2EPB-E01-S3

Businesswww.bristolpost.co.uk

Looking for a new job?Don’t miss our 8-pagesupplement – inside

FIND A NEW JOB

See who was makingconnections at the Post’snetworking event – p6&7

IN THE PICTURE

‘People ask me how I gotstarted – and I put it downto drink’ – page 10

THE BIG INTERVIEW

122014FEB

FRINGEBENEFITSHow clusters of skills and expertise plusland available for development meanBristol’s northern fringe is booming

NORTH BRISTOL FOCUS

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2 We d n e s d a y, February 12, 2014 3We d n e s d a y, February 12, 2014 w w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/businessw w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/business

� Oliver Mochizuki and Derek Ahmedzai

Printing Alternative financeLatcham invests £1min new technology

� A PRINTING firm has invested£1 million in new technology,including a range of Xerox printers.

Latcham Direct, based inHengrove, employs 80 people andprovides printing and documentmanagement services for customerssuch as the NHS, local authoritiesand financial services providers.

The investment reflects the firm’sneed not only to expand its printingcapacity, but combine it withdocuments produced for the weband email, too.

Managing director, Mike Hughes,said: “X e ro x ’s cutting-edgetechnology continues to partner wellwith our high quality, complex digitalprint requirements, allowing ourbusiness to remain a leader indigital print and fulfilment solutions.

“Our investment will allow us tooffer the latest innovations and bestpossible support to our customers,to meet their current and futureneeds.”

Mike Holyoake, general managergraphic communications operationsat Xerox UK, said: “Thecombination of Xerox digital printingequipment and cross-mediasolutions opens the door to newformats and web services thatintegrate fully with a digital printportfolio.”

Ae ros pa ce

Ro l e - p l ay i n g Video gamesmay shape aircraft work

AN engineering and con-sultancy firm is using com-puter game technology toshape the future of aeroplanemanuf acturing.

Aertec Solutions, based in BrandonHill, is working with the technologysubsidiary of Airbus Group on a planto apply video game technology tonew branches of industry, includingthat of aerospace.

Pedro de Melo, director of the Bris-tol-based British Aertec Solutionssubsidiary, said: “The technologycurrently employed in the world ofvideo games, touching on virtualreality, allows for the status and con-

dition of objects and people to beavailable at any given moment, inaddition to precise tracking and thedetection of a range of parameters.

“The aim is to apply this type ofsystem to an industrial context sothat, for example, the behaviour ofmanufacturing plant employees maybe distinguished, providing all thepossible information to optimisework, contribute to their de-cision-making and ultimately im-prove management and operations.”

Aertec Solutions opened its Bristoloffice just a year ago, where it em-ploys five people. Among the team isthe firm’s general director AntonioGómez Guillamón, who is spending ayear in the city in a reflection of there gion’s importance in the aerospaceand technology markets to the firm.

Winning the contract with AirbusGroup Innovations has justified the

fir m’s expansion into the area. It seesgrowth in the British market as cent-ral the firm’s international expan-sion plans.

This particular initiative seeks toinvestigate video game technologies,analyse them and establish new prac-tical applications that may later beadapted to the aircraft industry.

The aim is to develop prototypeswhich could form the basis of furtherd eve l o p m e n t .

Company innovation director,Pedro Pablo Sanchez, said: “T hereare two reasons why this projectholds so much significance for us.Firstly, for its contribution to theinnovative processes currently beingdeveloped by Airbus Group to applyin their future aeronautical pro-grammes and, secondly, because Aer-tec Solutions is now an active part ofthe UK Technology Strategy Board.”

Age: 53Sector: FinanceSize of company: FTSE 250ListedBor n: ManchesterEducated: S u r re yFirst job: Paper RoundInfluences and inspirations:Influence, my father, inspiration,my brother.Irritations: Laziness.Hobbies: Golf, sailing andholidays.

What first inspired you tobecome involved in business?I wanted to be able to havesome control over my future.

Looking back is thereanything you would havedone differently in the courseof your career? No.

What part of your job do youenjoy the most? Interactingwith owner managers andfinding ways to help them.

What piece of advice wouldyou give to anyoneconsidering setting up theirown company? Be preparedfor sleepless nights and a lot ofstress, but get it right and therewards are worth it.

� Close Brothers is a financialservices firm with an office inQueen Street, Bristol

Robin GoddardRegional directorClose Brothers

Career in businessbrings rich rewards

Prof ile

Uni uses high-tech kitto check cows’ health� A UNIVERSITY is working with adairy specialist to find ways tomonitor stress levels in cows.

UWE Bristol and Glastonbury-based Kingshay will use 3D imagingtechnology to monitor cow health ina stress-free and unobtrusive way.

The three-year project issupported by the UK’s innovationagency, the Technology StrategyBoard. Dr Mark Hansen, fromUWE’s Centre for Machine Vision,said: “We are building a prototypeadapted for use on farms that takessimultaneous images of each animalin 3D and 4D as they walk through.It will capture their cow bodycondition score, live weight andmobility, including gait and posture.”

Resea rc h

Producers urged to join the race for food and drink honours

Oldbury recycles 140 tonnes of back-up battery cells

Awa rd s

N u c l ea r

C rowd - p u l l e r Duo’splatform for cash

bristolpost.co.uk/business

Assistant Editor (Business)Gavin Thompson

Call 0117 934 3336Email gavin.thompson

@b-nm.co.ukTwitter @gavin_thompson1

Get in touch

Writer Rupert JanischEmail business@b-nm.co.uk

Advertising RobertRodgerson

Call07828 941469Email ro b e r t . ro d g e r s o n

@b-nm.co.uk

Advertising JaneChapmanCall 01179 343025Email jane.chapman@b-nm.co.uk

Advertising SimonCoy, Media Sales

Executive - BusinessCall 07736 900 705.

