AcNorcothunEasttancyAwards2008 Business Echo Sponsored by FOR THE BEST COVERAGEINTHE REGION businessecho.co.uk The NorthernEcho WEDNESDAY,MARCH 26,2008 NEWS IN BRIEF Oil below$100 on Fordexpected tosell Jaguarand Land RovertoTa ta economyfears

CRUDE oil wastrading nearto the $100 US abarrel level yesterdayasastrongerdollar tempted investors awayfrom commodities.Pricessetrecord highsof just underthe $112 marklast week,but yesterday lightsweetcrude forMay delivery was0.57cents lowerat $100.30 abarrel. The drop came asthe dollarstrengthened slightlyin value,withone Euro worth$1.56compared withlast week’srecordhigh of $1.59. And the pound eased to$1.99,also downfrom recentlevelsof more than$2.03. MOST PUNCTUAL: Regional airline EasternAirways,which hasbeen operating services from Newcastle since2003,has beennamedthe most punctual scheduled carrierdeparting from Newcastle International Airport forthe secondyear running. Morethan90percent of its flights leftthe airport within15minutesof the scheduled departureand,on average,delays wereonlysix minutesbetween January and Decemberlast year. ISA HOURS: Barclays has extended the opening hours of twoofits North-East branches SALE DEAL: Tata, India’stop vehicle maker,hasbeen in talkswithFordsinceitwaschosen asthe frontrunnertobuy Jaguarand Land Roverafewdays into2008 toaccommodatelast-minute ISAapplications.The THE sale of Land Roverand thatIndia’sTataMotors will take Castle Bromwich,the Midlands, 3,000 people in the North-East unionsasthe best deal. Tata Darlington branchwill beopen Jaguarisexpected tobe overLand Roverand Jaguarin and in Halewood,on –havebeen in talkssincelast boss RatanTatasaid earlier until 7.30pm todayand on announced today. adealworthabout £1bn. Merseyside. yearand today’sdealis thisyear:‘‘Thereisno need to Thursday,April 3,and the US carfirmFord,which Land Roverisbased in Fordand Tata, whose expected tosafeguardabout tinkerwiththe brands.Our Stanleyofficewill beopen until ownsthe twoBritish-based Solihull,the West Midlands, business empirealsoincludes 16,000 UK jobs.The sale is challenge istomake them 7pm on Thursday,April 3.ISAs companies,isduetoannounce and Jaguarhasfactoriesin Corus –whichemploys about expected tobewelcomed by thriveand grow.’’ canbeopened withaminimum of £1and maximumof£3,000 forthe 2007-8 taxyear,which increasesto£3,600 forthe 2008-9 taxyear. NEW PARTNERS: DurhamPR and copywriting consultancy Airline considers upgrade MC Communicationshasjoined forceswithConstantContact,a leading providerof email marketing and online survey toolsforsmall and medium- sized businesses.MC isnow tocope withflightdemand offering clients email marketing and online surveyservices. RESTAURANT OPENS: London noodle restaurantchain AIRLINE Emirateslast nightre- EXCLUSIVE range Boeing 777.The move definitelybeconsidering the Boe- burg,Sydneyand Beijing. Mr Wagamamahaslaunched a vealed itisconsidering upgrad- ByDeborahJohnson would increasethe numberof ing 777 atsome point.” Berrymansaid thatonly30per restaurantin ParliamentStreet, ing the plane ituseson its daily Deputy Business Editor passengers from 278to330. The introduction of flights to centof outbound passengers to flightfrom the North-East to Laurie Berryman,Emirates’ Dubaihasbeen hailed asamajor Dubaiusethe destination as Harrogate. The chain hasmore [email protected] than80restaurants worldwide. Dubaiafterthe success of the NorthernUK manager,said al- boost fortrade and tourism. theirfinalstop,withthe rest trav- routeinits first sixmonths. though no planswereinplace,it Trading linksarethriving be- elling tootherworldwide desti- Sincethe launchofthe daily amountcarried from Newcastle would seem thatabiggerplane tween the twocities,and rela- nations. Inside servicefrom Newcastle Interna- airport last year. wasa“naturalprogression”. tionsareatanall-time high,with “Thisisproving tobeanim- tionalAirport tothe United Arab Emiratessaid the route– Hesaid:“Withour successful the signing of amemorandumof portantrouteforbothtourism Business News...... 2and 5 Emirates,most flights havebeen whichhasbeen hailed asbeing routes,welook toput abigger understanding between the and trade,and wearereallyso Law...... 3 fully-booked,often weeksin ad- keytothe North-East in termsof aircrafton the route. WithGlas- North-East Chamberof Com- pleased withhowthingsare PersonalFinance...... 4 vance,with70,000 passengers business and tourism–isone of gow,the last UK servicewe merceand its AbuDhabiequiva- going,”hesaid. Technology...... 6 having used the route. the most successfulever. launched,thattook effectwith- lentlast year. Emiratesconfirmed its com- Environment...... 7 The outgoing servicehasalso And now,the airline hasre- in 18 monthstotwoyears. Tourismhasalsoincreased, mitmenttothe airport recently CommercialProperty...... 10 carried 700 tonnesof cargo to vealed itisconsidering replacing “The Newcastle routehasbeen withDubaibeing aninterchange bybecoming the main sponsorof MarketReport...... 15 Dubaisinceits launchonSep- the currentAirbus 330-200model ahuge success.Weareabsolute- for26majordestinationsaround the new£8.5m control tower, tember1–whichisdouble the used from Newcastle withatop- lydelighted and Icansaywewill the world,including Johannes- knownasEmiratesTower.

AcNocorthEunasttancyAwards2008 Count yourself in... Nominations arenow open Enter online at www.accountancyawards.co.uk Sponsored by June 5 th 2008 Hilton Newcastle Gateshead 2 BUSINESSECHO BUSINESSNEWS businessecho.co.uk WEDNESDAY, MARCH 26,2008 Chancefor Officemovewill help others grow companies Chris toestablish Roberts foreign links APROGRAMMEof overseas marketvisits forNorth-East firmswillenable theregion’sex- porters toexplorebusiness op- portunities. Awardsrecognise Exporters,bothexperienced and novice,arebeing offered the best in skills chancetotake part in the visits, withthe help of UK Trade and In- vestment(UKTI). development Firmsspecialising in goods and servicesranging from ener- gyand powertofinancialser- EXT week isanimportantone for vices,healthcareand education, employers and learners who have will havethe opportunity tovisit excelled in skillsdevelopment,as destinationsaround the world. N the closing datefornominations David Coppock,UKTI’sinter- forthe Learning and SkillsCoun- NEW OFFICES: Jane Reynolds,from NStarFinanceand Business nationaltrade directorforthe cil North-East’sCelebration of Learning and North-East,said:“Companies Skills(Colas)Awardsdraws toaclose. ENTERPRISE development Business,whichis towardsovercoming officewill help us do this. thatopttoparticipateinour mar- Nowin its thirdyear,the awardsarefast be- organisation NStarFinance supported byregional financialbarriers that Understanding financeis ketvisits will benefitfrom awide coming one of the biggest awardsnights in the and Business isopening an developmentagencyOne businessesfacewhen crucialforbusiness range of services.Priortothe region. Organised byLSC NorthEast toshow- officeinTeesValley. NorthEast,wassetuplast looking togrow. growth.” visittheywill receivehelp with casethe region’stop achievers,the awards The grouphasmoved yearand providesfinancial Jane Reynolds,from the ■ AManaging Money marketresearch. intoasiteonthe rapidly- support and training for firm,said:“The take-upof coursetakesplaceat highlightthe often unrecognised achieve- “While overseastheywill be expanding WynyardPark small and medium-sized our servicesin TeesValley Wynyard,on April 23,and a ments of individualsand employers who work accompanied byone of our expe- asitlookstohelp local enterprises. hasbeen very popularand Funding Your Business ‘behind-the-scenes’fortheirownpersonalde- rienced internationaltrade advi- businessesimprovetheir Servicesinclude training, wewanttomake iteasier Needsworkshop takes velopmentortoimprovethe skillsof others. sors,who knows the countrywell economicperformance. mentoring,coaching and forlocalbusiness totap placeatWynyard,on May Acommitmenttoskillsdevelopmentthrough and understandsthe require- NStarFinanceand web-based toolsgeared intoour support.The new 21. training isprobablyone of the main reasons ments and practicesof its busi- thatthe region’slarge employers havegrown ness community.” tobeassuccessfulastheyare. Firmstaking part in market The ColasAwardsareforemployers and in- visits will benefitfrom UKTI sup- dividualswho havereached the very pinnacle port before,during and afterthe of innovative,progressivelearning excellence. visit. Open toanyone overthe age of 14 atanylevel NorthEast companiesinter- of education,and anysizeortype of employ- Europeanbusiness ested in taking part in the visits erin the North-East,theyrecogniseand re- cancall 0845-050-5054 oremail wardinvestmentand success in skillsdevel- [email protected] opment. Iamurging employers of all shapesand sizestoenterthe awards,whichwill once Getmost from again behosted byTV presenterKirsty Gal- ‘Oscar’forWhessoe lagheratThe Sage GatesheadonJune 20.This tall shipsrace year’sawardswill featureahost of newcate- gories,designed tocoverthe full range of ANORTH-EAST oil and gas ByOwen McAteer reallystunned about winning and hasarecorded turnover BUSINESSES in the TeesValley learning,skillsand personalachievements. canfind out howtheycould ben- The region’sleading businessesand organ- companythathasbecome a Business Editor in the UK –itwasafantastic of £160mproducingprofits in majoremployerhasreceived achievementforWhessoe. excess of £5m. efitfrom the Tall Shipsrace. isationshaveonceagain rallied round and [email protected] The race,tobeheld in Hartle- come on boardtosponsorelements of the aEuropeanbusiness “Oscar”. But the awarding of aRuben InJulylast year,the com- Darlington-based Whessoe D’Honneur medalisthe icing panyannounced itexpected pool in August 2010,hasbeen de- event,helping tomake itaneven biggersuc- scribed asone of the biggest op- cess thanlast year’sceremony. Oil &GasLimited received a D’Honneur ceremony,stated: on the cake. toincreaseturnoverto£250m portunitiesavailable tobusiness Our sponsors are:Barclays; One NorthEast; 2008Ruben D’Honneur medal “Asjudgesof the award,we “Itsays alotabout the hard within twoyears afterwin- in the coming years. NorthernEducation;Business Link North atthe EuropeanBusiness of wereall inspired bythe pas- workthathasbeen done in ning contracts worthacom- East;AssessmentNorthEast;Tyne Metro- the YearAwardsceremonyin sion shownfrom the leaderof Darlington,and across the bined totalofmorethan Aseminarisbeing held next politanCollege;Newcastle College;SouthTy- Paris. thisorganisation. world atall of our projectsites. £500m. WednesdayatHartlepool’sMar- neside College;FE +;learndirect; City of Sun- Itisthe second majoraward “Whessoe Oil &Gashasa “Wewill need tocontinueto Thisyear’sEuropeanBusi- itimeExperienceat5pm,where derland College;GatesheadCollege;union forthe company–which clearstrategicvision in place develop our strategytogrow ness of the YearAwardssaw companiescanlearnmoreabout learn;and NorthEast Chamberof Commerce. seven years ago employed totake the companyforward, on the success of winning entriesfrom 25ofthe 27 mem- howtocapitaliseonthe event. Eachcategory winneratthe awardsnight only65people –inless thansix withproven success todate. thisaward,securing newcus- berstates. IanHenry,assistantprincipal will receive£750and aspecialawardand cer- months. “The competition forthis tomers and helping us in our Thereareseven awardcat- atHartlepool College,whichis tificate,withthe outstanding employer,out- Whessoe wasnamed UK awardwasfierceand Whes- day-to-daybusiness achieve- egories,witheachcategory running the seminar,said:“The standing achieverand lifetime achieverre- NationalBusiness of the Year soe Oil &Gasstood out with ments.” having uptoten Ruban arrivalofthe tall shipswill ben- ceiving £1,000 each. Nominationscloseon in November,the firsttime it its productdevelopment,cus- In2001,Whessoe,whichspe- D’Honneur recipients. efitemployers in the travel, Monday.Tosubmitanomination,visit hadentered the awards. tomerfocus and the develop- cialisesin building terminals Whessoe wasone of nine tourism,catering and hospitali- lsc.gov.uk/colas08 The citation supporting the mentof people withanew forliquefied naturalgasstor- winners in The CMS Business ty sectors.” ■ ChrisRoberts isRegionalDirectorof Business of the YearAward coaching programme.” age,employed 65people and of the YearAwardcategory, Fordetails,call Vicki Cook on LSC North-East category award,whichwas Whessoe managing direc- hadaturnoverof £5m. losing out tooverall winner 01429-523420 oremail vicki.cook carriedovertothe Ruben torJon Dale said:“Wewere Itnowhas400 employees Econcern,of Holland. @hartlepool.gov.uk Entrepreneur on boardforbus firmbuy-out

