First2Print provides tailor made design and print solutions UK wide and is run by married couple Martyn and Donna Young. The company have moved to bigger offices three times at the North East Business and Innovation Centre (BIC), starting out in a 300 sq ft office for two people to one of the site’s biggest office space at 6000 sq ft.

The company has expanded and now employees six members of staff. Martyn, Managing Director of First2Print, decided to become his own boss in the printing industry after previously working in the motor trade. Martyn said: “I used to work in the motor trade selling BMWs and realised that I wanted to drive these cars – not sell them to other people.

“Printers are going out of business everyday but what we have done with First2Print is reinvested in technology, buying equipment outright that allows us to be faster, more profitable and to work to a higher standard than our competition. For example we have recently purchased the largest latex printer in the North East, 2.6 metres wide.

“The future of First2Print is simple we want to continue and maintain to provide efficient and cost effective printing service. I think it is short sighted to only think locally, we are sending our work to France, Italy and other destinations in Europe. It’s making our business so much more visible that we can work all over the world whilst based in the North East.

“However we do work with a lot of other local printers, and we try to think locally if we need to buy services in. Basing your business at a place like the BIC, where you are surrounded by other SME’s can be extremely beneficial. The BIC has the right outlook and feel for growing business and it has been the catalyst for the growth of our company.

“We stay with the BIC because they continually give us what we need and what better place to see regional growth than right here in Sunderland. Businesses are constantly growing and developing and that’s nice to see.”

Pulse Creative Marketing is a division of the BIC which offers a range of creative services and works with a broad range of clients, dealing with all aspects of how they communicate with their customers. Paul, Marketing Manager, commented: “It’s great to see another creative business be so successful especially in a short six years. I wish First2Print all the best for the future.”

City Financial Solutions Ltd was welcomed into the North East BIC at the beginning of 2012 and in a short space of time the business has gone from strength to strength.

The team are all Level 4 Diploma Qualified Financial Advisers and want to get the message out that they are here to help everyone from individuals to small businesses. Steven has seen the company grow from seven advisors to eleven, all of which were previously employed by the Co-Operative. City Financial Solutions Ltd offer a vast array of financial services, Steven, Financial Adviser, said:

“We came to the BIC in January where we met Chris Craig, Business Adviser. Chris gave us guidance on how to initially set up and our move to the BIC couldn’t have been made easier. The support was right there when we needed it.”

Chris Craig, Business Adviser, observed:

“What is so promising about this company is the fact they were so positive. They were all made redundant yet they have managed to turn a negative situation into one of great promise and fortune. It is so rewarding to see them grow from strength to strength.”

David Laws, Financial Adviser, added on why they came to the BIC:

“The facilities are fantastic, for example being able to use the wireless zone has been great as we have a lot of people travelling from Surrey and Scotland who are able to use these services not to mention the free parking. And even the meeting rooms, which we take advantage of frequently.”

The company are now looking at moving into bigger offices here at the BIC with the motto onwards and upwards.
For anyone wanting advice on their finances please email info@cityfinancialsoultions.com

The BIC offers a range of commercial property options with flexible tenancy agreement. Business space across the site ranges from 6000 sq ft industrial units to 150 sq ft small office space to let, perfect for start-up, expanding and well-established businesses

To arrange a site visit and view the variety of business space available, please call Donna Surtees on 0191 516 6066 or email space@ne-bic.co.uk

Extended to take into account economic conditions, the temporary Small Business Rate Relief increase will therefore apply throughout the whole of the 2012-13 billing year (until 31 March 2013), and means that eligible ratepayers will receive small business rate relief at 100 per cent on properties up to £6,000, and a tapering relief from 100 per cent to 0 per cent for properties up to £12,000 in rateable value for that period.

This combined with the excellent packages available on Space here at the BIC means businesses can make substantial savings. In addition, we continue to offer mentoring support and a wide range of training and networking sessions to help support all our clients both on site and off.