Email simon.coy@b-nm.co.uk

Advertising ShamaAbokor, RegionalBusiness AccountExecutiveCall 0117 934 3426Emailshama.abokor@b-nm.co.uk

Best deals - How the numbers stack up

Business currentaccounts

Petrol prices

1.01%£10,000 deposit

0.05%£1 deposit

0.25%£1 deposit

State Bankof India

0.05%£500 deposit

Co-operativeBank

0.12%£1 deposit

Unity TrustBank

0.1%£25,000 deposit

Corporation tax

Employer NI rates

23 %

20 %Main rate

Small profitsrate – below

£300,000

13 . 8%Standard rate on

earnings above£148 per week

10 .4%Employees ins a l a r y - re l a t e d

pension schemeearning up £770 p/w

129 .32pUnleaded

136 .85pDiesel

137 .96 pSuperunleaded

73 .6 5 pLPG

Source: PetrolPrices.com

Business savingsaccounts

1.49%£10,000 deposit

1.8%£10,000 deposit

State Bankof India

1.36%£1,000 deposit

1.50%£500 deposit

S h a w b ro o kBank

1.5%£5,000 deposit

Inflation (CPI)

2.0 %Weekly earnings

0.6 %Base interest rate

0.5 %Ave mortgage rate

3.99 %Source: BusinessMoneyfacts -moneyfacts.co.uk

Allied IrishBank (GB)

Cambridge &CountiesBank

United TrustBank

NationalCounties BS

1.55%£500 deposit

United TrustBank

Gavin ThompsonAssistant Editor (Business)gavin.thompson@b-nm.co.uk

� BRISTOL food producers andrestaurants are being encouraged toenter the Taste of the West awards.

Taste of the West gold, silver andbronze award-winners’ logos arerecognised as signs of quality andprovenance countrywide, helping toboost business for the winners.

Chief executive John Sheaves,pictur ed, said: “We are delighted tohave launched the 2014 awards aswe look forward to another record-breaking year in this, our 21st year.

“We are actively encouraging allproducers to enter their productsinto the programme. We are alsolooking for owners and managers ofpubs, restaurants, cafés and shopsto enter the retail and hospitalitycategories. In fact, everyone who

believes in the high quality of localand regional food and drink shouldget involved.”

New for 2014 is the division of thefish category – fresh fish and fishproducts. Cider has also beendivided into two categories – appleciders and perry, and flavoured andfruit ciders.

The judging of all food and drinkentries takes place over the Easterholidays, and the bronze, silver andgold winners will be announced atthe end of April. The 2014 awardsceremony will take place in the earlyautumn, where the best-of-categorywinners and the winner of thecoveted champion product will beannounced. Last year’s winnersincluded Marshfield ice creams.

Gavin ThompsonAssistant Editor (Business)gavin.thompson@b-nm.co.uk

� Bristol-based Aertec Solutions engineering and consultancy firm is looking at how to use technology from videogames to improve aircraft manufacturing

� LARGE batteries that used to supply vitalback-up power for Oldbury nuclear site havebeen taken away and recycled.

The 475V batteries became redundantafter the station stopped generating power.

Oldbury site director, Mike Heaton, said:“The completion of this project marksanother successful step in hazard reductionand decommissioning of the site. Our aim is

to reduce risk and cost associated with theMagnox programme through innovativeapproaches to decommissioning.”

In total, 636 battery cells weighingapproximately 140 tonnes and containing37,000 litres of battery acid have beenremoved and the lead within them recycled.The value of the materials was used toreduce the cost of the work.

A PAIR of entrepreneurs havelaunched a crowdfunding platform tohelp people raise money for creativeand social projects in Bristol. OliverMochizuki and Derek Ahmedzai cre-

ated Fundsurfer.com to provide an additionalsource of funding in a climate where lendingfrom banks has become restricted, as well asaddressing the loss of grants and funding forthe creative industries amid public sectorc u t b a ck s.

Fundsurfer is a crowdfunding medium,where people launch a project, then share itwith friends and contacts, asking for smallpledges to make up the total amount needed.

Oliver, who is 35 and lives in Horfield, said:“We created Fundsurfer.com to offer a simple,yet highly effective, platform to raise funds.

“Currently, bank lending to small busi-nesses and funding for creative and socialprojects has been cut dramatically.

“With councils expected to deliver 100 percent of services for 60 per cent of the budget,there is huge scope for disruption of tra-ditional funding models. This applies to allsectors and industries. In the future, all kinds

of companies will be involved with crowd-funding.”

In November, Fundsurfer joined the BristolSETsquared Centre, which nurtures newbusinesses with potential to grow, based at theEngine Shed in Temple Meads.

Nick Sturge, director of the Bristol SET-squared Centre, said the business was a greataddition.

“A ready flow of investment for any project– be it a film, community project or start-upbusiness – is a game-changer,” he said.

“Bristol and Bath need more investmentactivity and we are keen to support anybusiness that strives to disrupt this market.Crowdfunding is a hot topic at the momentand Fundsurfer’s model is appropriately in-novative – as we would expect from a Bristolbu s i n e s s. ”

The business was founded in 2012. Pre-viously Oliver co-founded Brisfest and worksas a film producer. Derek, from Bishopston,has been building websites for more than 10ye a r s.

Derek, 37, said: “We are in discussion withkey figures from the public and private sectorto create a number of partnerships acrossBristol. It is no exaggeration to say that in thefuture billions, if not trillions, of pounds willgo through crowdfunding platforms.”

The pair have recently been invited toCalifornia to meet interested investors.

