< Previous East Midlands Business Link www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk SUPPORTING BUSINESS GROWTH T he reason why the term “supporting business growth” has meant finance for so long is because there were few problems that could not be solved with the application of enough money. Need skilled staff? Advertise to recruit and hire them. Need new facilities? Simply buy them. Need to expand into a new market? Buy out a company already in it and use their expertise. The problems may have been myriad, but the solution was simple – money. We live today in a different world. The stagnant economy that has seen limited wage rises for years or even decades; the soaring inflation after a pandemic, after a recession after a credit crunch, and more and more globalism adding new competition for jobs, customers and market share. All of these have led to harsher trading conditions and a wealth of competition. Furthermore, at a time when wages simply aren’t rising and where companies and people are struggling to earn enough to survive, the focus for employees is on getting the best deal possible. Before, the unemployed were desperate for work and there weren’t enough jobs going around, placing In support of growth It used to be that supporting business growth meant gaining more money, finance or capital, but changing working conditions and a new economy have flipped the table. 22 Á 20-23.qxp_Layout 1 04/10/2022 09:16 Page 1www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk East Midlands Business Link SUPPORTING BUSINESS GROWTH © stock.adobe.com/adragan 20-23.qxp_Layout 1 04/10/2022 09:16 Page 2 East Midlands Business Link www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk SUPPORTING BUSINESS GROWTH recruiting power in the hand of the employer. That simply isn’t the case today as labour and skills shortages are impacting many sectors, and local businesses are seeing the best and brightest poached by big city firms willing to offer unrivalled packages including not just money, but gym memberships, more breaks, flexible hours, working from home and more. Growing a business in today’s economy is not as simple a matter as borrowing money and expanding; now, thought has to be put into how to expand, where, how staff will be sourced, how expensive new property might be and – in sectors involving manufacturing or logistics – how few commercial properties are available on the market. There are undoubtedly many businesses in a position to expand who feel it isn’t feasible because recruiting staff would be too difficult, or because rental costs of a new office would be inhibitive, or simply because there’s too much uncertainty in the current economy, and sometimes – especially now – having a large cash flow to fall back on if yet another economic disaster should occur is perhaps a better idea than expanding. We know from conventional business wisdom that it is not. Money wasting time doing nothing is inefficient, and those who do not grow are swallowed up by others willing to take the risk and put in the effort. The stagnation felt by many is, perhaps, more a case of decision makers not moving with the times. Business growth is no longer just a financial matter and shouldn’t be looked at as such. All departments must be involved. When it comes to HR and recruitment, there is increased focus on expanding workforces via training up unskilled employees and apprentices now. It’s hard to compete with the biggest companies, and many local businesses can’t afford to offer working from home or reduced hours as part of their package. In that case, it is better to let the skilled worker pool go rather than compete in an arm’s race with the giants. Instead, consider apprenticeships or even training courses for new employees who might not initially fit the bill. This isn’t a simple matter for accountants and solicitors who need to recruit from universities, but many other companies can involve trainers in bringing new staff up to standard. There are plenty of business schools, independent training groups and programmes available in the region to help with this, and many of them come with regional or Governmental support in terms of financial packages to incentivise their use. On issues of property, modular and virtual office space has grown in popularity in recent years for good reason. While it may not be as impressive from a branding angle to share a building with other companies, the financial savings are monumental, and leaving all the issues of owning and © stock.adobe.com/leungchopan 20-23.qxp_Layout 1 04/10/2022 09:16 Page 3www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk East Midlands Business Link SUPPORTING BUSINESS GROWTH © stock.adobe.com/weedezign World-renowned Loughborough University provides a Science and Enterprise Park and knowledge transfer opportunities I million sq ft of laboratory and office space at Charnwood Campus Enterprise Zone status for two major sites Situated on the M1 motorway, mainline railway and on the doorstep of East Midlands Airport Centrally located between Leicester, Nottingham and Derby Strong business support networks Fantastic quality of life in Charnwood