ATRANSPORTcompanythat business,atatime when itis employs 550people hasbeen poised towin success in the boughtbyaninvestmentgroup competitiveUK market.” owned byentrepreneur Roy The purchaseofOptare, Stanley. whichhasa£60mturnoverand JamestanInvestments has suppliesbusestoStagecoach boughtLeeds-based Optare and GoAhead,hasbeen funded Groupforanundisclosed sum. byBank of Scotland Corporate. Itcomesonlysixmonths Optarestarted lifeinthe afterMrStanley–also TwentiesasCharlesRoe chairmanofTyne and Wear Coachbuilders,becoming part zero-emission vehicle maker of state-owned BritishLeyland Tanfield Group–took overa 40years later.Itclosed in the struggling Blackburn-based Eighties,but wasrescued bya bus builder. buy-out byworkers and MrStanleybelievesOptare directors. hasstrong growthpotential. Chief executiveBobCoombes Hesaid:“Iamcommitted to and the managementteamwill the futureofbus making in staywiththe company.Russell Britain and Ibelievethat Richardson,chairmanof Optarehasanunsurpassed Optare,will join MrStanleyon rangeofbuses. the boardofJamestan “Thiswasarareopportunity Investments,asanon-executive BUS BUSINESS: DarynRobinson and RoyStanley,of JamestanInvestments,withAlison toacquiresuchadynamic director. Maughanand PaulLangdon,from Bank of Scotland Corporate WEDNESDAY, MARCH 26,2008 businessecho.co.uk ECHO LAW BUSINESSECHO 3

IN ASSOCIATION WITH Legalfirm Blackett Hart &Pratt Eco-firmhelpedin in partnership with business toprovide

If youare looking foralawfirm that adviceto talks your language, whereyou arethe centreofattention,thenlook no further. buy-out byWatson NHS trust ANEWCASTLE lawfirmhas been chosen toprovide legalser- LAW firmWatson Burton hasadvised ByDeborahJohnson hasadapted tonewmarkets and vicesforanNHS Trust. HVR Internationalonthe purchaseofa Deputy Business Editor become aworldwide marketleaderasa WardHadawayhasbeen se- BirminghamcompanyPentagon Elec- result. [email protected] lected byTeesEskand WearVal- tricalProducts. “The purchaseofPentagon wasakey leys NHS Trust toprovide exter- Echo HVR International,of Jarrow,South milestone forthe company,providing an nallegalservicesforthe next Tyneside,producescarbon ceramichigh- Bede IndustrialEstateand creating up excellentfit,and protecting all jobsfor three years. voltage and high-energyresistors. to12jobsthissummertohelp tomeet Pentagon employees.” The contractwasawarded fol- Law Theyaresold in the US, China, Russia customerdemand. MrWilson said:“Wearedelighted to lowingacompetitivetenderand and SouthAmerica and the factory ex- Itemploys 75peopleatJarrowand has welcome Pentagon tothe familyof HVR isthe latest in aseriesof suc- ByLouiseOakley ports 96percentof its goodsand hasfull seen 20 percentorganicgrowth,aswell Internationalcompanies. cessesforWardHadawayin the orderbooksforthisyear. asbeing boosted bythe acquisition of a “Our companyisgrowingfast,with20 healthsector. The companyisdoubling its spaceat Germancompanyin October. percentorganicgrowthatJarrowand Earlierthismonth,the firm PentagonElectricalProducts hasbeen the purchaseofaGermancompanylast wasreappointed asone of only11 Cutting carbon hailed asanimportantpurchaseforHVR Octoberand Pentagon thisFebruary. firmsin England on the NHS Lit- ‘ Internationalbecauseits resistortech- “Watson Burton helped the purchase igation Authority’sClinicalNeg- emissionsin Watson Burton helped the nologycomplements products manufac- completesmoothlyand on time. ligencePanel. tured in the North-East. “Asaresult,wehavemoreexperienced Last month,WardHadaway purchasecomplete Watson Burton corporateassociate people and resourcestohelp fulfil orders waschosen byNorthTeesand developments Robin Adamsworked withHVR Inter- from customers worldwide.” Hartlepool NHSFoundation smoothlyand on time national’smanaging director,AlanWil- HVR Internationalbegantrading in Trust toprovide legaladviceon son,on the buy-out. the earlyNineties. areasincluding aproposed new HE Governmentiscalling forall AlanWilson MrAdamssaid:“HVRInternationalis Itsuppliescomponents forthe manu- £400mhospital. newhousingdevelopments tobe anexcellentexample of atraditional facturerof wind turbinesin Europe and Last year,the firmwasap- zerocarbon by2016.Ithasalso North-East manufacturing firmwhich China’shydropowerstations. pointed assole externallegalad- T been announced thatnewnon-do- visortoCounty Durhamand Dar- mesticbuildingsshould bezero lington NHS Trust. carbon by2019. Melanie Pears,partnerand Talksarebeing held bythe Departmentfor headofpublicsectoratWard Communitiesand LocalGovernmentwith Staff additionstohelp companygrow Hadaway,said:“Thisisanother otherorganisationsconcerning measuresto fantasticwin forthe firmand is reducecarbon emissionsfrom newdevelop- atestamenttothe skills,exper- ments,suchaswarehouses,factoriesand of- tiseand hardworkofthe health- fices. careteam. Planning PolicyStatement:Planning and “Tees,Eskand WearValleys ClimateChange,published in December2007, NHS Trust isaforward-thinking, outlineshowplanning canhelp in reducing pioneering organisation and we emissionsand advisesplanningauthorities aredelighted atthe prospectof tospecifyatargetpercentage of adevelop- working withits dedicated staff ment’senergyrequirements tobesourced by overthe next three years.” low-carbon energyand renewable energy. Tees,Eskand WearValleys SouthTyneside Council and Newcastle NHS Trust providesmental City Council areleading the wayin the health,learning disability and North-East. addictivebehaviour servicesto Theyarepromoting sustainability in new morethan1.4 million people in developments,withatargetforschemesto County Durham,TeesValleyand generateapercentage of theirenergyonsite NorthYorkshire. from renewable energysourcesand tohave regardtothe principlesof sustainable con- struction and development. Children put The codeforsustainable homesallows the Governmenttoraisebuilding regulation afacetoBob standardsforthe purposeofhitting the 2016 zerocarbon target. Ithasannounced that,from May1,the code initiative will becompulsory forall newhousing. The code hasnine categoriesthatassess DICKINSON Deeshaslaunched the sustainable design of homes.Homescan its corporatesocialresponsibili- berated uptoamaximumofsixstars. ty initiative,withhelp from Although the conceptof designing more North-East schools. environmentally-efficientbuildingsisbeing The initiative,toreplacethe advocated,some developments maynotbe traditionalname of “corporate able toachievethe required carbon savings. socialresponsibility”,iscalled Anotherapproachcould betooffsetthe Beyond Our Business (Bob)and carbon dioxide emissionsfrom newdevelop- the Newcastle firmasked ments bythe developerfinancing energyim- schoolchildren todesign their provements offsitewithin existing housing vision of Bobtobethe faceof stockinordertodeliverthe required level of the firm’scommitmenttothe re- carbon savings. gion. Thisapproachmaybeappropriatefor STAFFSTARTERS: from left,WendyPeffers,AndreaHammond,JonathanStokes,SallyTimmins,Danielle Hutchinson and Schoolsfrom across Tyne and smallerdevelopments whereitwould bedif- DeannaSutcliffe Weartook part in the initiative. ficulttofacilitaterenewable energygenera- Craig Monty,partnerwith tion. Itcould provide newcarbon neutralde- SEVEN additionshavebeen made to The movehasseen MrStokesjoin Timmins–havejoined the Houghton- Dickinson Deesand headofthe velopments,while improving the energy the teamoflegalfirmGordon Brown the team,along withWendyPeffers, le-Spring office,while Deanna firm’scorporatesocialresponsi- efficiencyof existing housing. Associates. who becomesmarketing manager. Sutcliffe,alitigation secretary,has bility (CSR)Committee,said: Thisconceptisyettobewidelyadopted by The company,whichhasbranches AndreaHammond joinsthe firmas been added tothe Sunderland team. “The expressionwhichwefelt the planning system,but itisone of many in Sunderland,Chester-le-Street, solicitorforreferred conveying,and Gordon Brown,seniorpartnerat best described our workinthe possible innovationswhichwill berequired Stanleyand LowFell,comesaftera will workatthe Chester-le-Street Gordon BrownAssociates,said:“In localcommunity wasBeyond if Governmenttargets aretobemet.AtBHP yearof growth. branch. 2008,wehavecontinued tosee Our Business. Planning,weareable toofferassistanceto Thisyearhasgotoff toastrong Three workers –residential steadygrowthwithin Gordon Brown “Thishadthe added benefitof developers and otherinterested groups. start,withNewcastle-based Jonathan conveyancerDanielle Hutchinson, Associatesand webelieveour seven abbreviating toBob, whichgave ■ LouiseOakleyisaplanning consultant StokesSolicitors being incorporated receptionist Ann Mosleyand newstarters will provetobevaluable us the opportunity tocome up withBlackett Hart &Pratt LLP Solicitors. intothe firm. administrativesupport workerSally members of the team.” withacharactercalled Bob, who She canbecontacted on 0191-221-0898. isnowthe champion of our CSR activities.”

business & employment& Acting withflexibility &commercialforesight,wecanassist you companylaw business disputes Blackett Hart &Pratt LLP Solicitors whetheryouarelooking toinvest,protectyour assets,setupa BHP Commercial newventure,sell orgrowyour business,develop propertyand land,enforceyour rights orif youareengagedinadispute. commercialproperty planning &design Foradvice&guidanceand tofind out moreabout our commercialservicescall us on 01325466794 orvisitour websiteatwww.b-h-p.com. WestgateHouse,Faverdale,Darlington,DL30PZ.Officesin Newcastle,Durham,Darlington &Newton Aycliffe. Regulated bythe LawSociety.Authorised and regulated bythe FinancialServicesAuthority. 4 BUSINESSECHO PERSONAL FINANCE businessecho.co.uk WEDNESDAY, MARCH 26,2008 Facing uptopension planning

It’spensions,but notasweknowit–sotake adeep breath and let Joss Harwood help yougettogripswithyour pension statementthisyear.