� Taste of theWest awardschief executiveJohn Sheaves

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2 We d n e s d a y, February 12, 2014 3We d n e s d a y, February 12, 2014 w w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/businessw w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/business

� Oliver Mochizuki and Derek Ahmedzai

Printing Alternative financeLatcham invests £1min new technology

� A PRINTING firm has invested£1 million in new technology,including a range of Xerox printers.

Latcham Direct, based inHengrove, employs 80 people andprovides printing and documentmanagement services for customerssuch as the NHS, local authoritiesand financial services providers.

The investment reflects the firm’sneed not only to expand its printingcapacity, but combine it withdocuments produced for the weband email, too.

Managing director, Mike Hughes,said: “X e ro x ’s cutting-edgetechnology continues to partner wellwith our high quality, complex digitalprint requirements, allowing ourbusiness to remain a leader indigital print and fulfilment solutions.

“Our investment will allow us tooffer the latest innovations and bestpossible support to our customers,to meet their current and futureneeds.”

Mike Holyoake, general managergraphic communications operationsat Xerox UK, said: “Thecombination of Xerox digital printingequipment and cross-mediasolutions opens the door to newformats and web services thatintegrate fully with a digital printportfolio.”

Ae ros pa ce

Ro l e - p l ay i n g Video gamesmay shape aircraft work

AN engineering and con-sultancy firm is using com-puter game technology toshape the future of aeroplanemanuf acturing.

Aertec Solutions, based in BrandonHill, is working with the technologysubsidiary of Airbus Group on a planto apply video game technology tonew branches of industry, includingthat of aerospace.

Pedro de Melo, director of the Bris-tol-based British Aertec Solutionssubsidiary, said: “The technologycurrently employed in the world ofvideo games, touching on virtualreality, allows for the status and con-

dition of objects and people to beavailable at any given moment, inaddition to precise tracking and thedetection of a range of parameters.

“The aim is to apply this type ofsystem to an industrial context sothat, for example, the behaviour ofmanufacturing plant employees maybe distinguished, providing all thepossible information to optimisework, contribute to their de-cision-making and ultimately im-prove management and operations.”

Aertec Solutions opened its Bristoloffice just a year ago, where it em-ploys five people. Among the team isthe firm’s general director AntonioGómez Guillamón, who is spending ayear in the city in a reflection of there gion’s importance in the aerospaceand technology markets to the firm.

Winning the contract with AirbusGroup Innovations has justified the

fir m’s expansion into the area. It seesgrowth in the British market as cent-ral the firm’s international expan-sion plans.

This particular initiative seeks toinvestigate video game technologies,analyse them and establish new prac-tical applications that may later beadapted to the aircraft industry.

The aim is to develop prototypeswhich could form the basis of furtherd eve l o p m e n t .

Company innovation director,Pedro Pablo Sanchez, said: “T hereare two reasons why this projectholds so much significance for us.Firstly, for its contribution to theinnovative processes currently beingdeveloped by Airbus Group to applyin their future aeronautical pro-grammes and, secondly, because Aer-tec Solutions is now an active part ofthe UK Technology Strategy Board.”

Age: 53Sector: FinanceSize of company: FTSE 250ListedBor n: ManchesterEducated: S u r re yFirst job: Paper RoundInfluences and inspirations:Influence, my father, inspiration,my brother.Irritations: Laziness.Hobbies: Golf, sailing andholidays.

What first inspired you tobecome involved in business?I wanted to be able to havesome control over my future.

Looking back is thereanything you would havedone differently in the courseof your career? No.

What part of your job do youenjoy the most? Interactingwith owner managers andfinding ways to help them.

What piece of advice wouldyou give to anyoneconsidering setting up theirown company? Be preparedfor sleepless nights and a lot ofstress, but get it right and therewards are worth it.

� Close Brothers is a financialservices firm with an office inQueen Street, Bristol

Robin GoddardRegional directorClose Brothers

Career in businessbrings rich rewards

Prof ile

Uni uses high-tech kitto check cows’ health� A UNIVERSITY is working with adairy specialist to find ways tomonitor stress levels in cows.

UWE Bristol and Glastonbury-based Kingshay will use 3D imagingtechnology to monitor cow health ina stress-free and unobtrusive way.

The three-year project issupported by the UK’s innovationagency, the Technology StrategyBoard. Dr Mark Hansen, fromUWE’s Centre for Machine Vision,said: “We are building a prototypeadapted for use on farms that takessimultaneous images of each animalin 3D and 4D as they walk through.It will capture their cow bodycondition score, live weight andmobility, including gait and posture.”

Resea rc h

Producers urged to join the race for food and drink honours

Oldbury recycles 140 tonnes of back-up battery cells

Awa rd s

N u c l ea r

C rowd - p u l l e r Duo’splatform for cash

bristolpost.co.uk/business

Assistant Editor (Business)Gavin Thompson

Call 0117 934 3336Email gavin.thompson

@b-nm.co.ukTwitter @gavin_thompson1

Get in touch

Writer Rupert JanischEmail business@b-nm.co.uk

Advertising RobertRodgerson

Call07828 941469Email ro b e r t . ro d g e r s o n

@b-nm.co.uk

Advertising JaneChapmanCall 01179 343025Email jane.chapman@b-nm.co.uk

Advertising SimonCoy, Media Sales

Executive - BusinessCall 07736 900 705.