FIND OUT MORE: Call 01509 634534 Email Christopher.Grace@charnwood.gov.uk Charnwood - a dynamic location for your business. www.incharnwood.com maintaining the property in someone else’s hands can help limit the number of plates a business needs to juggle. Finance still is an important factor of business growth, and so the issue of how to raise it remains, but there is a wealth of alternative options to bank loans today, including angel investors, crowdfunding, and securing funding from online groups like Funding Circle or, for start-ups or new innovations, even consumer sites like Kickstarter. Many entrepreneurs have raised millions from these sources, all the while dodging the intense paperwork and oversight that most banks will demand. In a sense, business growth has not changed that much – the rules remain the same – but it’s the hoops that must be jumped through that have increased in complexity and number. Given the state of the economy and the controversial mini-budget, however, it’s hard to see any of that changing in the foreseeable future. 20-23.qxp_Layout 1 04/10/2022 09:16 Page 4 East Midlands Business Link www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk PUBLIC RELATIONS T here is something uniquely British about queuing. We pride ourselves on it and recent events have of course taken our queuing skills, patience and monitoring to new heights. There was even a Twitter feed and hashtag for #thequeue. However, things were taken up a notch (as I wrote this immediately post funeral) when it appeared that Phil and Holly, the darlings of morning television for so many years, “jumped” the queue to see the Queen lying in state last week. I say “appeared” advisedly because as we speak, I understand that Holly may have called in legal advice and honestly, I can see why. Although, it fiasco of the “jump” and focused on the national history unfolding before their eyes. Whatever you might think about them “jumping vs working,” could it have been avoided whilst they STILL did their jobs? Yep. It all comes down to how CLEAR you think things are. According to MailOnline an ITV source said: “We absolutely made it clear at the time that it was part of a broadcast due to air on Tuesday. This was communicated from the outset, and we gave this information immediately.” The problem is, it doesn’t seem to be “absolutely” clear. Indeed, MailOnline also reports that the pair “personally insisted that fiasco be addressed at the This Mourning - what can we learn from Holly and Phil’s queue “jump” PR crisis? Greg Simpson, founder of Press for Attention PR, shares his advice following a PR crisis. might have been an idea for ITV’s PR team to have jumped into action rather more swiftly. It seems that Holly and Phil “begged” ITV bosses to clarify the situation sooner, namely that they were there as journalists/broadcasters as the pair were hauled over the coals in some sections of the press - there are now some 35,000 signatures for a petition for them to quit their jobs. I’m not quite sure how that works in terms of actually changing anything as the pair are still very popular and safe pairs of hands in the broadcasting world but it shows the sentiment or at least SOME sentiment. Granted, many people will have ignored the whole 24-25.qxp_Layout 1 04/10/2022 09:17 Page 1www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk East Midlands Business Link PUBLIC RELATIONS start of the show and believe ITV should not have waited so long to speak out on the matter.” I disagree. It should have been addressed BEFORE the show, I’m talking DAYS before, with a clear message about what they would and would not be doing and why they were doing things in a certain way - in their eyes, to “tell the story” for those who couldn’t be there. I’m not saying people would have agreed with the decision, in fact, it might well have stopped the broadcast before it happened. Maybe that would have been better because remember, perception is 9/10ths of the law when it comes to the public! Also, a brief note on her Majesty and PR if I may? Say what you like about the monarchy (and plenty will) but there is one thing that is very clear, the Queen was a pioneer and an inspiration to millions. The Queen was also an unrivalled communicator. Listening to the reports that have dominated the world’s media agenda for weeks now, I was struck by how often the phrase “made people feel comfortable” came up. There was criticism when, back in the late ‘60’s, the Queen allowed cameras into the lives of the royals for “letting daylight in on the royal magic” - possibly some of the most misguided criticism I have ever heard. Because, you see, the magic was in letting people in, everyone. A former business journalist, Greg Simpson is the author of The Small Business Guide to PR and has been recognised as one of the UK’s top 5 PR consultants, having set up Press for Attention PR in 2008. He has worked for FTSE 100 firms, charities and start-ups and conducted press conferences with Sir Richard Branson and James Caan. His background ensures a deep understanding of every facet of a successful PR campaign – from a journalist’s, client’s, and consultant’s perspective. 