To find our more about small business rate relief or to register for our Open Day to see first hand what savings can be made by moving to the BIC email space@ne-bic.co.uk or call 0191 516 6066

The North East BIC is once again throwing open its doors on Saturday 26th May showcasing its newly refurbished facilities to business owners and entrepreneurs

Offering a range of commercial property options with flexible easy in / easy out tenancy agreements this is an excellent opportunity to see the 14 acre site in its entirety, and to discuss with centre managers the benefits of being located on-site, which includes free parking and 24hr security, on-site café, meeting rooms, and central reception.

For more information call Donna Surtees on 0191 516 6066 or email donna.surtees@ne-bic.co.uk alternatively fill out our online registration form >> to book.

Highly experienced commercial interior design company and architectural consultancy Space I.D. provides clients with a complete and wide ranging service, from building surveys, local authority applications, designing layout and finishes, to project managing the implementation from start to finish. Having outgrown their current office space as the business strides forward, they needed a high tech base which offered the opportunity to expand.

Phill Young, director at Space I.D., said: “The Jupiter Centre is the ideal high tech hub for us. We’re hoping to create at least two jobs in the next twelve months, build on our recent success and invest back into the business. The BIC is the ideal location for us to do this as it’s flexible space options meet not only our current needs but also our future aspirations for growth.”

Phill set up Space I.D. 4 years ago alongside fellow directors Marc Hardy and Mike Simmons, bringing together a dynamic team with over 50 years of experience in architecture and interior design.

Having picked up a Bloomberg and Google International property award in 2011 for best bar interior for the Ibiza Rock Bar Leeds, and adding to this in January with a second Bloomberg Google award for best Hotel interior for the Torrance Hotel in East Kilbride, the firm boasts a growing portfolio which has recently included work closer to home, refurbishing function suites at the Ramside Hall hotel in Durham.

David Howell, director of operations at the North East BIC, said: “Space I.D. is clearly one to watch on the North East business radar, and we’re delighted to welcome them as tenants. It’s particularly complimentary when design professionals are impressed with the aesthetics of the BIC site, as we have invested heavily in this, alongside infrastructure and support provisions, in recent years.”

*The Jupiter Centre has been part funded by the European Regional Development Fund 2007-13

Sue and Dave launched their Jasper’s catering franchise at the end of 2008 and have gone from strength to strength, despite opening in the worst recession since the war. They were profitable in their first year and as they head into their fourth, are well on their way to being a £1m turnover business. Such is the demand for their catering services that they are planning to open their second Jasper’s franchise in 2012, which will be run by their daughter Claire.

Their success is especially impressive when you consider that the North East has got the lowest business start up rates in the country. In 2009, there were just 5.7 business start-ups per 1,000 of the population, compared to a national average of 7.9. And the region has also seen a 17.5% fall in start-ups since 2004.

Jasper’s Newcastle is bucking the regional trend though. The franchise provides catering services to more than 100 corporate clients and also provides vending solutions, office sundries and on-site catering. They recently won a three year contract with the BIC in Sunderland, worth £800k, to provide catering facilities for the 14 acre site, along with hospitality services.

Being shortlisted for the Franchisee Business of the Year tops off a great 2011 for Sue and Dave. The Editor of Startups said:

“Our finalists this year are as diverse, exciting and creative as ever…Painful as it was, some fantastic companies didn’t quite make it this far from the hundreds of entries we received this year. For those that have made it to the 2011 final, competition for the honours in each category will be incredibly fierce and we anticipate one of the toughest judging days we’ve had since the awards launched in 2004”

Jasper’s Founder and Director Nathan Siekierski said:

“We’re really pleased that Sue and Dave are being recognised this way. They are a credit to Jasper’s : their energy, optimism and dedication to their business translates into sales and success. It just goes to show that when you add the right people – who have the right attitude – to Jasper’s robust processes and systems, you have a winning combination.”

About Jasper’s Corporate Catering

Jasper’s Corporate Catering www.jaspersonline.co.uk provides office catering for business events; as well as vending solutions and on-site catering such as workplace canteens, coffee shops and restaurants. Jasper’s Corporate Catering now has 12 franchises across the UK, with more planned. Visit www.jaspers-franchise.co.uk

Gary McFarlane, who is originally from London, decided to develop his business with Neil Herron in Sunderland after meeting members of the local business community and being impressed by the city’s facilities and commitment to enterprise.  