Email simon.coy@b-nm.co.uk

Advertising ShamaAbokor, RegionalBusiness AccountExecutiveCall 0117 934 3426Emailshama.abokor@b-nm.co.uk

Best deals - How the numbers stack up

Business currentaccounts

Petrol prices

1.01%£10,000 deposit

0.05%£1 deposit

0.25%£1 deposit

State Bankof India

0.05%£500 deposit

Co-operativeBank

0.12%£1 deposit

Unity TrustBank

0.1%£25,000 deposit

Corporation tax

Employer NI rates

23 %

20 %Main rate

Small profitsrate – below

£300,000

13 . 8%Standard rate on

earnings above£148 per week

10 .4%Employees ins a l a r y - re l a t e d

pension schemeearning up £770 p/w

129 .32pUnleaded

136 .85pDiesel

137 .96 pSuperunleaded

73 .6 5 pLPG

Source: PetrolPrices.com

Business savingsaccounts

1.49%£10,000 deposit

1.8%£10,000 deposit

State Bankof India

1.36%£1,000 deposit

1.50%£500 deposit

S h a w b ro o kBank

1.5%£5,000 deposit

Inflation (CPI)

2.0 %Weekly earnings

0.6 %Base interest rate

0.5 %Ave mortgage rate

3.99 %Source: BusinessMoneyfacts -moneyfacts.co.uk

Allied IrishBank (GB)

Cambridge &CountiesBank

United TrustBank

NationalCounties BS

1.55%£500 deposit

United TrustBank

Gavin ThompsonAssistant Editor (Business)gavin.thompson@b-nm.co.uk

� BRISTOL food producers andrestaurants are being encouraged toenter the Taste of the West awards.

Taste of the West gold, silver andbronze award-winners’ logos arerecognised as signs of quality andprovenance countrywide, helping toboost business for the winners.

Chief executive John Sheaves,pictur ed, said: “We are delighted tohave launched the 2014 awards aswe look forward to another record-breaking year in this, our 21st year.

“We are actively encouraging allproducers to enter their productsinto the programme. We are alsolooking for owners and managers ofpubs, restaurants, cafés and shopsto enter the retail and hospitalitycategories. In fact, everyone who

believes in the high quality of localand regional food and drink shouldget involved.”

New for 2014 is the division of thefish category – fresh fish and fishproducts. Cider has also beendivided into two categories – appleciders and perry, and flavoured andfruit ciders.

The judging of all food and drinkentries takes place over the Easterholidays, and the bronze, silver andgold winners will be announced atthe end of April. The 2014 awardsceremony will take place in the earlyautumn, where the best-of-categorywinners and the winner of thecoveted champion product will beannounced. Last year’s winnersincluded Marshfield ice creams.

Gavin ThompsonAssistant Editor (Business)gavin.thompson@b-nm.co.uk

� Bristol-based Aertec Solutions engineering and consultancy firm is looking at how to use technology from videogames to improve aircraft manufacturing

� LARGE batteries that used to supply vitalback-up power for Oldbury nuclear site havebeen taken away and recycled.

The 475V batteries became redundantafter the station stopped generating power.

Oldbury site director, Mike Heaton, said:“The completion of this project marksanother successful step in hazard reductionand decommissioning of the site. Our aim is

to reduce risk and cost associated with theMagnox programme through innovativeapproaches to decommissioning.”

In total, 636 battery cells weighingapproximately 140 tonnes and containing37,000 litres of battery acid have beenremoved and the lead within them recycled.The value of the materials was used toreduce the cost of the work.

A PAIR of entrepreneurs havelaunched a crowdfunding platform tohelp people raise money for creativeand social projects in Bristol. OliverMochizuki and Derek Ahmedzai cre-

ated Fundsurfer.com to provide an additionalsource of funding in a climate where lendingfrom banks has become restricted, as well asaddressing the loss of grants and funding forthe creative industries amid public sectorc u t b a ck s.

Fundsurfer is a crowdfunding medium,where people launch a project, then share itwith friends and contacts, asking for smallpledges to make up the total amount needed.

Oliver, who is 35 and lives in Horfield, said:“We created Fundsurfer.com to offer a simple,yet highly effective, platform to raise funds.

“Currently, bank lending to small busi-nesses and funding for creative and socialprojects has been cut dramatically.

“With councils expected to deliver 100 percent of services for 60 per cent of the budget,there is huge scope for disruption of tra-ditional funding models. This applies to allsectors and industries. In the future, all kinds

of companies will be involved with crowd-funding.”

In November, Fundsurfer joined the BristolSETsquared Centre, which nurtures newbusinesses with potential to grow, based at theEngine Shed in Temple Meads.

Nick Sturge, director of the Bristol SET-squared Centre, said the business was a greataddition.

“A ready flow of investment for any project– be it a film, community project or start-upbusiness – is a game-changer,” he said.

“Bristol and Bath need more investmentactivity and we are keen to support anybusiness that strives to disrupt this market.Crowdfunding is a hot topic at the momentand Fundsurfer’s model is appropriately in-novative – as we would expect from a Bristolbu s i n e s s. ”

The business was founded in 2012. Pre-viously Oliver co-founded Brisfest and worksas a film producer. Derek, from Bishopston,has been building websites for more than 10ye a r s.

Derek, 37, said: “We are in discussion withkey figures from the public and private sectorto create a number of partnerships acrossBristol. It is no exaggeration to say that in thefuture billions, if not trillions, of pounds willgo through crowdfunding platforms.”

The pair have recently been invited toCalifornia to meet interested investors.

� Taste of theWest awardschief executiveJohn Sheaves

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4 We d n e s d a y, February 12, 2014 5We d n e s d a y, February 12, 2014 w w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/businessw w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/business

Ret a i l

Growing force Cleaning firm’sstore launch brings five new jobs

AGROWING business special-ising in cleaning equipmenthas invested in a new base inBristol, creating five newj o b s.

Kärcher is best known for its pres-sure washers, but also makes a rangeof cleaning products – from vacuumsto detergents.

