Solihull
All the latest news, advice and events for the Solihull business community
Contact: Samantha Frampton T: 0121 678 7488
Loan helps energy firm double in size
A Solihull-based energy consultancy has doubled in size after securing a £65,000 loan from the Midlands Engine Investment Fund (MEIF). Utility Works, which helps businesses
reduce their energy costs and become more environmentally friendly, secured the funding through BCRS Business Loans. The funding boost has allowed the
company to move into new larger office space and employ additional members of staff. Utility Works founder and sales director
Craig Gillespie said: “Securing funding has helped us take a big step towards achieving our ambitious growth plans and we expect to double the size of our workforce this year. “As energy prices are extremely volatile,
we help businesses by conducting an innovative energy health check, which ensures risk managed purchasing and environmental sustainability to see where improvements can be made for each business. We can then suggest better tariffs and ways of reducing energy consumption. “I set Utility Works up two years ago after
becoming frustrated with an industry that was fixated on profit at the expense of customer service. We have changed all of that and have set up a model that works for all of the businesses we support.” Louise Armstrong, senior business
development manager at BCRS, said: “We are delighted to have supported the growth of Utility Works, which has not only doubled in terms of office size but has also provided four new jobs for local people. Social and economic impact is something we are passionate about at BCRS Business Loans. “We believe that no viable business
should go unsupported and offer a relationship-based approach to lending.” BCRS Business Loans is a delivery partner
for the Midlands Engine Investment Fund (MEIF) and as such is responsible for distributing the £17m small business loan fund in the West Midlands.
Promotion push: Jimmy Shan
Ex-West Brom boss takes over the Moors
Ex-West Bromwich Albion boss Jimmy Shan has been named as the manager of promotion- chasing Solihull Moors. Shan, 41, has replaced Tim Flowers at Damson
Park, and will be looking to help the Moors get promotion to the Football League. He said: “I’m very familiar with the football
club and this is a progressive club, an ambitious club. I’m also an ambitious individual and hopefully it’ll be a nice marriage. “Very quickly I got a feel for the direction this
football club is heading in. It was a positive one and one that I want to be a part of.” Shan has spent most of his career at West
Bromwich Albion, joining the club’s coaching staff in 2006. He started by coaching the under sevens, but worked his way up into the first team set up in 2017. Last season, he was made caretaker manager
at the Hawthorns following the surprise dismissal of Darren Moore in March 2019.
Shan led the Baggies into the play-offs, but
local rivals Aston Villa triumphed over the two- legged tie. Not long after, Albion appointed ex- West Ham chief Slaven Bilic as manager, and Shan departed, ending up at Kidderminster Harriers as temporary manager. Moors chairman Darryl Eales said: “I’m
absolutely delighted that Jimmy is our new manager. He is well-known in local and national football circles and understands the culture and ambition of Moors. “He is a strong believer in the development of
young talent and will help continue the ongoing process of professionalising all aspects of the club. Above all else, Jimmy is a strong personality and great character and I am looking forward immensely to working with him.” Moors narrowly missed promotion to the
Football League last season, but at the time of writing were once again challenging to reach the National League play-offs.
Undersea power cable celebrated
A new undersea power cable between the UK and Belgium is returning an outstanding performance, according to Solihull-based National Grid. The cable is the Nemo Link, which stretches
Nemo Link: ‘Outstanding’ performance 56 CHAMBERLINK March 2020
from Bruges on the Belgian coast to Richborough in Kent, and started operations in 2019. Since then, it has been available to import or export power more than 96 per cent of the time in the last 12 months, making it one of the highest performing assets of its kind in the world. Nemo Link is a joint venture between National Grid and the Belgian electricity transmission
system operator, Elia, and allows for the movement of electricity back and forth between the two countries. Jon Butterworth, president of National Grid
Ventures, said: “We’ve seen in the last year how Nemo Link has used innovative new technology and market services to bring significant benefits to Belgian and British energy consumers. “In the coming years, interconnectors like
Nemo will play an increasingly important role as we look to share renewable energy resources across borders to help the UK and Europe reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050.”
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