COULD boreyouwitha Ifyour scheme iscalled a long explanation,but I “moneypurchase” pension,then wantyoutoreadon. Briefly youand your employeraresim- Top tipsfor then,foracombination of plyputting moneyintoabucket. I reasons,employers areno The bucketwill beemptied employees longerwilling totake responsi- when youretireand used tobuy bility for–and paymost of the youanincome (annuity). ● Take control of your cost of –theiremployees’retire- There’sno directlink withser- destiny. mentincome. viceorsalary,soyoushould That’swhy,in futureretire- checkwhatlevel of pension you ● Resolvetounderstand your ment,will typicallybe65orlater. arelikelytoget. pension entitlements thisyear Thismeansthatresponsibility Employers typicallycontribute and workout whatyouare foryour financialsecurity in re- alotless tomoneypurchase likelytoreceiveatretirement. tirementprobablyrests withyou. arrangements thantofinalsalary Ifyouhaveseveralpension Ifyouhavebeen withthe same schemes.That’swhythe pensions plansfrom previous large employerforanumberof areusuallysmaller. employments,consultan years orareapublicsectorwork- Ifyouareamemberof a advisorwithexpertiseand er,youmaywell still havethe “grouppersonalpension”,then qualificationsin thisareato “gold standard” of afinalsalary youhaveanindividualplanto exploreyour options. pension scheme. whichyouand your employer ● Workwithyour advisorto Thisprovidesapension based contribute,but your employer reviewyour affairs and start on your years of serviceand mayonlybemaking anominal working towardsthe income salary atretirement.Your con- contribution. in retirementthatyouwant, tribution could berelatively Thisbyitself will notproduce when youwantit. small,about sixpercentsalary or enough income foryour retire- ● Considerincreasing the even nothing atall. Apension like ment. amountthatyousaveforyour PENSION thisisavaluable assetand area- A“stakeholderpension” isthe retirementand askyour PROTEST: son tostaywithanemployer. cheapand cheerfuloption thatall advisorwhereyour Pensioners Perhapsyou’renotquiteso employers withmorethanfive contributionsshould go. stand outside luckyand,although still in afinal employeesmust offer. the Housesof salary scheme,havebeen asked Nearlyeveryone gets the state erwill contributeatanylevel, Parliament, toincreasewhatyoupaytomain- pensionand youcancheckyour take upthe offer.Your alternative London,in tain the benefits youwere entitlementatthe Departmentof istofullyfund your retirement 2003 to promised. Although ablowto Workand Pensions,although not and thatisanuphill task. protest your wallet,youareprobablystill atthe momentbecauseitisup- against the getting good valueand your em- dating its computersystems. ■ J oss Harwood isadirectorof Government’s ployerstill foots the bulk of the Notin acompanyorpersonal Bishop Auckland-based Eldon Fi- statepension bill. pension scheme? Ifyour employ- nancialPlanning. policy

MONEYFACTS SAVERS SELECTION MONEYFACTS MORTGAGE &CARDS SELECTION WEDNESDAY, MARCH 26,2008 businessecho.co.uk BUSINESSNEWS BUSINESSECHO 5 Chanceto Biofuel Awardsshowstill going strong crackdown on internet experts fraudsters AFORUM hasbeen setuptohelp businessesin the North-East tackle cybercrime,one of the most serious modern-daysecuri- hitback ty issues. The HadrianProject–apart- nership between Newcastle Uni- versity,One NorthEast and the North-East FraudForum–aims toprovide answers tobusinesses worried about the impactof in- atscientist ternetand datacrime. Its creation hasbeen inspired byissuessuchasthe recentloss of privatedataatthe Child Ben- ACONSORTIUM planning to ByOwen McAteer efitOfficesin Washington,Wear- bring 6,000 jobsin biofuelstothe Business Editor side,whichcaused widespread North-East hascriticised sug- concernatthe safety and securi- gestionsbyaGovernmentscien- [email protected] ty of sensitivematerial. tist thatthe energysourcemay DetectiveChief InspectorPhil notbeenvironmentallyfriendly. carbon dioxide emissionsis Butler,headofNorthumbriaPo- ProfessorRobert Watson,the world class.” lice’seconomiccrime unit,said Departmentforthe Environ- Prof Watson wasjoined in call- the project’sname –linking to ment’schief scientist,said there ing forareviewbyanumberof RomanEmperorHadrian’sdeci- werestill doubts about some bio- environmentaland planning or- sion tocreateasecurity wall to fuels. ganisations,whichsigned an protectthe Empire’scitizens– Healsocalled foraGovern- open lettertoTransport Secre- mentinitiativetoforcepetrol sta- tary RuthKelly. still hasaresonancetoday. tionstosell aminimumamount The groups,including Green- “Amoderndaythreattoour se- of biofuelsfrom next month,in peace,Friendsof the Earth,the curity isseen asthe growthof anattempttocut greenhousegas RSPB and Oxfam,claimed that digitaldatacollection,wherean emissions,tobepostponed while the Government’sRenewable individual’sdetailscanbevul- areviewwascarriedout. Transport FuelsObligation nerable tocriminalattack,”he But the Northeast Biofuels (RTFO)risked making climate said. consortium,whichisputting to- change worse,notbetter. ProfessorPeterRyan,of the getherplansfora£1bnsynthetic Underthe RTFO, atleast 2.5 CentreforSoftwareReliability at biofuelsfactory in the region,dis- percentof fuel sold would have Newcastle University,said: missed the claims. tobebiofuel. “Businessesurgentlyneed toget The group’sruralaffairs Prof Watson said:“Manypeo- ahandle on thistechnologyand spokesman,John Seymour,said: ple still believethatsome biofu- ensuretransparencyin every- “Itseemstobeopen season on elsareindeed still sustainable thing theydo. biofuelsatthe moment. from anenvironmentalstand- “Thisisessentialtoensure “Therearecertainlyanumber point.Ithink weneed tocheck thatthe publichasconfidencein of mythsand misconceptionson that. business and the publicsectorto the subject. “Itwould obviouslybetotally keep theirpersonaldetailssafe.” “Abiodiesel casestudy–Re- insane if wehadapolicytotry to Meetingsarebeing planned in ducing carbon in abiofuelssup- reducegreenhousegasemis- the region forbusinessestolearn plychain –commissioned by sionsthrough the useofbiofuels moreabout howtoprotectthem- Northeast Biofuels,showed that thatisactuallyleading toanin- selvesfrom cybercrime. therewasa94 percentnetsaving creaseinthe greenhousegases Formoreinformation,call of carbon dioxide emissionscom- from biofuels.” 0191-222-8060. pared toconventionalultra-low Northeast Biofuelsisputting sulphur diesel production. togetheraplanforafactory, “Itwasamajorpieceofwork whichitishoped would beoper- Firmplans over18 months,whichinvolved ating by2020,toproducefuel for walking academicsthrough each aviationand roadtransport from AWARDS SCHEME: John Short,of HarlowPrinton,Step chairmanGeoff Fordand Naomi Hill,of anniversary link of the supplychain,from biomass,suchastrees,shrubs farmers hereinthe North-East and grasses. Bottled and Boxed expansion growing the crop tothe crushing Manyof the estimated 6,000 BUSINESSES in South launched the awardswithtwo “All Icansaytoour and processing of the biodiesel jobsthatcould becreated would Tyneside canregisterforthe of last year’swinners –John business owners out thereis ALAW firmiscelebrating a through tothe blending of the beinagriculture,becausefarm- area’sannualawardsscheme. Short of HarlowPrinting, togetyour entry in. Youhave biodiesel on Teesside,whichwas ers in the region would bethe pri- decade in business withplansto The SouthTyneside winnerof the environmental nothing toloseand plenty to open asecond office. then reviewed byGovernment mary suppliers tothe factory. EnterprisePartnership awardand business of the gain.” ADepartmentforTransport EmmersonsSolicitors wasset experts and launched in the Awards(Step)recognise Yearand Naomi Hill,of Bottled Thereareeightindividual spokesmansaid the RTFO would upin1998 byJacqueline Emmer- HouseofCommonslast May. business excellenceacross a and Boxed,winnerof the awards,whicheachcarry a “Ihope people would agree encourage the useofsustainable son from arented officeinJohn range of categoriesincluding customerservicesin prizeof£1,000,withthe thata94 percentnetsaving of biofuels. Street,Sunderland.The firmem- manufacturing,customer excellenceaward. overall winneralsoreceiving ploys 12staff,withplansin place service,training and the MrFordsaid:“Wearegoing £2,500. toopen asecond officeinNew- environment. intoour second decade now Toenter,visitstepbusiness castle thisyear. Developeraimstobring Thisyear’seventwill bethe and the Step Awardsare awards.co.ukorcall 0191-424- MsEmmerson said:“Iamde- 11th. getting biggerand betterall of 6256.The deadline forentries lighted tobecelebrating the Step chairmanGeoff Ford the time. isMay30. tenthanniversary of Emmersons communitiesbacktolife Solicitors. “Wehavecome along wayand arenowone of the leading legal ADEVELOPER hasannounced The college building isbeing de- planstobuild morethan430 molished tomake wayfor47two practicesin Sunderland. housesin the North-East in the and three bedroom houses. Help totapintoOlympicsmarket “Thisyearissettobeaneven first half of thisyear. The companyhasalsosubmit- biggeryearforus,asweopenour Primo,whichispart of the ted planning applicationsfora newofficeinNewcastle thissum- mertospecialiseinhigh net Gladedale Group,isplanning a developmentin Sunderland,and COMPANIES across the region The OlympicsOpportunities,is been working on Build toCom- worthfamilylawcases,willsand £45m developmentprogramme. in Quarrington Hill,County cangethelp getting intoshape to being held. petefor18 monthsand areina Workhasstarted on three sites Durham,and isexpected tosub- probate. bid for2012Olympicscontracts The event,supported byBusi- particularlygood position topro- “Iamreallyexcited tosee what –181 propertiesand a£3.5m de- mitplanning applicationsforde- ataseminar. ness Link North-East,isbeing vide advicetocompanieslooking velopmentin HepburnGardens, velopments in Middlesborough the next ten years willbring.” The OlympicDelivery Author- held atDurhamCounty Cricket totapinto2012opportunities. Emmersonshasseen anumber Gateshead,hasbeen granted and Washington. ity and London Organising Com- Clubon Tuesday,and will bepre- “Thissession isdesigned to planning permission for34two Managing directorLen Wors- of changesoverthe past ten mittee expecttoallocatemore sented byMalcolm Gallagher,di- help business owners who are and three-bedroom houses. fold said:“Thereisalotof nega- years.MsEmmerson became one Afurther100 homesare tivity surrounding the property than£6bnworthofworkaspart rectorof BizVision. looking forassistanceinprepar- of the first people in the country planned forEdenhills,in Peter- marketatthe moment,but weare of anestimated 75,000 future BizVision isinvolved in the ing themselvestobefitforpro- tobecomeamemberof the Law lee,and the £8.5m regeneration of confidentthattherearestill high business opportunities,covering £2mLearning and SkillsCouncil curementand helpstoput them Society specialist FamilyLaw the formercouncil housing levelsof demand forour homes. directcontractors and theirsup- and London Development in the best position possible for Panel. scheme willsee arangeoftwo, “Wearecommitted tosupport- plychainsoverthe comingfour AgencycontractBuild toCom- successfulcontracttenders.” PartnerMichael Robinson three and four bedroom houses ingregenerationworkcurrently years. pete,whichinvolvescoaching Formoreinformation on the gained hishigherrights of audi- being built. on-going in the region and to Toenable businessesfrom the training providers toensurethey OlympicOpportunitiesevent, ence,allowing him totake crimi- The formerAshington College bring communitiesbacktolife North-East toeffectivelybid for arereadytotrain businessesto call Business toBusiness Exhi- nalcasesrightthrough the legal site,in Northumberland,istobe withhousing designed toaddress work,aseminar,called Winning competefor2012contracts. bitionsLtdon0191-281-5777,or process from the policestation to the siteofa£5.8m development. localneed.” Business From Big Business – MrGallaghersaid:“Wehave email [email protected] crowncourt. 6 BUSINESSECHO ECHO TECHNOLOGY businessecho.co.uk WEDNESDAY, MARCH 26,2008 Expertiseoffledgling firmhailed byMicrosoft

ByDeborahJohnson Deputy Business Editor [email protected]