There are 14 independently-ownedKärcher centres around the UK, butBristol’s is the first run by the firmitself, in a show of confidence in itsproducts and the market.

Markus Asch, vice chairman ofKärcher, who came to Bristol to openthe new store, explained the philo-sophy to focus in-store rather thano n l i n e.

He said: “Unlike ‘dot com’ bu s i -nesses, we don’t sell a phone or aproduct; cleaning is an application.Cleaning requires know-how – ap -plication-specific know-how that wecan share with our customersf ace-to-f ace.”

The opening was hit by bad weath-er, but it didn’t keep the customersaway from the new centre, whichaims to be a one-stop shop for do-mestic and commercial customers,offering sales and service across the

fir m’s range. It is housed in a 688square metre former car showroomin St Philip’s Causeway, which thefirm bought last October. Since thenit has undertaken an extensive refitwith four floors, including a servi-cing and workshop area, offices andtwo floors of showrooms.

The ground floor is dedicated toK ä rch e r ’s home and garden range,including its best-known yellow pres-sure washers, steam cleaners, gardenwatering systems and its new win-dow vac.

A NOT-FOR-PROFIT company is pro-moting new businesses in one of theless obvious parts of the city.

While areas such as Avonmouthand the M4 corridor are seen as thepowerhouses of the economy, poorerparts of Bristol can be neglected.

But Bristol Spaceworks is provingthere are entrepreneurs in Easton,where its business centre is fullyoccupied, and it hopes to expand toother areas.

Local MP Stephen Williams visitedthe centre to meet some of the busi-nesspeople and see what they do.

Chief executive Matt Johnstonesaid: “It was a very worthwhile tripand gave our local MP a real insightinto the thriving business com-munity that exists within the EastonBusiness Centre.

“As a not-for-profit company ourethos is providing affordable space sowe protect our customers from sur-ging property prices when our spaceis full by fixing prices for 12-monthperiods, but with the added bonusthat they can terminate with onemonth’s notice.

“We are very keen to work withBristol City Council and other part-ners, or secure other sources of cent-ral or European funding, to ensureproperty assets which are not beingused are converted to commercialspace to provide job opportunitieswhere they are often needed themost.”

Bristol Spaceworks was founded in1985 using the old Co-op building inChelsea Road, Easton, offeringcost-effective space for entrepren-e u r s.

Over time, the centre has also at-tracted a number of small charities aswell as self-employed artists.

It now has four sites – the pur-pose-built Easton Business Centre,

Star t-ups

MP’s insightinto thrivingbusiness base

� Dominic Turner and son Adamassisted by Kärcher staff; below, theshowroom in St Philip’s Causeway

Theatre chief puts thespotlight on success� A LEADING light in the theatreworld will deliver the first talk in thenew series of Bristol DistinguishedExecutive Address Series tonight.

Rosemary Squire, pictur ed, isco-founder and joint chief executiveof the Ambassador Theatre Group.

The firm has managed to growdespite a tough economic climate,when funding for the arts has beensqueezed, and it has recentlybought the biggest theatre inBroadway – the FoxwoodsT h e a t re .

The address series provides anopportunity to hear aboutchallenges and issues and decisionsmade by business leaders firsthand.

Rosemarywill give afounder’sperspectiveonc re a t i n gthel a rg e s tlivet h e a t reg ro u p ,talkingabout how tomake theatre paywithout compromising what’s onstage and how to persuade cityinvestors to see the arts as a viablebusiness prospect.

The group owns dozens of UKtheatres, including the BristolH i p p o d ro m e

The event, to be held at City Hall,starts at 6pm.

It is delivered by the BristolBusiness School at Bristol UWE inpartnership with ACCA, Bristol CityCouncil, Bristol Post, BusinessWest, CBI, CMI, FSB, IoD and theWest of England LEP.

S e c to r

The first customers on opening day,Dominic Turner and histhree-year-old son Adam, had a whaleof a time with the spray lance on theFeel The Power pressure washerd e m o n s t r at i o n .

The professional business providesa range of commercial pressurewashers, vacuum cleaners, scrubberdriers, sweepers, dry ice blastingmachines, vehicle washes and drink-ing and waste-water treatment sys-t e m s.

The firm’s equipment is used instreet cleaning around the UK, theLondon Eye and even Mount Rush-more in the United States.

The store is hosting the firm’sproduct launch roadshow tomorrow,showing off its latest professionalm a ch i n e s.

Solicitors ‘excited’ byHarbourside switch� A FIRM of solicitors has moved toa refurbished Harbourside office.

Fox Hartley Solicitors has taken3,047 square feet at Bull Wharf,Redcliff Street, moving from itsBroad Street base.

Trevor Fox, from the firm, said:“We are very pleased to be movingto Bull Wharf. It looks out directlyonto the Floating Harbour on oneside and the new court centre onthe other. The area has beenrejuvenated since I moved down toBristol 15 years ago. Everyone hereis excited about the move.”

The building was refurbished in2012 and has been let by the Bristoloffice of DTZ on behalf of the owner– a fund managed by ScottishWidows Investment Partnership.

Proper ty

Deadline approachesfor women’s awards� ENTRIES are flooding in for theBristol and Bath Women in BusinessAwards, sponsored by Bristol UWE.

Businesses range from comedy toformal wear, tradespeople tonurseries, and recruitment toh o s p i t a l i t y.

Awards will be given out at a galaceremony at the Bristol City CentreMarriott on Wednesday, April 2.

The closing date is February 21,so it’s not too late to take part. Goto w w w. b r i s t o l p o s t . c o . u k / w i b a .