24-25.qxp_Layout 1 04/10/2022 09:17 Page 2EAST MIDLANDS BUSINESS East Midlands Business Link www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk THE EAST MIDLANDS BRICKS AWARDS P roperty and construction professionals from across the region gathered on Thursday 15 September at the famous Trent Bridge Cricket Ground for Business Link Magazine’s annual East Midlands Bricks Awards. Recognising and celebrating those behind the changing landscape of our region, rewarding the very best companies, teams, individuals, and projects, the event also offered the perfect opportunity to network with the region’s industry leaders over canapés and complementary drinks sponsored by Brooklands Service Group. Reflecting on the Bricks, Luke Harvey, Managing Director at Brooklands Service Group, said: “We found the event great to connect with local businesses who are all similarly passionate about being recognised as market leaders within their area of the construction industry and we are looking forward to returning next year.” Highlights of the night saw John Forkin MBE DL, Managing Director at award-winning investment promotion agency Marketing Derby, kick off the event with the keynote speech, Galliford Try Construction take home a hat-trick of awards for Broad Marsh Bus Station and Car Park, while Cawarden stole two. The first award of the evening was ‘Contractor of the Year’, sponsored by RammSanderson, who’s director Nick Sanderson, said of the event: “I thought the event was a great success. A lovely setting at Trent Bridge and the more relaxed yet still official format of the event meant it provided an open and enthusiastic atmosphere for networking.” Honourable mentions for the category included Galliford Try Construction and Enrok Construction. The ultimate winner however was revealed as Cawarden. The ‘Deal of the Year’ award, sponsored by Blythin & Brown Insurance Brokers, followed, for which the finalists were Morgan Industrial Properties Limited, for the acquisition of the former Ewart Chain site in Shaftesbury Street, Derby, and St James Securities, for Phase Two of the Becketwell regeneration scheme in Derby – 3,500 capacity Becketwell performance venue with ASM Global. Ultimately Wells McFarlane, APB, and Newton LDP, for the sale of 460 acres of land in North Leicestershire, were named the winner, with the deal making way for a new garden village. Richard Picton, Managing Director at Blythin & Brown, said: “As specialist brokers to the construction sector we witness first-hand the hard work and advisory expertise that is required by all parties involved in completing a commercial property or land transaction. We were delighted to sponsor this award and help these experts gain the recognition they deserve.” On winning, Trevor Wells, director at Wells McFarlane, said: “For Wells McFarlane, the Broadnook Garden Village deal Winners revealed: The East Midlands Bricks Awards 2022 With the East Midlands Bricks Awards complete for another year, it is time to reflect on the glittering event and reveal the winners. 26-29.qxp_Layout 1 14/10/2022 09:49 Page 1www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk East Midlands Business Link THE EAST MIDLANDS BRICKS AWARDS involved more than a decade of work, requiring extensive collaboration and detailed local knowledge to navigate its numerous complexities. The sale completed in July this year and will allow for the creation of an entirely new community comprising homes, businesses, a primary school, leisure facilities and natural open space. It’s fantastic news that our years of hard work are now recognised as the East Midlands’ most significant deal of 2022. We would also like to thank East Midlands Business Link for organising such a successful and well-attended event.” Richard Foxon, Managing Director at Newton LDP, added: “My colleague Sam Jones and I thoroughly enjoyed the East Midlands Bricks Awards 2022. The event was well attended, with some prestigious awards up for grabs. The evening offered a great opportunity to network with like-minded property folk, whilst enjoying the backdrop of Trent Bridge cricket ground. Many thanks to all the organisers and sponsors.” The third award of the night was ‘Excellence in Design’, sponsored by Cawarden. Runners up were Pick Everard for the Health and Allied Professions Centre at Nottingham Trent University, and Chevin Homes for Brookside Farm. The winner of the category was CPMG Architects, for the renovation of St. Peter’s Gate. William Crooks, Managing Director of Cawarden, said: “It was great to be a sponsor this year of the Excellence in Design category and to announce CPMG as the winner of the award. I was particularly impressed by the vision to create a workplace that ‘feels better’ – all whilst successfully bringing back to life a city-centre architecturally significant building that was lying vacant for some years before they took it on and made it their own. Once again, congratulations to all at CPMG!” Next up was ‘Residential Development of the Year’, sponsored by Sterling Commercial Finance. Honourable mentions included Stagfield Group for The Rise, Southwell, and KMRE Group for Hindle House. The