4
news opinion
We all like winners – and in this issue, we have plenty of them
Successful companies have lined up to receive trophies in events we have staged in the Thames Valley and Solent regions – and we have showcased some of the great achievers in business in the south.
As part of our Solent 250 unveiling, awards were presented to businesses as diverse as Adams Morey and Fat Face, C4L, Liquid Friday and Lymington Precision Engineers.
And in the Thames Valley Business Magazine Awards, now celebrating its 19th year, companies from Xtrac to CV-Library, from Westcoast to Pulsant, from Style Acre to Retail Marketing Group and Phabrix, have walked away with the winners’ garlands.
And in Reading last month, finalists in the Haines Watts Young Entrepreneur of the Year awards, supported by The Business Magazine, presented to the judges. Overall winner was a 17-year-old schoolboy, Jack Greetham, who feels he has been an entrepreneur since he was “a kid“ and has been inspired by Lord Sugar’s story.
Greetham may still be studying at school in Woking, but in his “spare time“ he has established Just Right Goods which, since it was incorporated, has generated £103,000 sales and a £25,000 profit. Selling Tablet PCs and mobile phone covers online, dealing direct with suppliers in China, building the brand and overseeing the accounts are all second nature to this schoolboy.
Being an achiever is what separates Greetham from others. Hard work, inspiration and entrepreneurial zeal are his, and other business winners’, stand-out qualities.
In 2014 we will be organising at least seven major awards events. So, stay tuned to find out who the south’s winning businesses are.
David Murray Publisher
www.businessmag.co.uk
£950m City Deal to create thousands of new jobs
Deputy prime minister Nick Clegg and minister for cities Greg Clark have signed a City Deal with local authorities and business groups that will see thousands of new jobs created in Southampton and Portsmouth.
The deal will provide £953 million of investment into the area, creating more than 17,000 jobs: over 4,700 permanent new jobs in the marine, maritime and advanced manufacturing sectors, as well as over 13,000 construction jobs.
The City Deal will also set up the new £5.8m Solent Jobs Pilot. This is a joint investment proposal to help 1,000 very long-term unemployed people who have been unsuccessful at finding work through the Work Programme to get back to being employed. This will be complemented by: a £1m DWP Rapid Response Service that will support those recently made redundant; a £3m Marine and Maritime Employer Ownership for Skills Programme; a £1.4m Young Person’s Fund that will be used to support national programmes that tackle youth unemployment; and a £10m programme to support SMEs to grow.
The flagship proposal in the deal will unlock two high-profile sites within Southampton and Portsmouth in order to make the most of the area’s marine and maritime assets, including:
• The Ministry of Defence will transfer its sites on Tipner-Horsea Island (aerial view on opposite page) to Portsmouth City Council for a nominal fee and an overage agreement. This will unlock £831m of private and public sector investment.
• £7m from the Regional Growth Fund (RGF) will be used to help unlock the Watermark West Quay site in Southampton, which will lead to £90m of private sector investment in the City.
Clegg said: “It is more important than ever for Portsmouth and Southampton’s economic recovery that Whitehall hands over power to local people who can decide how to invest millions of pounds and build a stronger economy in the region.
@TheBusinessMag Business THE M A GA ZINE TM
“The deal will help to create thousands of vital new jobs in the region, and every effort is being made, both in government and at a local level, to help the local area through a time of uncertainty. We have moved swiftly, shoulder to shoulder with local councils and businesses, to get this landmark deal signed so that Portsmouth and Southampton can reap the benefits quickly. I would like to thank and congratulate local government and business leaders in the area for straining every sinew to make the City Deal happen.“
’It is more important than ever for Portsmouth and Southampton’s economic recovery that Whitehall hands over power to local people who can decide how to ... build a stronger economy in the region’
Clark commented: “This City Deal is a landmark achievement. It brings into productive use prime maritime land that Portsmouth and Southampton have for many years wanted to be available to attract jobs and investment. It will allow the unique advantages of the Solent to be available to many more firms creating skilled jobs. The £950m of private and public investment is a huge vote of confidence in both Portsmouth and Southampton.
“I pay tribute to the way in which business and civic leaders across the Solent have pulled out the stops to develop this hugely important deal. I’m delighted to be able to say ’yes’ to it.
“£13m has already been awarded to the Solent Futures project from the third round of the Government’s RGF. This includes £3m for local skills by bringing together leading businesses, colleges and universities at a world-class training centre on the Daedalus Enterprise Zone and £10m for the local defence sector. In August we announced that £4.7m of this money would be available as investment funding to help SMEs in the Portsmouth Naval
In the February 2014 issue of The Business Magazine
• Meetings & Your Business • Southern Tech 100 • HR Focus • Funding your Business • Marine Sector Focus
Details: 0118-9766410
sales@elcot.co.uk
THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE – SOLENT & SOUTH CENTRAL – DECEMBER 13/JANUARY 14
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40