C o n test

Gavin ThompsonAssistant Editor (Business)gavin.thompson@b-nm.co.uk

emission hydrogen fuel cells. Thetechnology has already been used onthe Hydrogenesis ferry developed inBristol.

Jonathan Lee, whose firm FireBeeEngineering Solutions providesdesign and product development ad-vice for new businesses, pressed theMP to lobby for more help forstart-ups in the city.

Focus on start-ups | Sponsored by THEME SPONSOR’S NAME HERE.

Commercial feature

William SanzoDir ectorEurotaxis

Further growth is very much achievable for usKnow how

MoT hold-ups drove us to radical solutionGavin ThompsonAssistant Editor (Business)gavin.thompson@b-nm.co.uk

Mini Buses & Coaches Taxis & Weddings ATF - HGV & PSV MOTsRecovery & Repairs

eurotaxis.com 0333 666 66 66

Not Just Taxis

� Eurotaxis directors Keith and William Sanzo

Markus Asch

“Unlike dot combusinesses, we don’t sella phone or a product;cleaning is anapplication. Cleaningrequires know-how.

the former Co-op, a former library inTrinity Road and an old Victorianschoolhouse in Barton Hill.

Companies using the centres in-clude Tom Moore’s Crystal Face,which produces bespoke crystal en-gravings from pictures and even babyultrasound images.

Another firm is Auriga Energy,founded by Jas Singh to develop zero

� MP Stephen Williams meets Jas Singh of AurigaEnergy BRJK20140207B-022

� Tom Moore with Peter Cadwell of CrystalfacePictures: Jon Kent BRJK20140207B-008

� Mr Williams with Jonathan Lee of FireBee EngineeringSolutions BRJK20140207B-008� Easton Business Centre

WITH the Government’scontinuing frugality,it may seem that thetransport industryhas been regulated an

exponential amount.Rising costs of fuel coupled with

increasing traffic congestion meanthat for many operators profits arebeing squeezed like never before.

Established more than 33 yearsago and still a family-run taxi andPCV operator, Eurotaxis has seenmany changes, the largest of whichwas amalgamating two sites and

moving to a purpose-built transportyard in Yate.

Only last year we were based on asmall, dusty yard in Westerleigh

with our maintenance facilitiesbased eight miles away, and ournearest VOSA Authorised TestingFacility 16 miles away in Avon-mouth.

If you think that some PCVvehicles will only do eight miles pergallon, we were wasting a smallfortune in fuel and wages commut-ing daily between the sites.

After 13 years, we finally found asuitable location and moved to apurpose-built transport yard in Yatewith on-site facilities.

However, we still had the 32-mile

round trip nearly twice a week for aPCV vehicle to go to the ATF for itsMoT. We have invested £150,000 in anew ATF lane at our depot in Yate.The ATF lane is now open to thepublic and to other operators.

Since its opening day we haveseen all kinds of vehicles on site,from horseboxes to coaches, fromHGVs to buses.

Some individuals or operatorswho do not have maintenance fa-cilities have even brought theirvehicle to us for its MoT prepar-ation where we have guaranteed it

will pass its MoT.Alongside our ATF lane we have

invested in our vehicle-recovery in-frastructure with a Mercedes Act-ros and a Mercedes Atego.

So far there have been numerousHGV and PCV operators who haveused our maintenance and recoveryservices as a one-stop shop for theirve h i cl e s.

Our other significant investmentlast year was building a classroomand becoming an authorised centreto give the Driver Certificate of Pro-fessional Competence.

We see that growth – althoughdifficult at the moment – is, with theright infrastructure and commit-ment, very much achievable.

AYATE taxi and coach-hirecompany is opening its doorsto other businesses after in-vesting in a commercialvehicles MoT lane.

Eurotaxis has been a phenomenalsuccess story since it was founded byJuan Sanzo in 1980.

It has grown from a one-man op-eration, after Juan bought a“battered old” Austin for £200.

Now the firm has 180 vehicles –taxis, buses and coaches – and aturnover of £5 million a year.

It employs 95 people and uses anumber of other self-employed taxid r ive r s.

That growth, however, caused Juana headache. Every commercialvehicle has to be MoT-tested eachyear. And unlike with a personal car,you cannot take it to many garages.There are a select number of spe-cialised testing lanes in AuthorisedTesting Facilities.

Difficulties in getting Juan’s fleetof vehicles to the nearest centre, andlack of available appointments,prompted Eurotaxis to come up witha radical solution.

Juan said: “You can never get anappointment – it was a real problem.And when you did it was taking fourhours to take a vehicle for testing andthen bring it back.

“So we decided to invest £150,000 inbuilding our own lane to do iti n - h o u s e. ”

It took six months to get throughthe red tape and logistical hurdles.

But the lane finally opened for busi-ness in November, just before thefir m’s 33rd birthday.

The benefits for Eurotaxis are thetime and cost savings in not having toget its vehicles to the test centre. And

to cover the running costs and even-tually recoup the investment, thefirm has opened up the lane to otherc o m p a n i e s.

It has a VOSA tester on site threedays a week, but is hoping to extendthat to Monday to Saturday once ithas enough customers coming in –that could add up to 80 tests eachwe e k .

Juan says the MoT lane will neverbe a big profit-maker for the company,but has mutual benefits for his busi-ness and other firms in the area thatcan make use of it, paying just a smallpit fee on top of the VOSA charges.

The MoT lane is just one of theservices Eurotaxis offers over andabove a typical taxi firm.

It runs a commercial-vehicle re-covery service for breakdowns, cancarry out repairs and maintenancework, and can collect and returnvehicles for their MoTs.

And its coach hire arm takespeople across the UK and Europe.

Eurotaxis undertakes around 8,000to 10,000 taxi journeys every week,and buses about 5,000 children to andfrom school.