award went to Glenvale Park LLP’s Glenvale Park development. Mark Best, director of Midtown Capital, managing partner of Glenvale Park LLP, said: “We’re delighted to have received this award as recognition for our commitment to deliver a new vibrant community at Glenvale Park. Engaging with the local community has been integral to making sure that the development can generate social value for the wider community, whether it’s through providing accessible green open spaces, schools, sports facilities and other amenities as well as creating employment opportunities for the people of Wellingborough and wider Northamptonshire. We’re extremely grateful to everyone who has played a role in ensuring Glenvale Park is a place people are proud to call home and look forward to the future as the development continues to take shape.” The ‘Sustainable Development of the Year’ award, sponsored by Viridis Building Services, followed. Galliford Try Construction scooped the award, for Broad Marsh Bus Station and Car Park, beating out stiff competition from Scenariio, for the refurbished HQ for LKAB Minerals, and Chesterfield Borough Council, Whittam Cox Architects, and Robert Woodhead Group, for Northern Gateway Enterprise Centre. On helping judge Broad Marsh Bus Station and Car Park as the winner, Lee Marshall, MD at Viridis Building Services, said: “We felt that the building whilst sustainable in its own right could play a larger role in the longer-term sustainability of Nottingham by balancing people, planet and prosperity!” The next award was ‘Most Active Agent’, sponsored by Blueprint Interiors. “Over the last four years we have sponsored and also been an awards finalist. This profile has definitely helped us raise our brand awareness and helped us win bigger and better contracts and we’d like to congratulate all the finalists and wish them success in the future,” said Rob Day, chairman and founder of Blueprint Interiors. The runners up for this award included OMEETO and BB&J Commercial. It was specialist land development and property consultancy Mather Jamie, however, that stole Victoria Golborn, Mather Jamie, Amy Biddell, Mather Jamie, Sue Alland, Mather Jamie, and Rob Day, Blueprint Interiors Alistair Branch, Stephen George + Partners, Phillip Johnson, Galliford Try Construction, Ben Bowley, Leonard Design, and Ben Sansom, Frank Key 28 Á James Phillips, APB, Trevor Wells, Wells McFarlane, Richard Foxon, Newton LDP, Sam Jones, Newton LDP, and Richard Picton, Blythin & Brown Insurance Brokers 26-29.qxp_Layout 1 04/10/2022 09:19 Page 2 East Midlands Business Link www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk THE EAST MIDLANDS BRICKS AWARDS the award. Amy Biddell, director at Mather Jamie, said: “Apparently this category had so many entries that whittling it down to the three finalists was really hard to do, but we were told that we were chosen as the outright winner because of our impressive track record of supporting clients to maximise the value of their property assets for the longest timeframe. Judges were also impressed by our commitment to the community, particularly our fundraising efforts during our 30th anniversary year when over £55,000 was raised for local charities. It would not be right to accept this award without giving credit to everyone in our commercial, development and agricultural teams who have worked so hard to make this award win possible by providing a high level of strategic land development advice as well as rural and commercial agency and property management services.” The ‘Developer of the Year’ category followed, sponsored by Ward. While Hockley Developments and St James Nick Gregory, CPMG, and William Crooks, Cawarden Josh Spencer, HBD, Mark Evans, HBD, and Donald Ward, Ward Emma Attwood, Cawarden, and William Crooks, Cawarden Steve Rayner, Rayner Davies Architects, and Laura Burton, OMS Securities were honourable mentions, the award went to HBD. Donald Ward, operations director at metal recycling and waste management specialist, Ward, said: “HBD has demonstrated a commitment to creating places in the East Midlands with purpose. Their work at Markham Vale, Nottingham’s Power Park and plans for TMS in Leicester are driving regeneration and delivering potential for inward investment and job creation across our region.” Reflecting on the event he added: “We had a really great time at the Bricks Awards, think it was the best one yet. So good to catch up with so many industry friends and we made some great new contacts too. It was lovely to meet some familiar faces from just down the road from us in Derbyshire who we’ve not had the opportunity to really chat to before. We’ve exchanged details with a number of building and construction firms we’re hoping to build relationships with. A really positive event which showcased some of the excellent work that is going on in the East Midlands. Congratulations to all the finalists and winners from the night.” Next was the ‘Commercial Development of the Year’ award, sponsored by Frank Key. Clowes Developments, for Etiquette Park, and Henry Brothers, for the Nottinghamshire Police and Nottinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service