Gary and his team have created Assist-Mi, which will provide users with up-to-date information to help with parking, finding Blue Badge parking spaces, refueling and finding relevant businesses and services via a Smartphone app and requesting assistance where necessary.

Gary McFarlane, director at Assist-Mi, says: “As a blue badge user myself, I am acutely aware of the obstacles which can often cause stress when driving in the UK, for those with and also without disabilities. Using Smartphone technology, we believe our app has the power to overcome many of these issues.”

If a driver is visiting a city with which he or she is unfamiliar, the Assist-Mi app aims to provide access to information about parking and other motoring issues, which is in turn updated by local authority areas themselves.

“It will give you peace of mind about where you can and can’t park,” continues Gary.

As well as developing key relations with local authorities across the UK, Gary and his team are also teaming up with service stations who, by using the app, can be prepared in advance to provide assistance for people who need help in refueling and are currently in discussions with train and airline operators and global service delivery partners.

Assist-Mi has been successful in securing funding from a North East based Venture Capital Fund.

Jonathan Gold, Director of Rivers Capital said: ” It’s not just innovative applications that make a good investment, it’s the strength, commitment and ability of the management team. Assist-Mi have all of these things and will fit in well with the recognised strengths in web and mobile communications here in the region.”

Gary moved Assist-Mi into an office at the North East Business and Innovation Centre (BIC) in Sunderland shortly after its establishment earlier in 2011.  “We needed a location that matched with the aims and objectives of the business,” he says.

“Nowhere else came close to the BIC in terms of providing access and listening to our needs as tenants. It’s all about the little things, like how accessible the café provisions are there and how friendly and helpful the staff members are. You don’t get that everywhere, and I think you can apply this more generally to Sunderland as a business base. It’s a very friendly and positive place to grow. 

“As someone who has been in business in several locations across the UK, I can see that there are some very exciting innovation and technology firms coming out of Sunderland, specifically the BIC, right now. I think they have the collective capability to make a national and global impact and really put Sunderland on the map.”
 
David Howell, director of operations at the North East BIC, said: “The BIC is intended to be welcoming for all entrepreneurs, and we’ve invested a huge amount of resource in assuring that all of our tenant and visitor needs are catered for. I’m delighted that Gary feels that our facilities match his ethos for Assist-Mi, and we’re looking forward to helping him and his team to grow the business over the coming months and years.”
 

www.assist-mi.com

Research by Royal Mail released yesterday positions Wearside as an enterprise hotspot, with the largest increase in new businesses in the UK. Sunderland was the fastest growing city in terms of business established in the past six months, adding 125 new companies – just under 2 per cent of the total business population.

However, Paul McEldon, chief executive of the North East BIC, is urging the city’s business leaders not to become complacent in response to the news.

“People often get carried away with the results of these surveys, and they can allow organisations to rest on their laurels that enough is being done to support enterprise in the region,” says Paul. “The truth is a lot more can and should be done. We need to encourage the development of large-scale companies and manufacturing firms in the region, as well as retail and home-based businesses.

“By the same token, the figures should not be overlooked, as I do feel there is true meaning in the fact that Sunderland has a consistently high rate of small businesses starting up.”

Paul, who was recently appointed as deputy chairman of National Federation of Enterprise Agencies (NFEA), points to the fact that start up companies in the city currently tend to enter into community or retail sectors, many with the support of his own organisation, which appoints business talent scouts to different areas of Sunderland in a bid to stimulate enterprise at a grass-roots level.

“We believe in stimulating enterprise at all levels, and while small, community-based businesses are essential to the city’s economy and in supporting a wider business infrastructure, enterprise organisations must do more to encourage the development of bigger business if Sunderland and the wider North East is to truly thrive. This is especially important in the current political climate, as private businesses in the region have to learn to wean themselves off public sector dependence if they are to survive.”

The north-east was recently proclaimed the most inventive region by the British Library, which found that it produced more patents per person per pound invested in R&D. The region, which has a third of the population of London, generated proportionately the same number of patents, trademarks and design rights as the capital, but with a quarter of the R&D investment.