Juan said: “The key to growing thebusiness has been hard work andf amily.”

His wife Anne is the managingdirector, sons Keith and William aredirectors and son-in-law Toby runsthe workshop.

Juan said: “It is very importantthat it is a family business. It givesyou trust, and know how, from lengthof service. For example, Keith hasbeen with the business for about 20ye a r s. ”

As to his own involvement as com-pany secretary, Juan, 63, has no plansto retire.

He said: “I enjoy this too much.”And he still gets behind the wheelre gularly.

Juan said: “I still drive every day –buses, taxis, whatever. I enjoy thedriving. There is no hassle. There isno stress. Driving is driving.”

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4 We d n e s d a y, February 12, 2014 5We d n e s d a y, February 12, 2014 w w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/businessw w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/business

Ret a i l

Growing force Cleaning firm’sstore launch brings five new jobs

AGROWING business special-ising in cleaning equipmenthas invested in a new base inBristol, creating five newj o b s.

Kärcher is best known for its pres-sure washers, but also makes a rangeof cleaning products – from vacuumsto detergents.

There are 14 independently-ownedKärcher centres around the UK, butBristol’s is the first run by the firmitself, in a show of confidence in itsproducts and the market.

Markus Asch, vice chairman ofKärcher, who came to Bristol to openthe new store, explained the philo-sophy to focus in-store rather thano n l i n e.

He said: “Unlike ‘dot com’ bu s i -nesses, we don’t sell a phone or aproduct; cleaning is an application.Cleaning requires know-how – ap -plication-specific know-how that wecan share with our customersf ace-to-f ace.”

The opening was hit by bad weath-er, but it didn’t keep the customersaway from the new centre, whichaims to be a one-stop shop for do-mestic and commercial customers,offering sales and service across the

fir m’s range. It is housed in a 688square metre former car showroomin St Philip’s Causeway, which thefirm bought last October. Since thenit has undertaken an extensive refitwith four floors, including a servi-cing and workshop area, offices andtwo floors of showrooms.

The ground floor is dedicated toK ä rch e r ’s home and garden range,including its best-known yellow pres-sure washers, steam cleaners, gardenwatering systems and its new win-dow vac.

A NOT-FOR-PROFIT company is pro-moting new businesses in one of theless obvious parts of the city.

While areas such as Avonmouthand the M4 corridor are seen as thepowerhouses of the economy, poorerparts of Bristol can be neglected.

But Bristol Spaceworks is provingthere are entrepreneurs in Easton,where its business centre is fullyoccupied, and it hopes to expand toother areas.

Local MP Stephen Williams visitedthe centre to meet some of the busi-nesspeople and see what they do.

Chief executive Matt Johnstonesaid: “It was a very worthwhile tripand gave our local MP a real insightinto the thriving business com-munity that exists within the EastonBusiness Centre.

“As a not-for-profit company ourethos is providing affordable space sowe protect our customers from sur-ging property prices when our spaceis full by fixing prices for 12-monthperiods, but with the added bonusthat they can terminate with onemonth’s notice.

“We are very keen to work withBristol City Council and other part-ners, or secure other sources of cent-ral or European funding, to ensureproperty assets which are not beingused are converted to commercialspace to provide job opportunitieswhere they are often needed themost.”

Bristol Spaceworks was founded in1985 using the old Co-op building inChelsea Road, Easton, offeringcost-effective space for entrepren-e u r s.

Over time, the centre has also at-tracted a number of small charities aswell as self-employed artists.

It now has four sites – the pur-pose-built Easton Business Centre,

Star t-ups

MP’s insightinto thrivingbusiness base

� Dominic Turner and son Adamassisted by Kärcher staff; below, theshowroom in St Philip’s Causeway

Theatre chief puts thespotlight on success� A LEADING light in the theatreworld will deliver the first talk in thenew series of Bristol DistinguishedExecutive Address Series tonight.

Rosemary Squire, pictur ed, isco-founder and joint chief executiveof the Ambassador Theatre Group.

The firm has managed to growdespite a tough economic climate,when funding for the arts has beensqueezed, and it has recentlybought the biggest theatre inBroadway – the FoxwoodsT h e a t re .

The address series provides anopportunity to hear aboutchallenges and issues and decisionsmade by business leaders firsthand.

Rosemarywill give afounder’sperspectiveonc re a t i n gthel a rg e s tlivet h e a t reg ro u p ,talkingabout how tomake theatre paywithout compromising what’s onstage and how to persuade cityinvestors to see the arts as a viablebusiness prospect.

The group owns dozens of UKtheatres, including the BristolH i p p o d ro m e

The event, to be held at City Hall,starts at 6pm.

It is delivered by the BristolBusiness School at Bristol UWE inpartnership with ACCA, Bristol CityCouncil, Bristol Post, BusinessWest, CBI, CMI, FSB, IoD and theWest of England LEP.

S e c to r

The first customers on opening day,Dominic Turner and histhree-year-old son Adam, had a whaleof a time with the spray lance on theFeel The Power pressure washerd e m o n s t r at i o n .

The professional business providesa range of commercial pressurewashers, vacuum cleaners, scrubberdriers, sweepers, dry ice blastingmachines, vehicle washes and drink-ing and waste-water treatment sys-t e m s.

The firm’s equipment is used instreet cleaning around the UK, theLondon Eye and even Mount Rush-more in the United States.

The store is hosting the firm’sproduct launch roadshow tomorrow,showing off its latest professionalm a ch i n e s.

Solicitors ‘excited’ byHarbourside switch� A FIRM of solicitors has moved toa refurbished Harbourside office.

Fox Hartley Solicitors has taken3,047 square feet at Bull Wharf,Redcliff Street, moving from itsBroad Street base.