AN IT consultancy,whichhasseveral large businessesclients and ison courseforaturnoverof morethan£1m in its firstfull financialyear,hasbeen Echo given anawardbythe world’sbiggest softwarefirm. Technology Microsofthasawarded Gateshead’s AspireTechnologySolutionswith ByDavid Slane Gold Partnerstatus,anawardwhich recognisesthe quality of the compa- ny’sproducts and staff skill. The firmhasbecome one of onlya handfulinthe North-East toreceive Taking charge gold status. The company’smanaging director, Nigel Begg,haspredicted the company of your life by will achieveaturnoverof morethan £1m bythe end of its first yearof trad- ing on aftersigning contracts with being the boss large firms. Theyinclude Pagebet,forwhichAs- pirecompleted acontracttocreatean online betting service,and food pro- OME people like having aboss – cessing firmBernardMatthews. others like being the boss.Run- Sunderland-bornMrBegg,who ning your business canbeexhila- formed the companywithtechnicaldi- S rating and terrifying in equal rectorChrisFraser,hasspentmore measure,but moreand morepeo- than18years working in IT, including ple wanttogoitalone. Last year,morethan stints asaconsultantatglobaltech- 400,000 setupbusinesses. nologyservicesfirmEDS, and asanIT Sowhatdo youneed todobeforetaking directoratthe US’slargest home- the plunge and going out on your own? builder,CentexHomes. Preparation,preparation,preparation. Hesaid:“Thisisgreatnews forthe Ofcourseyoudon’tneed tobeexpert at business asitmeanswe’ll getdirectre- everything when starting abusiness,but ferralsfrom Microsoft,aswell astheir therearecertain personalqualitiesthatwill support. stand youin good stead. “It’salsogreatnews forour clients Youshould beself-sufficient,haveplenty becauseitmeanswe’reable togetis- of initiative,bedetermined and resilient,be suesresolved fasterand thatall our MICROSOFTAWARD: ChrisFraser,Nigel Begg,ChrisFraserand MarkJones,all of AspireTechnologySolutions responsible,haveabitof imagination and be staff areMicrosoft-certified and ap- prepared toaskforhelp when youneed it. proved,giving them peaceofmind that Following anotherinternational “Wehavealreadysecured some gybusinessesin the region. Howdo youfindout whichbank willbein- our people and processesareofthe contractwin –whichwill see the com- greatcontracts forthisyearand are CarriCunliffe,CodeworksConnect’s terested in helping yousucceed? highest calibre.” panyworking asfarafield asSanFran- looking togrowtoaturnoverof atleast headofsectordevelopment,said:“As- It’sworthtalkingtoyour bank and asking Aspire’steamhasincreased to12in cisco,Dubaiand Paris–MrBegg said £2m,todouble our staff and expand to pireisone of severalsuperbITcon- whatmakesthemanexpert. ayear,during whichtime itboughtfel- the firmplanssignificantgrowth. largerNorth-East offices.” sultanciesoperating from the North- Barclays localbusiness managers areen- lowIT softwaredevelopmentfirm “Wearecurrentlyinterviewing for AspireTechnologySolutionsisa East.The calibreofclients they’veable couraged tospend time in theircustomers’ North-East Softwareforanundis- morestaff asrecruitmentisvitaltoour memberof CodeworksConnect,the toattractisanindication thatthey’re businessesasemployees,learning whatit’s closed sum. success. trade association fordigitaltechnolo- providing aworld-class service.” reallylike torunand workinasmall business. Anotherthing toconsideristhe accessi- bility of getting in touchwithyour bank manager. Forexample,Barclays giveyouanamed IT companyhelpsBusiness Link runsmoothly localbusiness manager.Theyarebased lo- callyand haveknowledge of the localbusi- ness community,soarranging visits and GATESHEAD-BASED computer support of the infrastructureis face-to-facereviews iseasy. solutionsand support providerIT fundamentaland isreflected in the It’salsoimportanttogetacompetitively ProfessionalServices(ITPS)will IT and mobile technologiesthatwe priced range of business banking products. supplyanIT system toBusiness haveadopted withITPS’ssupport. Barclays wasvoted best small business ac- Link NorthEast (BLNE). “Our IT strategyextendsbeyond countof 2006 byStart Your Business Maga- The contractcovers the supply, the provision of anIT zine,and offerafull range of competitive installation and support of infrastructure. business savingsaccounts and loans. informationand communications “Weneeded apartnerthatcould Barclays canalsoofferits uniqueaward- equipmentand systems,most of workwithotherthirdpartieswho winning business managersoftware. One whichisforinstallationat aredelivering various toolsto easy-to-install CD givesyouaccess toall the Business Link’sNorth-East support the BLNE operation. support youwould need tomanage the day headquarters,in Seaham,County “ITPS hasbeen highly todayrunning of your business. Durham. constructiveand pro-activein Sowhen itcomestosetting upyour busi- BLNE isanorganisation helpingus torealisethisstrategy.” ness,it’sworthtaking the timetomake sure responsible fordelivering link ITPS managing directorGarry youcanstackthe oddsin your favour by servicestofirmsin the North-East. Sheriff said:“Weareobviously making sureyour bank caresabout youand “IT isacriticalcomponentof our delighted tohavesecured this your business beforetaking thatfinal operation,providing us withthe prestigious contract. plunge. Good luck. technologyneeded todeliverour “BLNE hasavitalroletoplayin Tofind out about opening aBarclays support servicestothe North-East supporting the region’sbusiness award-winning business account,phone the business community efficientlyand community and sowearepleased customerteamon0800-0151608. effectively,”said Gary Slater,from tobethe supplierchosen toprovide CONTRACT DELIGHT: From left,Gary Slater,of Business Link North-East,George ■ David Slane isBarclays localbusiness BLNE. themwiththe ICTresources directorforthe North-East. Galloway,salesdirectoratITPS, Garry Sheriff,managing directorof ITPS, and Mark “The successfuldesign, needed tosupport their Mason,accountmanageratITPS implementationand on-going operations.”

Talk to our local business experts

Whether youare opening abusiness or arealready up and running, talk to Barclays about howwecan help makeyour business asuccess. Formoreinformation, talk to aLocal Business Manager in the New Customer Team on 0800 515462. www.barclays.co.uk/localbusiness

Barclays Bank PLCisauthorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority.Registered in England. Registered No: 1026167.Registered Office: 1Churchill Place, London E145HP. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 26,2008 businessecho.co.uk ENVIRONMENT MATTERS BUSINESSECHO 7 Firmaimsto Wasteexperiment re-usemore hazardous www.premierwaste.com duetobelaunched materials ANORTH-EAST companyis pressing aheadwithplanstoin- creasethe re-useofwastepro- AN experimentalplantthatgenerates ByJohn Dean Yorkshireand include councilsand com- duced bythe region’sheavy in- heatfrom domesticwasteistobecom- [email protected] panies,alreadyrunsthree sitesin Scar- dustries. missioned in June. borough,Yorkand Catterick,where Wastehandling companyUK Operated byaconsortiumincluding everything from cardboard,paperand ResourceManagement(UKRM), Yorwaste,in Northallerton,NorthYork- plasticstofibresand ferrous metalsare Eco “Thiscangenerateathirdtoaquarter based on the BolckowIndustrial shire,the plantwill useathermal extracted from waste. of the calorificvalueproduced bycoal.” Estate,in Grangetown,Teesside, process toprovide enough powerforup MrGrievesaid thatrecycling made Echo The projecthasbeen part-funded by says ithasrevamped its opera- to4,000homes. GovernmentDepartmentof Environ- senseforUK businesses. tionsoverrecentyears,toin- Construction workiswell underway ment,Food and RuralAffairs and re- Hesaid:“From April,every tonne of creasethe recycling of hazardous BY TONY HITCHENS on Yorwaste’sexisting siteatSeamer gionaldevelopmentagencyYorkshire wastesenttolandfill will cost acompany materials. Carr,Scarborough. Forwardtosee if itisaviable,commer- £32 atonne. By2010,itwill be£48 atonne CommercialdirectorPhilip The ventureisthe latest one initiated cialmethod of treating waste. and when youtake disposalcosts intoac- Rodgers said thatEuropeanleg- bythe company,whichisowned by MrGrievesaid:“The technologies countitwill beupto£70 atonne. Weare islation calling on firmstoseek Help cut down NorthYorkshireCounty Council and exist,whatwearedoing isbringing them looking atalternatives.” newusesfortheirwastehad YorkCity Council. all together.” Hesaid suchrecycled materialswere opened upbusiness opportuni- Managing directorStephen Grieve Hesaid thatthe wastewould only increasinglyin demand in Chinaand the tiesin the treatmentsector. on colossalwaste said the £8m plantwould take household come from the Scarborough area, tore- FarEast whererawmaterialswereneed- UKRM hasintroduced apro- wastefrom the Scarborough area, aswell ducetransportation,but that,if it ed tokeep pacewitheconomicgrowth. gramme of training forits staff, of our resources assimilarmaterialfrom businesses. worked,similarplants could besetupin Thereisabig marketforrecycled mate- broughtin specialists todevelop Hesaid itwould besorted byspecial- otherareas. rialsin Chinaand itisspreading toIndia newprocessesand isworking istsWastetec, whichwillbebased atthe The plantisduetobecommissioned in aswell. Itisabout supplyand demand.” withmajorcompaniesseeking to plant,then heated byprojectpartner June and befullyoperationalinAugust, Hesaid thatbecauseYorwastewas reducethe amountof wastethey Nthe backofmymind,Iguess Ihave landfill orincinerate. always knownthatcarrierbagswerea Gem,acompanybased in Wales,where operating round the clockand employ- awareofrecentpublicity about import- asimilarprojecthasproved successful. ing uptoeightpeople. ed wastesimplybeing dumped in China, MrRodgers said UKRM’spro- colossalwasteofresources.But twobil- jects included one whichhas lion used in the UK every year,eachof MrGrievesaid:“The ideaisthatthe Part of its workwillbetoextractitems itensured thatall exported materials I plantwill useathermalprocess tocre- thatcanbere-used beforeheating,which werebound forlegitimateuse. seen elements of industrialsol- us responsible forabout 300 ayear? ateenergybyusing the syntheticgases fits in withthe company’scommitment MrGrievesaid:“Wecheckeverything. vents re-used in the cementkilns Thatismorethanacolossalwaste. of aSheffieldcompany. Somuchsothateven the Government,in presentin the waste,whichwill drivea toincreasing recycling. The importantthing forusisthatthere generator. Yorwaste,whoseclients arelargelyin isanend market.” UKRM alsosuppliestreated the last budget,hasthreatened action unless substancestoGermanyand Hol- retailers reduceplasticbaguse. land wherecompaniescanuse Retailers aredoing theirbit.Last year, them togenerateenergy. Waitroseremoved plasticbagsfrom its Saf- MrRodgers said:“Previously,a fron Walden branchfortwoweeks.Ninety Hotel confirmscommitmenttowildlife lotof thesesubstanceswould percentof customers said theywerein havegone tolandfill,but alotof favour of the scheme. From May,Marksand our customers arebig companies Spencerfood shopswillcharge fivepenceper ANORTH-EAST hotel has withatargetof zerotolandfill.” bag,withprofits going togreen groups.Tesco signalled its commitmentto UKRM isdeveloping ways of givespoints in its ClubCardloyalty scheme wildlifeconservation by decontaminating industrial forcustomers who bringtheirownbags. signing upasacorporate drumsforre-use. Modbury,in SouthDevon,iswell knownas memberof awildlifetrust. Otherprojects underdevelop- the first towninthe BritishIslestostop is- HardwickHall Hotel,near mentinclude recycling plastics, suing plasticshopping bagswhen goodsare Sedgefield,County Durham,is effluentstreamsand gasesfrom purchased.Every traderhasjoined together aformermanorhousesituated aerosols,and transforming in- in thisventure,and,sinceMay1last year, in rolling parkland and part of dustrialpowders intopellets, therehasnotbeen asingle plasticshopping its groundsinclude alake used whichcanbeused tohelp grow bagavailable in the entiretown. byaquaticbirds,including cropsforthe bio-fuel industry. Brighton and Hove,Overton,in Hamp- swans. MrRodgers said:“Wearedeal- shire,Hebden Bridge and Hay-on-Wye,Here- Aspart of the agreement ing withthingsthatwould once fordshire,haveimposed voluntary bans. withDurhamWildlifeTrust, bedescribed asdifficulttohan- The tide isturning against plasticcarrier the trust will givehotel staff dle.” bagsoutside the UK aswell. adviceonhowtomanage the Bangladeshbanned plasticcarrierbagsin groundstofurtherencourage 2002.Itwasthe firstcountrytodoso. floraand fauna. From cooking Taiwanisprohibiting notonlyplasticbags, AdamEagle,the trust’s but alsodisposable plasticplates,cupsand marketing manager,said:“The oil tobiodiesel cutlery used byfast food vendors.The result hotel’sgroundsareidealfor wasa70 percentreduction in the useofplas- some typesof wildlifeand we ACOMPANY thatsuppliesthe ticbags,and a25percentcut in landfill waste. will bepassing on our expertise fishand chip industry ismaking Ireland’staxon plasticbagsintroduced in tohelp them flourish.” biodiesel from used cooking oils, 2002 ledtoa90percentreductioninuse. KellyWebster,conference in ordertofuel its vehicles. SanFranciscohasbecomethe firstUS city and events co-ordinatoratthe Gateshead-based Henry Col- tobanplasticbags. hotel,said:“Wearedelighted beckhasbegunrecycling waste One person canmake adifference. Tell tohavesigned upascorporate oilscollected from shopsacross your friendsand familyand suddenlythe net members.Wesee alotof Scotland and northernEngland. widensand everyoneisdoing theirbit. wildlifeonour site,including The company,whichsupplies Sohere’swhatIamdoing,and it’ssosim- plenty of swans.” edible oils,says thatits 32 vehi- ple. Giveitago: The hotel isclosetothe clesuse500,000 million litresof ● Buy some reusable bagsand keep them trust’sreservesin Bishop in the carboot/bythe frontdoorforfamily Middleham,Raisby,Town fuel every yearand investing shopping trips; Kelloe and Trimdon Grange, £100,000 in its processing unit ● Keep acotton orstring baginapocket whicharewell knownfora makeseconomicsense. readyforsmall purchases; wide rangeofwildflowers, Managing directorAndrew ● Doyouneed abagforevery purchase? If some of them rare. Naylorsaid:“Legislation means youaregoing in tomanyshopscanitall go users of cooking oilsmust dis- in one bag,oreven your pocket? poseoftheirwastefats morere- ● Ifyouareshopping and someone starts sponsibly. topackyour shopping in toaplasticbagsay “Weareable tosell the used “no thanks”and put itin your reusable; oilsand fats on toproducers of ● Ifyoudo end upwithplasticbags,take bio-diesel but,asweconsume so them backtoyour supermarketforrecycling. muchfuel ourselves,itmade Ifyouhaveanyothersuggestionson how senseforustoinvestigatehow toreduceplasticbags,oranycomments, WILDLIFE HAVEN: Events wecould make cost savingsand email me [email protected] co-ordinatorKellyWebsterat atthe same time make aserious HardwickHall Hotel environmentalcontribution.”