However, this accolade was later questioned by the East of England Development Agency, who noted that the East of England accounted for 23 per cent of the UK’s private sector R&D spending.

Royal Mail’s research calculated that more than 39,000 businesses were created across the UK from March to September, a 13 per cent increase on the number of start-ups in the previous six months.

Royal Mail is one of several organisations that tracks start-up activity, and each produces slightly different conclusions about the absolute number and pace of new business formation. Barclays, for instance, has recorded much larger increases in start-ups by measuring the number of new business banking accounts opened.

The awards, organised by RICS, are held annually to showcase the very best projects that the North East has to offer, from multi-million pound commercial developments to ‘labour of love’ renovations.

Despite continuing economic challenges to the sector, 2011 proved to be an incredible year for the awards with a record number of entries flooding in from across the region. This included several major university projects, public sector schemes, new housing, new schools, new shops and new offices as well as a ‘green’ pet hospital. In an overall shortlist of 60 projects chosen by an independent judging panel, The Jupiter Centre at the North East

The North East BIC was one of only a handful of Sunderland developments recognised, and the only Wearside address shortlisted in the Commercial category, alongside other notable regional developments including the recent Eldon Square extension, Metro Centre Qube, the Haymarket Metro Station and Quorum Business Park, which was named as winner.

Paul McEldon, chief executive at the North East BIC, said: “We are delighted and flattered to have had our development recognised in this very prestigious category. Construction and design are areas in which we excel in the North East, even throughout the recession, so it is fantastic to see the hard work of the industry celebrated in this way.”

After wowing hard-nosed judges on BBC1’s Masterchef, and winning over the nation with her cooking style and quirky humour with recent appearances on ITV’s This Morning, Stacie Stewart is now furthering her business with the development of a test kitchen at which to base her operations in Sunderland.

The specialist unit at the North East Business and Innovation Centre (BIC) will allow Stacie to expand her brand, take on larger and more prestigious contracts, and immediately create three full-time jobs.

In the year since her appearance on Masterchef stirred national interest in her traditional take on baking and cookery, 29 year old Stacie, who is from Whitburn, has embarked upon further TV appearances and taken steps towards building her business, whilst continuing to work full time as a PA for a Tyneside firm.

Stacie said: “Although there has been a huge demand for the services I’ve begun to provide since starting up last year, I’ve been careful to expand slowly, by initially basing the business at home whilst testing the market and building my brand. This has all been managed alongside a full-time job, which I had before appearing on Masterchef. The unit at the BIC will allow me to go full-time with the business and provide a professional base where I can manage its expansion.”

The BIC has offered a range of accommodation options to suit all businesses since opening in 1994, but Stacie will be the first tenant in its history to operate a test kitchen, which will be known as the Beehive Bakery, from the 14-acre site.
Stacie said: “The BIC was an obvious choice as soon as I saw the high standard of the unit, and I’m also very excited about being part of the local business community. It’s going to be a great base for the business to expand, and the provisions at the BIC have been highly recommended from other businesses I know which operate there.”

David Howell, director of operations at the BIC, said: “The BIC is designed to accommodate businesses of all shapes and sizes. Stacie’s plans to expand her brand and enterprises are inspiring, and we’re very excited about having her and the team onsite as tenants. As her space requirements increase, we’ll be working closely with her to assist in the growth of the kitchen as an ideal location for an innovative food business.”

Day to day operations at the unit will allow Stacie and her team to make cakes and other perishables, before coordinating delivery to customers locally and nationally. The kitchen will accommodate Stacie as well as two other full time members of staff: an assistant manager and a school leaver.

Stacie said: “As someone who has had to balance working in three jobs at one time in order to support myself, it’s really fulfilling to now be able to create employment for others. Something that has become really important to me as I’ve learned my trade is developing the ability to pass skills on to the next generation, so I’m really excited about employing a school leaver.

“I never imagined when I started selling cakes a year ago that I would have built up the enterprise enough to occupy a commercial unit so soon. The BIC is a tried and tested environment for small businesses to grow, so I’m hoping that in a year or so I can move to a larger unit on site and increase sales towards commercial retailers, such as supermarkets.”