be EEF's new regional headquarters, putting it in a prime position on the doorstep of the Advanced Manufacturing Park (AMP).

The move further underlines EEF's strong commitment to manufacturing in the region. Recently it boosted its support for local manufacturers by creating and investing in a second, dedicated regional director role. Earlier this week, EEF also announced that it was taking over the ownership and day to day running of NDI (Northern Defence Industries) – the trade body representing companies involved in the defence sector.

Nick Clegg MP, said: "I'm delighted to be able to open EEF's new offices, right on the doorstep of our world class advanced manufacturing hub here in South Yorkshire. We are fast becoming the envy of the world when it comes to high value manufacturing. Extra support for local manufacturers has to be a good thing and can only enhance this reputation even further.  

"British manufacturing is a great news story not just in South Yorkshire, but across the wider UK economy. There is a real sense of optimism emerging, albeit cautiously, about the future.

"Our economy is growing again and we have more people in work than ever before - with manufacturing businesses adding around 10,000 new jobs to our economy every month. That's no accident. It's down to the hard work of businesses and workers to help Britain get back on its feet. Together, we’ve got to ensure that the hard work of the last four years continues to pay off."

Terry Scuoler, CEO of EEF, added: "We're delighted to be boosting our support to manufacturing in this region. Sheffield and the Yorkshire and Humber region have a rich history and reputation for producing goods that are recognised and valued around the world. Our new offices provide a physical link between that strong legacy and the dynamism and creativity of modern manufacturing.

"More importantly, however, this move signifies our belief in the important contribution manufacturing still has to make in the region and our determination to ensure that it continues to grasp opportunities to adapt, innovate and grow."

After opening the new offices, Mr Clegg visited MTL Group, an EEF member company based in a 300,000 sq ft manufacturing facility in Brinsworth, Rotherham. MTL Group is one of Europe's fastest growing project manufacturing specialists in the metal sector and is a global exporter of secondary steelwork. It works with a global blue-chip customer base in the defence, construction equipment, rail and off-shore wind energy sectors.

Managing director Dr Henry Shirman gave Mr Clegg a guided tour of the premises, demonstrating the company's investment in high technology equipment, most recently in new robotic welding equipment following the success of a large export order for armoured hulls. This £750,000 investment allows MTL to compete on a global basis, with exports now accounting for 40% of total sales for the present financial year.

Dr Shirman explained how MTL works closely with its customers in the defence, recycling and off-highway sectors to improve their products through its "Design for Manufacture" service. This service is now a core feature of its business and has resulted in customer products being made with lighter, stronger materials at a lower cost.

EEF website
MTL Group website

Images: BNP Paribas Real Estate

Read more...

News: Rotherham Ready for Global Entrepreneurship Week

This week is Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW), the world's largest campaign to promote entrepreneurship, and Rotherham Ready and Rotherham Youth Enterprise are running a number of events to help young people become an enterprising employee or budding entrepreneur.


Rotherham Ready is an award-winning enterprise education programme that is being replicated across the UK and is an official partner of Global Entrepreneurship Week. It supports schools across Rotherham to develop a 4-19 enterprise entitlement meaning that young people develop the skills and qualities they need to face the future with confidence.

"Spinning out" into national social enterprise, Ready Unlimited, it has won international acclaim after helping transform school performance by showing teachers how to embed enterprise learning approaches in lessons for pupils as young as four years old.

Rotherham Youth Enterprise provides self-employment support and advice for young adults in the area. They encourage young people (up to the age of 30) to explore business ideas and develop the skills and knowledge necessary to be their own boss.

Today will see the winners of the Rotherham Young Entrepreneur of the Year Awards announced at the Local Employment Advisory Forum (LEAF). The awards, now in their ninth year, cover all sectors and look to recognise the achievements of business owners under the age of 30. Taking place at Magna, the LEAF event is being organised by Rotherham Council and housing maintenance contractor, Mears.

Businesses will get the opportunity to speak to young people and job seekers about the employment opportunities they may have within their companies, and the employability skills and qualifications needed to access them. Those seeking to improve their skills and receive advice on returning to the employment market are invited to come along to the Rotherham LEAF to obtain practical support and find out more about careers.

The event will focus on young people for the morning session and adult jobseekers and college students in the afternoon.

Advertisement

With this year's theme of "Get Connected," Global Entrepreneurship Week sees millions of people in 150 countries participate in bootcamps, pitch competitions, networking events, policy roundtables, mentoring sessions and more.

In Rotherham, GEW will see the culmination of the "Doing the Biz Team Challenge 2014" with students aged between 16-19 studying Art & Design/ Fashion, Business and Enterprise in Rotherham schools and colleges, tasked by Rotherham Youth Enterprise to design an image that can be printed on to a T-shirt, prepare a business plan that outlines theirs ideas for running a T-shirt design business and make a short presentation to a panel of judges from business and enterprise across Rotherham.

Another challenge running in Rotherham sees schools and colleges connected with a business from a STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) related industry to work together to design a product or service.

Individual schools are also getting involved, including Anston Greenlands who are hosting a "Filey Festival" and Winterhill's ready hub will see local schools come together to plan their Christmas Fairs.

Rotherham Ready website

Images: GEW

Read more...