See the alternative to incineration at www.parc.uk.com

Te l: 0191 384 4000 www.premierwaste.com 8 WEDNESDAY, MARCH 26,2008 businessecho.co.uk BUSINESSECHO businessecho.co.uk WEDNESDAY, MARCH 26,2008 9 ***"$%&(1/+'(/$0#+$."-%")2 Dawning of ***"$%&(1/+'(/$0#+$."-%")2 +,%)( newerafor +,%)( riverbank industry

John Dean looksatthe fall and riseof industry and developmentalong acity’sriver

HEY wereoncethe lifeblood of the world’s prosperity –the shipyards thatturned out some of the T finest ocean-going vessels the planethadseen. But today,the industry in the GHOSTS OF North-East isonlyamemory.During INDUSTRY: the long years in whichitdeclined, The cranes the riverbanksgraduallyfell into whichstand disuse. overthe Swan Greatyards,withtheirclank and Hunter holler,werereplaced withsilent shipyard,on wastelands. the River But thatischanging and the Tyne,were riverbanksareagain becoming the sold off in heartbeatof the region’smajor 2005, conurbations,redeveloped for marking the business parks,and leisureand end of residentialareas. SLEEK: Phaseone of Sunderland’s shipbuilding Itisprovingaremarkable Farringdon Rowdevelopment in the region LIGHT SHOW: Sunniside Gardensatnight ANOTHER DAY: Ayoung rivetergoes renaissanceforthe region’sbig three –the Tyne,Wearand Tees. its 542hectares,are319 hectares the westernapproachintothe city, Rainton Bridge,nearHoughton-le- about hisworkin1900 Sunderland’sexperienceisa designated asbrownfield bringing anestimated 450jobs. Spring,asexample of whatcanbe classicexample of the wayacity, developmentsites. achieved. relianton heavy industry for Atthe centreofarc’sphilosophyis HE plan,put togetherby Hesaid:“WecandoaDoxfordPark centuries,hashadtore-evaluate anacceptancethatthe “old days”of developerCTP, will bethe first in the city centreand thatwill AFREE workshop could everything itdoes. T benefitthe economyof Sunderland. heavy industry dominating the River of athree-phase£130m Afteralmost acentury of decline, Wearhavegone. developmentforthe riverbank site, People who workinthe city centre put yourbusiness on Sunderland’sremaining shipyard Itbelievesthatthe city needsto linkingtothe nearbyVaux area, spend moneyin the city centre,on closed in 1988,followed in 1999 bythe reachout tonewindustrieswhich whicharchopestosee developed for retail and on leisure. the sunniside up huge GroveCranessite,whichhad aremoreoffice-based,including everythingfrom bars and restaurants “Theycontribute£1m ayeartothe dominated the southbank of the thosespecialising in digital toconcert venuesin a£300mproject. Sunderland economy.” river. technologiesand software Otherworkalreadyunderway MrWalkerbelievesthatlessons Designing Demand is anational programme Sunderland suffered athirdmajor development. includesStadiumVillage,duetosoon must belearntfrom the devastating developed specifically to help businesses blowwiththe closureofthe Vaux Chief executiveDavid Walkersaid: openits newOlympic-sized impacton the city of the collapseof get the most out of design. brewery,whichhadoccupied aprime “Ifyougo backtothe days of the swimming pool,and £2mgardensat the coaland shipbuilding industries. siteoverlooking the riverin the city developmentcorporation,although Sunniside,part of aredevelopment Hesaid:“Sunderland,historically, Sessions are being held throughout the centre. the shipyardshadgonetherewas in thatdistrict. hadbeen dependenton big region and are ideal for all businesses AswithTyneside and Teesside, still GroveCranesand Vaux. ForBryanSanderson,chairmanof industries,coaland shipbuilding,but regardless of sector Wearside wasfaced withachoice– “Then theydisappeared. Whatwe Sunderland arc, Farringdon Row then theydisappeared. witherand die orre-inventitself. It areabout isattractingthe new makesthe pointthatthe original “Wehaveamajorautomotive chosethe latter. income generators.” heavy industriesmayhavegone but sectoron Wearside,whichis The renaissancebeganwiththe Hebelievesthatmuchcanbe the riverhasakeyroletoplayin the brilliant,but whatif some time in Tyne and WearDevelopment achieved,pointingtoMargaret commerciallife of the city. the futureadecision istaken to Corporation and the taskwaspassed Thatcher’sfamous Walk in the Hesaid:“Thisnewdevelopmenton manufactureNissancars elsewhere? on in 2002 toSunderland arc, a Wilderness on Teesside in 1987,when Farringdon Rowwillinjectnew Wehavetodevelop awiderrange of companybacked bySunderland City she wasPrime Minister. vibrancyand wealthintoanother skillsand fititall together.” Council,One NorthEast and English “Thereisastatisticthatmore areaof the city,transforming the Partnerships. people areemployed on thatsitethan westernapproachintoSunderland Othatend,arcwould like tosee CHANGING FACE: Anartist’simpression of the vision forVaux in Sunderland Established tobring about the hadeverbeen before,”said Mr and making the most of the site’s the developmentof riverside regenerationdemanded bythe T sitesforbusinessesranging Walker. magnificentwaterside views of the Government’sUrbanTaskForce “Thatshows howthe economycan RiverWear.” from creativeindustriesto Shipbuilding centreofthe world initiative,arcand its partners set beregenerated and wehope to ForDavid Walker,thataesthetic accountants and lawyers. about continuing arevolution that achievethe same thing in elementprovided bythe riveris MrWalkerbelievesthatsuccess wasalreadyunderway. Sunderland.” important. dependson halting the driftfrom Sunderland arc’sboundary hasthe The planstoachievethatinclude a Hesaid:“The riveristhe heartbeat Sunderland of the talented SHIPBUILDING wasone of the risen to65and morethan2,000 seen asthe Tory government’s riveratits heart,taking in the south range of officeblocks,towers and of the Sunderland. I entrepreneurs emerging from the region’smost importantindustries shipwrights worked in the town, desiretosee them fall silent. bank from Claxheugh Rockinthe residentialand leisureareasstrung “Ifyoulook backtothe heavy university and otherestablishments forcenturies. mainlyproducing timbervessels. Eventually,onlySwanHunterwas west tothe Port in the east and also out along the RiverWear,each industries,theyneeded riverbank –people withbrightbusiness ideas Searchthe history booksand you Sunderland’sfirst iron shipswere left,on the Tyne,and it,too,fell including,on the northbank,the constructed on areasoncehome to sitesfortransport,but those but asensethatSunderland doesnot will find mention of Newcastle builtin the middle years of the 19th silent. StadiumofLight,home to majorindustries. businesseshavegone nowand what offerthem the facilitiestomake building agalleyforthe king’sfleet Century. However,therearesome Sunderland Football Club, StPeter’s Arc’sroleistoattractinvestors weareleftwithisdramaticvistas, themcometrue. in 1294,Sunderland constructing Between 1846and 1850,one third encouraging signsthatmarine Campus and the NationalGlass and typifying the vision isthe whichareattractivetodevelopers.” MrWalkersaid:“Thisisalong- shipsfrom 1346and Stockton from of shipsbuiltin the UK were construction could still haveafuture Centre. recently-approved planfora124-bed MrWalkerpoints tothe large termgoal. Itwill nothappen 1470. constructed on Wearside. in the region. A£250mdealwas HARD GRAFT: Working on acontainer The resultwasthatthe mighty Itwasthe 20thCentury thatsaw recentlyannounced tocreate800 02/04/2008 NetPark –Sedgefield ship in the Sixties Taken together,the areaisalready hotel,offices,retail spaceand 124 industrialestatesatDoxfordPark,on overnight,but no one should havea home to1,750businessesand,within apartments on Farringdon Row,on the edge of Sunderland,and in reason toleaveSunderland.” rivers of the Tyne,the Teesand the the decline of the North-East’s skilled jobsworking on two– Weardominated the industrial shipbuilding industry,with28yards possiblythree –drilling rigsatthe To find out more about Designing Demand landscape,in time serving the coal closing between 1909and 1933 and Haverton Hill yard,nearBillingham, industry and providing one end of asecond waveaccounting forsix Teesside. The contractwasawarded or to register simply call Karen Robinson on the 19thCentury rail linksbetween moreinthe Sixtiesand fiveinthe tothe Teesside AllianceGroup,a 0191 240 6045 or visit WaPAntSSPORTto grow yourTO businessEXPORTglobally? the minesand the sea. Seventies. consortiumthatincludesDarlington- www.designingdemand.org.uk Sunderland originallydeveloped Even intothe Eightiesand based Cleveland Bridge,McGill ForbAcusinessomprehensiveabroad, justtoolkitlike businessof adviceatandhomesupportthere isaimedno substituteat helpingfor visitingnew andthe market and asacoalport but,in time, Nineties,therewerestill nine Servicesand K-Home Engineering, takinginexperiencedalook for yourselfexporters.Wehtakaveetarheirangefirstof serstepsvicesintoto helpinternationalyou accesstrade.overseas markets. shipbuilding surpassed mining,and remaining shipyardsbut gradually, bySeaDragon Offshore. For further information call the North East International Trade Hotline on 0845 05 05 054 made itthe largest shipbuilding one byone,theyclosed. Sunderland But whateverhappensatHaverton Forfurther information call the Regional International Trade Office Hotline on 0845 05 05 054 towninthe world. lost its last yardsin 1988,despitea Hill and along the otherriverbanks, or oremail:email:[email protected]@ukti.rito.co.uk By1840,the numberof yardshad vigorous campaign against whatwas theywill neverlook the same again. 10 BUSINESSECHO COMMERCIAL PROPERTY businessecho.co.uk WEDNESDAY, MARCH 26,2008 Bowesfield Plansunveiled LANS torefurbishfour historicGrade Twolisted buildings in Durhamcity and returnthem totheiroriginalusehave been unveiled bylocalfirmBanksDevelopments.Banks P hasreached aprovisionalagreementwithDurhamUni- siteproves versity topurchasethe townhousesatnumbers 43,44,45 and 46Old Elvet,aswell asVennel Cottage to 20 Saint Cuthbert’sWay theirrear,and plansto fullyrefurbishand re- Darlington DL1 1GB attractive turnthem touseasac- Approximately 2,300 square feet plus commodation. 7car parking spaces The Old Elvetbuild- Length of lease to be ings,whichdatefrom negotiated asfarbackasthe mid- to-late18thcentury, Rent: £26,000 pa +VAT proposition havebeen used bythe F. I.R. university asoffices Rateable value £32,500 forthe last four Length of lease and rent review terms to be discussed ROPERTY firm Banks’Bowesfield develop- decades,and bythe BanksDevelop- mentcontainsmorethan11 county council before Tag&Co ments hassold a acresof newhomes,a30-acre that,but the universi- Tel. 01325 464068 ty isplanning tova- second tranche of business parkand a37-acrena- P catetheminSeptem- land atits mixed- turereserveonthe banksof beraspart of its move Commercial Investments useBowesfield developmentin the RiverTees. OPEN DOOR: IanParkin (foreground),MDof BanksProperty, tonewofficeselse- Stockton toDavid Barlow The naturereserveincludes withDavid Barlowoutside one of the DBH properties whereinthe city. Forsale by Homes,on the backofasuc- footpaths,footbridgesand in- NAI-ERINACEOUS AUCTION Homesin the North-East five tain therewill bestrong de- Numbers 44,45 and cessfulfirst phaseofdevelop- terpretativeboardsforuseby 46would berefur- 11th April 2008 menton siteforthe Newcastle- newresidents,employeesand years earlier. mand forthem.” bished and returned Hehasquicklyestablished IanParkin,managing direc- 51-52 Bondgate, Darlington DL3 based housebuilder. the localcommunity. tosingle townhouse the companywithin the region toratBanksProperty,said: David BarlowHomesisplan- Waterfeaturesarelocated dwellings,while num- Freehold retail/residential investment, and currentlyhasseven sites “Bowesfield hasbeen areal Part vacant ning tobuild 32 two-bedroom throughout the development, ber43,the largest of underconstruction. success story,from bothares- the four townhouses, £20,010 p.a. apartments and four town- providing acascade of water David Barlowsaid:“Bowes- identialand commercialprop- houseson 1.3acresof the river- whichflows in tothe reserveit- would bemade into Formore information field isanexciting regenera- erty pointof view,and David eighthigh-quality side site,along withasmall self. please call: tion areawithawide range of BarlowHomes’decision toin- apartments. 0207 854 3000 residents’garden and otheras- Inaddition toDavid Barlow featurestorecommend it,in- vest in moreland and extend Vennel Cottage, sociated facilities. Homes,Bowesfield alsohosts cluding excellenttransport theirpresenceonsiteshows whichisstill used as nai-erinaceous.com The companyhasalready residentialdevelopments by links,its river-frontlocation just whatanattractivepropo- residentialaccommo- built51 three and four-bed- Barratt Homesand McInerney and the waterside park,and we sition itoffers.” room familyhomeson athree- Homes,aswell ascommercial havebeen working closely Forfurtherinformation on acrepart of Bowesfield,and premisesoccupied byAudi, TO LET withBanksforseveralyears to the Bowesfield site,pleasecon- NEED MORE salesof thesepropertieshave Lexus,Toyota, Archers Law, realiseits residentialpotential. tactBanksDevelopments on Workshop Units OFFICE SPACE? been very strong. Handelsbanken and Alliance “Our latest propertiesare 01740658500. Faceby, Wecanassist in marketing Workonthe newhomes and Leicester. aimed atyoung professionals, Formoreinformation about NorthYorks your currentpremisesand acquiring youlargermore beganthismonth,withthe David BarlowHomeswas and withthe growingnumber the David BarlowHomesde- All Enquiries suitable premises first occupants likelytobe founded in 2005byDavid Bar- of successfulbusinessesrelo- velopmentatBowesfield, Sanderson Weatherall moving in beforeChristmas. low,who previouslysetupBett cating tothisarea, wearecer- pleasecontact0191 2719820. 01642870870