joint HQ, were named runners up for the category, which was ultimately won by Galliford Try Construction for Broad Marsh Bus Station and Car Park. Ben Sansom, group sales and marketing director at Frank Key, said: “What an amazing building to have in Nottingham. This development has helped Nottingham step into the 21st century with a new modern car parking management system, 720 roof mounted solar panels making it the greenest car park in the country. It really is a worthy winner for the Commercial Development of the Year award.” The ‘Architects of the Year’ award, sponsored by OMS, followed. Finalists for the category included Swain Architecture Sarah Woolf, Sterling Commercial Finance, and Angie Cooper, on behalf of Glenvale Park 26-29.qxp_Layout 1 04/10/2022 09:19 Page 3www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk East Midlands Business Link THE EAST MIDLANDS BRICKS AWARDS and CPMG Architects. The winner of the award, however, was Rayner Davies Architects. Steve Rayner, partner at Rayner Davies Architects, said: “It was great to be named Architects of the Year at this year’s East Midlands Bricks Awards. To have the recognition of our peers in the industry, in this our 30th year in practice, was especially satisfying. I would recommend anyone to get involved in this excellent annual event. A big thank you to everyone that has supported us over the years and a big thank you for the award.” Judges indicated that Rayner Davies Architects stood out as the winner because “they are heavily invested in carrying out work in the East Midlands and their work encompasses a diverse range of developments including commercial, retail, nursing homes, and housing. Many of their projects have been challenging, with one of their high profile projects, The Curve, being recognised as an exemplar housing project by RIBA.” Commenting on the event overall, Laura Burton, head of learning & business development at OMS, added: “It was a great networking opportunity and I was really impressed with how the event showcased the talented companies in our society and what they are achieving.” The penultimate award of the evening was the ‘Responsible Business’ award, sponsored by Press for Attention PR. Finalists for the category were Arc Partnership and Phoenix Brickwork, with the winner named as Cawarden. On winning two awards at the event, William Crooks, Managing Director of Cawarden, said: “It was fantastic for Cawarden to be presented with not one but two prestigious awards at this year’s Bricks Awards. We received the Contractor of the Year title for the second year in a row, which is absolutely fantastic to be recognised again for our project and service delivery expertise. Despite the challenging landscape, we’ve had an exceptional year, achieving sustainable growth whilst delivering a diverse range of projects for some of the UK’s leading clients. To then pick up the Responsible Business of the Year title was the icing on the cake. We’re committed to improving the image of the industry, and we strive to raise the bar for our people, the planet, and the community. To receive an award for our recent achievements is wonderful. A big thank you to the judges and congratulations must also go to all the other award finalists and winners. The event was a real showcase for the regional property and construction sector, and we are more than proud to be part of it!” The final award of the evening, sponsored by Streets Chartered Accountants, was ‘Overall Winner’, which was scooped by Galliford Try Construction. Jon Marston, Managing Director of Building East Midlands, Galliford Try Construction, said: “We are immensely proud of the work that has taken place at Broad Marsh Car Park, and the recognition it has received at the East Midlands Bricks Awards is just reward for the efforts of the team. I congratulate all those involved for their achievement in winning these three awards.” James Pinchbeck, partner at Streets Chartered Accountants, concluded: “As property sector Tax specialists, Streets Chartered Accountants were once again delighted to sponsor and support the Bricks Awards for 2022, and in particular the Overall Winner category. The Awards go from strength to strength not least Alistair Branch, Stephen George + Partners, Ben Bowley, Leonard Design, Phillip Johnson, Galliford Try Construction, and Lee Marshall, Viridis Building Services Nick Sanderson, RammSanderson, Emma Attwood, Cawarden, and William Crooks, Cawarden Alistair Branch, Stephen George + Partners, Phillip Johnson, Galliford Try Construction, Ben Bowley, Leonard Design, and James Pinchbeck, Streets Chartered Accountants in terms of those entering, the finalists and all the winners. It was pleasing to see this year an even greater emphasis on sustainability in the sector from design, build, and even demolition. The vibrancy of entrants reflects the vibrancy and innovation in terms of the construction and property across the East Midlands.” The event closed with congratulations, and time for networking. Now that the Bricks is over for 2022, make sure to look out for information on the 2023 event. 26-29.qxp_Layout 1 04/10/2022 09:19 Page 4Next >