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Pridetakenin Niven Architects –in ajobwelldone pursuitof excellence IVEN Architects’ “The ISO 9001accreditation approachtothe wasthe culmination of our design and pro- striving forexcellenceinthe OMETIMES ajobjust From start tofinish,WFS is curementof servicesweprovidetoour needsdoing quickly, able tosatisfyall projectneedsby N buildingshasre- clients. sometimesitrequires covering all trades,including sulted in itbecoming one of “The standardisrecogni- S agreatdealofskill, scaffolding,roofing,stone the region’sleading practices tion thatall of our staff havea but whateverthe job, restoration,joinery,decorating, in recentyears. system toworktoinorderto Wilkinson FacilitiesServicesbe- glazing and manymore. However,farfrom resting on deliveroutstanding buildings lievesitshould always bedone WFS joined the EshGroupin its laurels,the practicecon- efficiencyand effectively. well. 2007,aconstruction groupwith tinuestostriveforexcellence “However,weareawareof WFS isaleading providerof aturnoverof £150m,employing in every serviceitprovidesto the impactour industry can planned and reactivemainte- over1,000 people in the region its clients. haveonthe environmentand nanceservicesacross the North- and offering afull range of con- Inlate2007 the teamat viewthe ISO 14001accredita- East and Yorkshire. struction services,from building Niven celebrated securing the tion asawayof monitoring Ithasastrong reputation and plumbing tolandscaping and prestigious Quality Standard and minimising thisimpact. earned over12years working for renewable energysolutions. ISO 9001,following 18 months “Wehope toachieveaccred- bluechip companies,including Now,WFS isreadytospreadits of workensuring thatall of itation in the autumn of 2008.” Barclays Bank,Marks&Spencer, wingseven further. the necessary systemswerein The practicehasbuiltupa placetomeetand surpass broadlist of clients,ranging LloydsTSB and NorthYorkshire Recentlyawarded Broadacres theirclients’requirements. from multi-nationalcompa- and NorthumbriaPoliceauthor- Housing Association’sfive-year In2008the practicehasde- niestoprivatehomeowners. ities. reactivemaintenancecontractto cided togoeven furtherand Itistestamenttothe contin- But itisnotjust about the big provide a24/7,365-days-a-year setits sights on attaining ISO uous striving forexcellence names.Clients need toknowthat servicetoall housing stock,WFS EXPERTS: Wilkinson FacilitiesServicesundertakesaprojectfor marks&Spencer 14001accreditation,whichex- that,togetherwithmanynew whateversectortheyworkin, isworking in truepartnership to aminesthe environmentalim- clients,Niven’sworkloadin- whetheritisleisure,retail or achieveBroadacres’mission of people’slives. needs.Formoreinformation pactof the wayin whichthe corporatesahigh proportion localauthority,WFS candothe delivering anindividualservice WFS isalways looking forop- pleasecall 01670 368268oremail practicedelivers its services. of repeatbusiness,demon- job–and itcan! whichmakesarealdifferenceto portunitiestoservepeople’s [email protected] DirectorSimon Crowesaid: strating clientsatisfaction.

The team that is changing the face o fconstruction in the North

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Surgo Construction Limited, AlbanyCourt, Monarch Road, Newcastle Business Park, Newcastle upon Tyne NE4 7YB. Tel: 0191 273 3311. www.surgo.co.uk 12 BUSINESSECHO CONSTRUCTION businessecho.co.uk WEDNESDAY, MARCH 26,2008 Collegeon coursefor success!

HE 17thedition of the IEE Whatthismeansin practiceisthatif Wiring Regulations(BS youhold BS 7671(2001) youcanundertake 7671:2008) will come intoeffect aone-dayupdateforBS 7671(2008).Those T from July1and Hartlepool Col- electricianswho pre-dateBS 7671(2001) lege of FurtherEducation will must undertake the full course,aswell as beone of the first toofferthisprogramme. thoseelectricianswho arewithout knowl- From then on all commercial,domestic edge of the regulationsof BS 7671. and industrialwiring installationsmust The BS 7671updatecanbetaken over bedesigned and installed tocomplywith one full dayorthree evenings,wheraswith BS 7671:2008. the full coursethe college canofferflexi- Some electriciansmayaskwhyanother ble delivery. edition of the wiring regulationsisneed- The inspection and testing qualification ed. isalsochanging toincorporatethe amend- Thisisafairquestion,considering the ments. amountof reprints and amendments over Ifyouhavenopriorexperienceofin- the years. spection and testing therewill beanew However,acombination of newtech- qualification giving youthe fundamental nologies,products and continuing Euro- principlesof inspection and testing called peanharmonisation meanthatthe wiring the 2392-10. regulationshavetoincorporatechanges Ifyouhaveprevious inspectionand test- suchastheseand evolveastime goesby. ing knowledge,then the 2392-20 qualifica- City &Guildsarecurrentlyrevising tion will bethe qualification todo. theirexisting qualificationsthatrelateto The abovequalificationsarecurrently BS 7671and Hartlepool College of Further being developed sopleasecontactHartle- Education will shortlyofferacomprehen- pool College of FurtherEducation for siverange of newand revised qualifica- moredetails01429295111 and toregister tions. your interest.

COMING SOON WIRED FOR SUCCESS: Hartlepool isoffering anessentialnewcourseforelectricians

We have extensive experiencein: Company Dispute Avoidance Commercial &Risk Management Claims &Dispute Resolution joinsthe ADA,aglobalconsultancy providing excellenceindispute avoidanceand resolution Premier

Dispute Avoidance In our experience many of the causes of disputes can be identified, league! quantified and managed to either avoid them entirely or to minimise them. With our extensive knowledge and experience in contract, commercial and dispute management ADA is ideally suited and qualified REMIER Mortars UK israpidly in effective risk and contract management to minimise the occurrence and becoming one of the largest sup- impact of disputes. pliers of ready-to-usemortars P and pre-mixed screedsin the UK, currentlyserving the Scottish centralbelt,the North-West,Midlands, northand southWales The company’ssuccess isbased on pro- viding excellentproductquality,customer serviceand the ability todeliverwhatyou wantwhen youneed it. Wealsoofferanexcellentcollection facil- ity saving youvaluable time and money.Col- lectionsstart atone tub(0.33m) formortar and 0.5 tonne forscreed. PremierMortars UK hasbeen awholly owned subsidiary of PLC since2004and as part of anexpansion programme itisnow For an introduction to this blue-chip organisation contact Dave Armstrong or Bob Davis able toservethe ready-to-useand screed markets in the North-East from newpro- duction facilitiesatEaglescliffe and Gateshead. PleasecontactPremierMortars’localof- fice(01642792525;01642792521) orsales Armstrong Davis Associates Limited managers Lynn Watkins(07912097589) or Millennium Court, Stokesley Business Park, Ellerbeck Way, Stokesley, North Yorkshire TS9 5JZ Stuart Hinchcliffe (07795 684655),who will TEL: +44 (0) 1642 714555 FAX: +44 (0) 1642 714592 Hartlepool College of FurtherEducation, EMAIL: [email protected] WEB: www.armstrongdavis.co.uk behappytoarrange avisittodiscuss indi- vidualrequirements and the productrange. Stockton Street,HartlepoolTS247NT Officesalso at Thorpe Park, Leeds Quotationsareavailable on request for bothdelivered and collected products. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 26,2008 businessecho.co.uk CONSTRUCTION BUSINESSECHO 13 SURGO contracted tobuild ADAcovers all the bases college’ssecond phase RMSTRONG DavisAssociates (ADA)isamulti-discipline con- sultancydelivering acompre- A hensiverange of specialist man- ONTINUING toexpand agementand support services its portfolio of education toall sectors of the globalconstruction in- projects in the southof dustry. the region,SURGO Con- From its officesin Stokesley,NorthYork- C shire,and Leeds,ADA’sgrowing teamof struction hasbeen ap- pointed tobuild the next phaseof construction professionalsdelivers abroad the expanding Bishop Auckland Col- range of services,including: lege. ■ Start-up,interim and full projectman- Formost of the past 50years,the agement collegehasserved the localcommu- ■ Cost management,procurement,con- nity of South-West Durhamfrom a tractmanagementand quantity surveying collection of permanentand tempo- ■ Riskand valuemanagement,including rary buildingswhichhadlong since projectscheduling served theirpurpose. ■ Disputeavoidanceand resolution Thatwasuntil last September, ■ Expert witness services when the new£17.3mstate-of-the-art ■ Adviceand support in relation toadju- college openedits doors. dication,mediation and arbitration ■ Aftersuccessfullyconcluding con- LOOKING GOOD: Anartist’s Support services,including training,in- struction,ten weeksaheadofsched- impression of the second phaseof surancevaluation reports and recruitment ADA’smain aim istoadd measurable ule,SURGO ispreparing toembark building atBishop Auckland valuetoyour business and tosecurelong- on thislatest phase,adding twonew College whichwill becarried out termrelationships. wingstothe existing building,in- bySURGO creasing itbytwo-thirdsof its cur- AparticularspecialismofADA isthe pro- rentsize. vision of excellenceindisputeavoidance Oncompletion the college will jectisone factorwhichcontributed struction works. continuing tobenefitfrom the and resolution in relation toconstruction benefitfrom adedicated technology tothe success of PhaseOne and this “While thesechallengesremain,I team’sflexible approachtocomplet- contracts of all shapesand sizes,withthe centreforconstruction trades, isexpected tocontinueonthisnext amconfidentthatthisphasewill be ing the projecttothe same high stan- emphasison avoidance. motorvehicle and engineering,and phase,according to,SURGO’sdirec- equallysuccessfulbecauseofthe dardofworkmanship. Thiscapability isof particularrelevance anart,design,musicand performing tor,JeffAlexander. managementtoolswehavedevel- “Completion of our main campus tocontractors and subcontractors in today’sdifficultmarketplace. artscentre. Hesaid:“During phaseone we oped overmanyyears,coupled with on WoodhouseLane will bealand- Inthe latter,students will benefit faced anumberof challengesattrib- the closeworking relationship we Forfurtherinformation visit w w w . a r m - markdevelopment. from studiosand exhibition areas,a utable,in the main,toworking haveforged withthe clientand our s t r o n g d a v i s . c o . u k ,email g e n e r a l @ a r m - design centrefor3D, musictechnol- around the originalcollege,which projectpartners.” “Thisinvestmenthasgiven us a s t r o n g d a v i s . c o . u k , phone 01642714555 or ogy,fashion and graphicdesign,as remained fullyoperational. JoannaTait,college principal, wonderfulopportunity tokeep up fax01642714592. well asfine art and multi-media. “Tightsiteaccess,aswell asthe said:“Wearedelighted withthe way the college’sreputation forbeing a Armstrong DavisAssociatesLimited is Additionalcarparking atthe front safety and welfareofstudents,staff SURGO hasdelivered the firstphase first-class providerof furtheredu- based atMillenniumCourt,StokesleyBusi- of the building will alsobecreated. and residents living closeby,werea and asworkcontinuesapacewith cation in Bishop Auckland and ness Park,EllerbeckWay,Stokesley,North Ashared enthusiasmforthe pro- constantpriority throughout con- thislatest phasewelook forwardto South-West Durham.” Yorkshire,TS95JZ.

wilkinsonfacilities services

Reactive Response MaintenanceService Planned Maintenance Full Trade Coverage 24/7 Dedicated CallCentre CompleteBuilding Maintenance All sectorscovered

call us on 01670 368 268 or email enquiries@ wilkinsonfs.co.uk 14 BUSINESSECHO CONSTRUCTION businessecho.co.uk WEDNESDAY, MARCH 26,2008 Claytonsrisestonewchallenge

ERLO UK Ltdhasap- fessionalrelationship withour cus- newly-created Clayton Construction showour commitmenttoservicing Merlo hasthe widest choiceoftele- pointed Claytonsof tomers overthe past 50years.” territory will coverthe whole of the our newcustomers,”hesaid. handlers available in the UK, withthe Carlton asits main con- Claytons,anestablished Merlo dis- North-East,from Northallerton in Thatcommitmenthasalready Clayton Groupnowhavingaccess to M struction sectordistrib- tributorfor18 months,reports anim- NorthYorkshiretoMorpethin taken shape in newservicevehicles, morethan70 models. utorforthe North-East mediateacceptanceofthe product. Northumberland. badged asClayton Construction,and World renowned forits innovative from the start of thismonth. Tremendous performance,reliabil- MrRileyintendsthischange of recruitmentof aMerlo construction design,family-owned Merlo produces Clayton managing director,Nick ity and user-friendliness haveled to branding tobeindicativeofamarket- servicespecialist. Riley,seesthisexpansionasanim- considerable salessuccess. driven approachtothe construction MrRileysays the doorisopen for morethan6,000 tele-handlers each portantdiversification foracompany Re-sale valuesof used Merlo ma- sector. otherplantproducts tobesold by yearin astateofthe art factory in primarilyknownforsupporting the chineshavealsobeen reassuringly “Wehaveavery well proven service Clayton Construction in the future, northernItaly. farming community. high,withawaiting list forused ma- and parts infrastructurealreadyin but thattheywill onlybeinterested in Parts and servicesupport arepro- Hesaid:“Wehaveaproven service chines–when available! placebut weneed toacceptthe differ- selling products of the same high vided in the UK byMerlo UK Ltd, ethicand wehavebuiltasolid,pro- Based in Carlton,in Stockton,the encesin the construction marketand quality. based in Ringwood,Hampshire. PREMIER MORTARS (UK) LTD NORTH EAST SALES OFFICE Durham Lane, Eaglescliffe, Stockton on Tees, TS16 0PS 01642 792525

Premier Mortars UK Ltd, asubsidiary of Marshalls PLC, are pleased to announce the opening of their ‘Ready to use Mortar’ and ‘Screed’ production facilities at Stockton on Tees and Gateshead. • BSIregistered company offering top quality products • Experienced team to advise on all aspects of RTU mortar and screed • Purpose designed trucks for multi product deliveries • Full technical back up service We cover Newcastle, Gateshead, Sunderland, AT YOUR SERVICE: Clayton Construction staff NickRiley,Phil Middlesbrough, Darlington, Hartlepool and most Tindall,George Jordan&AndrewYarrowwitha10mlift areas in the North East WEDNESDAY, MARCH 26,2008 northernecho.co.uk SHARES BUSINESSECHO 15 HBOS leadsUK bank sharepricesrebound Volatile stock ByOwen McAteer Business Editor markets looking [email protected]

THERE wasfinallygood news yesterdayforbanksastheir fordirection sharesrosefollowing pre-Easter doom and gloom overthe turbu- lencesurrounding US invest- mentbank BearStearnsand HERE wasatime news last week,isthe falserumours thatBritain’s when the stock increasing powerof hedge biggest lenderwasin trouble. markettickedupor funds.Theseentitiesareable HalifaxBank of Scotland downbyacoupleof toprofitfrom afallingmarket T points aday,and any through the useofshort- (HBOS)staged adramatic bounce-backonthe London double digitmovementin the selling. stockmarket. indexwassomething toget Insimple terms,thismeans The lendersawsharesincrease excited about. selling sharesthattheydo not bymorethan14percent,within- Overrecenttimes,ithas own,withthe intention of vestorconfidencereturning after become common towitness buyingthembackatalower anovernightrallyon Wall Street triple-digitdailymovements,as price,making alarge profitin a eased concernsoverthe global the marketswingsone wayor short timescale. creditcrisis. the other.Thismonth,wehave The bearishstrategyof Barclays followed HBOS witha seen manyof thesedays, short-selling worksin falling nine percentincrease,with wherethe valuesaremoving markets,but the hedge funds NatWest parentRoyalBank of SETTING ATREND: HBOS sharesgained the most in one daysincelisting in 2001 byasmuchasthree percentin runthe riskofbeing caughtin Scotland and mortgage groupAl- one day. abearsqueezeifmarkets liance&Leicesteralsoup,by wereprofitingfrom spreading fold forBearStearnsInvestment Ifwetake the valueofthe begin tomovedecisivelythe eightpercentand seven percent falserumours. on Mondayin anattempttoap- FTSE 100 constituent otherway. respectively. ‘ But the news thatJP Morgan peasethe shareholders of the companiestobeabout The hedge funds,if theyget While the majorEuropean The improved price hadupped its offerforBear stricken investmentbank. £1,300bn,itisnottoo difficult the timing right,could turn markets enjoyed afour-dayEast- Stearnshelped America’sDow The newoffer–nowvaluing the toworkout the valueofeach bullishand go long on equities. erbreak,the marketin the US tagfrom JP Morgan JonesIndustrialAverage soar creditcrunchvictim atabout dailychange. The headline Thatmeansbuying more wasopen on Monday. sets apositivelead aheadonMondayand the FTSE $1.2bn(£606m) –came afterBear news last weekwasthat,on stockthantheyhavepaid for, Its buoyancyatanincreased 100 Indexfollowed its leadyes- Stearnsranintoacashcrisisand the Monday,£51bnwaswiped withthe intention of selling at offerfrom JP MorganChasefor forus terdaywithariseofmorethan wasforced toturntothe US Fed- off sharevalues.Cuepanic. higherlevels.Thishasthe BearStearns,suggesting the three percent. eralReserveforemergencyfund- The next day,the market potentialtoacceleratean creditcrunchwasnotasbadas Analyst Martin Slaney News overthe weekend that ing. rallied torecovernearlyall of upwardrebound in the market. Facts movemarkets,but as first feared,hadaknock-on effect about 250directors and senior The funding rescueand cut- the thoselosses,£45bnadded to wehaveseen,rumours cando forthe Britishmarket. staff atHBOS hadsnapped up pricesale of Wall Street’sfifth- sharevalues.Euphoria?No– moreasenseofrelief. soaswell. Marketexperts said the mood tagfrom JP Morganhasprovided morethan£6mofthe bank’s biggest investmentbank sparked on the London marketwould sharesthe dayafterthe share aglobalsharesell-off last week. Finding perspectiveinthese majorupside toAmericanand volatile timesisbecoming continuetobedictated bythe US. Asiansharesand sets apositive pricecollapsealsoadded tothe The FTSE fell 2.5 percentin Martin Slaney,atGFT Global stock’srecovery. totaloverahighlyvolatile four ratherascarcecommodity. leadforus.” Some of the best educated Markets,said:“Todayisall about FirmswithsignificantUS op- days of trading,whichsawcen- HBOS sawsharesplummetas and rationalthinkers can BearStearns. erationsalsofared well,suchas tralbanksworldwide pump muchas20percentatonestage easilyflip-flop from the doom “While the majorEuropean plumbing materialscompany moneyintocreditmarkets. last week asspeculation ranrife and gloom end of western markets enjoyed afour-day Wolseley,whichwasnine per about the firm,prompting City The US alsoslashed interest civilisation scenario one dayto break,USmarkets wereopen yes- watchdogstolaunchaninquiry centahead. ratesbythree-quarters of aper- terday,and the improved price wildlyoptimisticthe next. amid accusationsthattraders JP Morganhiked its bid five- centtostaveoff recession. Itshould always be remembered thatinvesting in the stockmarket,like many Market report Share prices otherformsof investment, oughttobewithalong-term view.Historically,capital ARESURGENT FTSE 100 Index NORTH AMERICAN MINING Indicators returnsaverage atabout five put last week’sturmoil behind itas DuPont...... £23.48 +0.16 BHP Billiton ...... 1430 +69 percentayear,soperhapsitis AEROSPACE Lonmin ...... £30¼+1¼ leading sharessoared togainsof Chemring ...... £24¼ Rio Tinto...... £49¾+1¾ understandable when markets morethanthree percentyesterday. Cobham...... 199½ -3 NONLIFE INSURANCE The FTSE 100 ...... 5689.1 movebythree percentin one Adownbeatstart from US mar- Meggitt ...... 263 +10½ MarshMcL ...... 1279¼ -12 dayfortheretobesome AIM Royal&Sun...... 128¾+6 Up...... 193.9 kets on plunging consumerconfi- API Grp...... 18½ OIL &GAS PRODUCERS concern. denceand housing salesdatafailed Cape...... 244¾+¾ NorskHdro...... 650¼-15½ US dollar ...... 2.0002 The longertermviewismore toderail the recovery,whichsaw Chapelthorpe ...... 30 Premier...... 1289 +48 Up...... 0.0159 Dawson Intl...... 2 focused on incomereturns the FTSE gain 193.9 points to5689.1 RDutchShell A...1683+48 Inveresk...... 8¼ RDutchShell B...1638+40 Euro ...... 1.2821 through the paymentof atthe close. Nichols...... 227½-2½ PHARMACEUTICALS dividends. The London market’sfirst ses- ScapaGrp...... 28 Astrazeneca ...... 1932 +53 Down...... 0.0055 Youngs...... 490-10 Historically,again,these sion backfollowing Easterwas Axis-Shield...... 281 -5 AUTOMOBILES &PARTS LEADING FALLER: Marketreport Glaxo...... 1074+5 average atabout three per given earlymomentumbyJP Mor- GKN...... 297¾ +21½ REAL ESTATE Popularshares cent.Ifdividendsareincreased gan’simproved offerforrivalBear Wagon...... 26¼+½ BritLand ...... 903 +42 Stearns. BANKS DTZ Hldgs...... 223 +5¼ eachyear,abovethe level of Alld Irish...... 1068+31 Tesco...... 394½ +5 Fenner...... 226½+1½ GtPortland ...... 492½-½ Alliance&L...... 549½ +11½ HSBC HLDGS ...... 827 +20½ HalifaxBank of Scotland,the Alliance&L....549½ +11½ Thorntons...... 139+2 FKI...... 68+2¾ inflation,theseprovide a Hamrsn...... 1110+48 Aviva...... 635½ +44½ IntlPower...... 403½+11 targetof malicious rumours and Barclays...... 459 +30 FOOD PRODUCERS IMI...... 434¼ +20¾ Land Secs...... 1523 +57 growing income eachyearto AB Food...... 888½ +19½ ManBrnze...... 473 -19 BAE Systems....485½ +14½ M&S ...... 394½ +7½ BkIreland...... 780½+35 SUPPORT SERVICES morethanmatchthe increase short-selling beforeEaster,led the Cadbry Sch.....578½ +18½ Metalrax...... 30¾ +1¾ BG...... 1089 +52 HSBC...... 827 +20½ AMEC ...... 716+30 NationalGrid ...... 724½ +5½ LloydsTSB .....461½ +27½ Carrs Millg ...... 520 +5 Molins...... 129½ -½ BP...... 515 +19 in the cost of living. risers. Bunzl...... 700 +10½ Pennon Grp...... 630-12 RylScotland...... 351¼ +30 NthFoods...... 86+3½ Renold ...... 73½ Wolseley –anotherfirmhitin Capita...... 686½+16 Bradford&Bingley..197+5½ Therearenowcontrasting StanChart...... 1790+109 REA Hldgs...... 585 -15 Senior...... 97-½ Sainsbury...... 336½+3¾ DavisService.....496¾ +18 BritAirways...... 241¾+11¾ recenttimesamidnervesoverits BEVERAGES TateLyle...... 583+60 SpiraxSrco...... 996-10 Scot/SthrnEnergy..1446+34 indicators in the market,which DeLa Rue...... 864+12½ BritishEnergy....660½+39½ Barr AG...... 1175-43 Unilever...... 1685 +13 WeirGrp...... 730 +19 exposuretothe US housemarket– ElctroCom...... 175¾+9¾ Severn...... 1412+28 iswhyitisstruggling to Diageo ...... 1027 +25 GENERAL FINANCIAL INDUSTRIAL TRANSPORT BT Grp...... 217¾ +7¼ sawstocktoliftten percentto Hays...... 111¼ +4½ provideacleardirection. The ScotNew...... 783½+2½ 3iGroup...... 834+51½ ForthPorts ...... £20¼+¼ Centrica...... 302 +5 TateLyle ...... 583+60 Johnson Service....17+3¼ 550.5p. CHEMICALS CloseBros...... 586+36 TDG ...... 240-5 GlaxoSmithKline...... 1074+5 Tesco...... 394½ +5 dividend yieldonmanyshares MenziesJ...... 548½ +14½ Persimmon wasup71.5p to770p Croda...... 659½ +27½ ProvidentFin ...... 830½+53 INVESTMENT HBoS...... 544½ +70¾ United Utils...... 697½+22 nowfarexceedsthatavailable Delta...... 90-2 Schroders ...... 916½+67 AllianceTrust ..335¼ +19½ Prem Farnell...... 170½+7½ and TaylorWimpey rose19.5p to Rentokil...... 91 +5½ from bonds. Elementis98...... 66½+5½ Schroders NV...... 836 +62 BrAssets...... 121½ +1½ AnthonyPlatts, above 183.3,despitethe stock’simpending JohnsnMat...... 1971+132 Avon Rbbr...... 82½-5 CandoverInv...... 1985 +33 Travis&P...... 1026 +58½ Thatisusuallyseen asproof relegation thisweek. COMP SERVICES REXAM ...... 429¾+14¾ Dunedin Inv...... 219¼ +10 Wolseley...... 550½+50½ TECHNOLOGY Northernshares thatastockmarketis ■ AnthonyPlatts isadivisionaldirector YellowPagespublisher Yell Computacenter.163½+8¼ SmithDS ...... 143-1½ Dunedin Sml...... 111 LogicaCMG...... 100¼+6 Tomkins...... 182½+18¾ Edin Invst...... 402¼+11 IBM ...... £58½ -¾ undervalued.The valuation in the Teesside officeofBrewin Dolphin, Group ledthe gainers formuchof GENERAL RETAILERS Edinburgh USTT...528+4½ Psion ...... 100 +1¼ and canbecontacted on 0845-213- Misys...... 138½ +3 Arriva...... 683¾ +7¼ NorthernVentureTst ...... 63 method of priceearningsratio the session,finishing 12percent,or CONSTRUCTION AshleyL...... 19½ -½ Forgn &C...... 281¼ +9¼ SpirentComms...... 62 +¾ 1340.Views expressed arethe author’s TELECOM (FIXED LINE) BarratDev...... 416¼+37½ Northgate...... 586¾ +19¾ isthe lowest ithasbeen in 17p. aheadat155p. Balfour Beatty...... 455 +15 HR Owen ...... 138¾+1¾ Hend SmllrCos....242+9¾ ownand arenotnecessarilyheld CRH...... 1890¾ +54½ Inchcape...... 405+24¾ ScotAm...... 215½ +6¼ C&W...... 138¾+2¼ Bellway...... 807 +54 NorthumbrianWater...330 -17 morethanadecade,proof that BritishEnergy ,the subjectof ColtTelecom...165¾+11¾ Black&Decker...... £34½ -¼ throughout the Brewin Dolphin Group. Costain ...... 26¾ +1¼ Kingfisher...... 133¾ +8¾ Witan...... 430¾ +19¼ OpsecSecurity Group42½+1 equity markets are takeoverreports atthe weekend, LowBonar...... 111½ +1¼ M&S...... 394½ +7½ LIFE INSURANCE Thus Group...... 121-½ Chieftain...... 183½-1 Brewin Dolphin isamemberof the TELECOM(MOBILE) Garner...... 6-¼ Persimmon...... 769¼ +70¾ undervalued. sawstockrisemorethansixper Marshalls...... 250¾ +3 Next ...... 1180+31 FriendsProv...... 123½+8¼ London StockExchange,authorised ELECTRICAL EQUIP Signet...... 58¾+5¾ Lgl &Gen...... 129+4½ Vodafone Group151¾+2½ Go-Ahead...... 1583+55 PremierDirect...... 19½ cent,or39.5p,at660.5p. Tugging the otherway, and regulated bythe FinancialServices Chloride ...... 169½ +4 WH Smith...... 366½+14¾ Old Mutual...... 114¼ +9 TOBACCO Grainger...... 404+14½ Sage Group...... 192½+5¼ Authority.Prices,valuesorincome may BritishAmericanTobacco Domino Ptg...... 310½+2 HEALTH CARE Prudential...... 661½ +26½ BrAmTob...... 1822 -58 Greggs...... £44½ -½ though,arefears of slowing SCS ...... 45¼ -2¼ fall against investors’interests.You wasthe leading blue-chip faller, Invensys ...... 230¾ +19¼ SmithNph...... 663½+22½ MEDIA ImperialTobacco...... £23 -½ Helius Energy...... 30½+¼ growthand rising inflation. Morgn Cru...... 203 +10 HOUSEHOLD GOODS BSkyB...... 559½ +22 TRAVEL &LEISURE SeverfieldR‘n....279½ +25¼ should beawarethatyoumaygetless down58p to1822p. ImperialTo- MetnorGroup...... 135½ Thesecombined areusually OxInstmts ...... 190-½ Reckitt Benckiser..£27½-¼ Chrysalis...... 124¼ -3¼ Compass Grp....312¾ +3½ Northern2VCT ...... 79-½ SouthernCross..364¼ +14¼ backthanyouinvested. Investments TaylorWimpey183¼+19½ DMail Tst...... 450+20½ drivers of alowerstockmarket bacco fell 55p to2300p. VolexGrp...... 71½ +2 FirstGroup...... 537½+13½ NorthernInvestors.....197+1 Stadium...... 65 maynotalways besuitable forall indi- FOOD RETAILERS IND ENGINEERING Pearson...... 700 +18 Ladbrokes...... 299½ +15½ Supermarketchain Morrisons NorthernRecruit...... 60½-3 Vp...... 314 +2¾ value. Morrison W...... 272 -7½ 600 Group...... 38½ -½ Reuters Grp....603½+14½ Rank Org...... 91¼ +2¾ viduals.Ifyouhaveanydoubts,you alsolost ground,off 7.5p to272p. Sainsbury ...... 336½+3¾ Charter...... 801+36½ Trinity Mirror...... 309¾+22 Stagecoach...... 222½-3 Anotherfactor,muchinthe should consultaprofessionaladvisor. 16 BUSINESSECHO businessecho.co.uk WEDNESDAY, MARCH 26,2008 Major Darlington employer lends ahand to S kills Pledge

The Student Loans Company, which is set to become one of the biggest employers in the Tees Valley,has made apublic demonstration of its commitment to training and development by signing the Skills Pledge.

The not-for-profit organisation is in the process of transferring existing operations at Mowden Hall, in Chris Roberts, regional director, Derek Ross, deputy chief executive, Darlington, to anew office location LSC North East. Student Loans Company at the town’s Lingfield Point. This will see an increase from the The new purpose-built office will Derek Ross, deputy chief development programmes. Chris Roberts, Regional Director, existing 150 staff to more than 6 50 handle all aspects of student executive of the Student Loans LSC North East, said: “The fact over the next two years. finance for the whole of England. Company,said: “Weare very “Staff joining us at our exciting that businesses and organisations proud of our record new development in Darlington, like the Student Loans Company when it comes to where 500 jobs will be created in have signed the Skills Pledge the training and customer services, application shows the value that responsible development of our processing, administration and employers place on training. By staff.Our aim is to management, will benefit from putting astrong emphasis on make sure that our working for an organisation which training and development, they employees have the values its staff team and places are ensuring abetter chance necessary skills and agreat emphasis on training and of success in an increasingly knowledge they professional development.” competitive world.” require to do their jobs effectively. Among the courses offered by Employers that sign up to the the Student Loans Company is Skills Pledge have access to the “Webelieve that apioneering training initiative jointly funded LSC North East and the exceptional designed to help call centre staff One NorthEast’s Train to Gain customer service deal with phone rage. service, which offers impartial we always strive to advice and matches training offer can only be The Skills Pledge is anational needs to local learning providers, delivered by people campaign that aims to encourage to ensure that flexible, responsive who understand businesses and organisations of training programmes are delivered and value of the all sizes and in all sectors to fulfil to meet employers’ needs. Acore service they deliver. acommitment to staff training and element of Train to Gain is the We place great development. access to appropriate funding of importance on qualifications from Skills for Life life long learning right through to higher education. -every one of our It is being driven in the region by employees benefits the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) North East, supported from apersonal To find out more about the Skills by the North East Chamber of development plan Pledge, visit www.traintogain.gov. Commerce (NECC) and the and access to a uk/skillspledge or call 0800 015 Confederation of British Industry wide variety of 55 45. (CBI).