Trevor Fox, from the firm, said:“We are very pleased to be movingto Bull Wharf. It looks out directlyonto the Floating Harbour on oneside and the new court centre onthe other. The area has beenrejuvenated since I moved down toBristol 15 years ago. Everyone hereis excited about the move.”

The building was refurbished in2012 and has been let by the Bristoloffice of DTZ on behalf of the owner– a fund managed by ScottishWidows Investment Partnership.

Proper ty

Deadline approachesfor women’s awards� ENTRIES are flooding in for theBristol and Bath Women in BusinessAwards, sponsored by Bristol UWE.

Businesses range from comedy toformal wear, tradespeople tonurseries, and recruitment toh o s p i t a l i t y.

Awards will be given out at a galaceremony at the Bristol City CentreMarriott on Wednesday, April 2.

The closing date is February 21,so it’s not too late to take part. Goto w w w. b r i s t o l p o s t . c o . u k / w i b a .

C o n test

Gavin ThompsonAssistant Editor (Business)gavin.thompson@b-nm.co.uk

emission hydrogen fuel cells. Thetechnology has already been used onthe Hydrogenesis ferry developed inBristol.

Jonathan Lee, whose firm FireBeeEngineering Solutions providesdesign and product development ad-vice for new businesses, pressed theMP to lobby for more help forstart-ups in the city.

Focus on start-ups | Sponsored by THEME SPONSOR’S NAME HERE.

Commercial feature

William SanzoDir ectorEurotaxis

Further growth is very much achievable for usKnow how

MoT hold-ups drove us to radical solutionGavin ThompsonAssistant Editor (Business)gavin.thompson@b-nm.co.uk

Mini Buses & Coaches Taxis & Weddings ATF - HGV & PSV MOTsRecovery & Repairs

eurotaxis.com 0333 666 66 66

Not Just Taxis

� Eurotaxis directors Keith and William Sanzo

Markus Asch

“Unlike dot combusinesses, we don’t sella phone or a product;cleaning is anapplication. Cleaningrequires know-how.

the former Co-op, a former library inTrinity Road and an old Victorianschoolhouse in Barton Hill.

Companies using the centres in-clude Tom Moore’s Crystal Face,which produces bespoke crystal en-gravings from pictures and even babyultrasound images.

Another firm is Auriga Energy,founded by Jas Singh to develop zero

� MP Stephen Williams meets Jas Singh of AurigaEnergy BRJK20140207B-022

� Tom Moore with Peter Cadwell of CrystalfacePictures: Jon Kent BRJK20140207B-008

� Mr Williams with Jonathan Lee of FireBee EngineeringSolutions BRJK20140207B-008� Easton Business Centre

WITH the Government’scontinuing frugality,it may seem that thetransport industryhas been regulated an

exponential amount.Rising costs of fuel coupled with

increasing traffic congestion meanthat for many operators profits arebeing squeezed like never before.

Established more than 33 yearsago and still a family-run taxi andPCV operator, Eurotaxis has seenmany changes, the largest of whichwas amalgamating two sites and

moving to a purpose-built transportyard in Yate.

Only last year we were based on asmall, dusty yard in Westerleigh

with our maintenance facilitiesbased eight miles away, and ournearest VOSA Authorised TestingFacility 16 miles away in Avon-mouth.

If you think that some PCVvehicles will only do eight miles pergallon, we were wasting a smallfortune in fuel and wages commut-ing daily between the sites.

After 13 years, we finally found asuitable location and moved to apurpose-built transport yard in Yatewith on-site facilities.

However, we still had the 32-mile

round trip nearly twice a week for aPCV vehicle to go to the ATF for itsMoT. We have invested £150,000 in anew ATF lane at our depot in Yate.The ATF lane is now open to thepublic and to other operators.

Since its opening day we haveseen all kinds of vehicles on site,from horseboxes to coaches, fromHGVs to buses.

Some individuals or operatorswho do not have maintenance fa-cilities have even brought theirvehicle to us for its MoT prepar-ation where we have guaranteed it

will pass its MoT.Alongside our ATF lane we have

invested in our vehicle-recovery in-frastructure with a Mercedes Act-ros and a Mercedes Atego.

So far there have been numerousHGV and PCV operators who haveused our maintenance and recoveryservices as a one-stop shop for theirve h i cl e s.

Our other significant investmentlast year was building a classroomand becoming an authorised centreto give the Driver Certificate of Pro-fessional Competence.

We see that growth – althoughdifficult at the moment – is, with theright infrastructure and commit-ment, very much achievable.

AYATE taxi and coach-hirecompany is opening its doorsto other businesses after in-vesting in a commercialvehicles MoT lane.

Eurotaxis has been a phenomenalsuccess story since it was founded byJuan Sanzo in 1980.

It has grown from a one-man op-eration, after Juan bought a“battered old” Austin for £200.

Now the firm has 180 vehicles –taxis, buses and coaches – and aturnover of £5 million a year.

It employs 95 people and uses anumber of other self-employed taxid r ive r s.

That growth, however, caused Juana headache. Every commercialvehicle has to be MoT-tested eachyear. And unlike with a personal car,you cannot take it to many garages.There are a select number of spe-cialised testing lanes in AuthorisedTesting Facilities.

Difficulties in getting Juan’s fleetof vehicles to the nearest centre, andlack of available appointments,prompted Eurotaxis to come up witha radical solution.

Juan said: “You can never get anappointment – it was a real problem.And when you did it was taking fourhours to take a vehicle for testing andthen bring it back.

“So we decided to invest £150,000 inbuilding our own lane to do iti n - h o u s e. ”

It took six months to get throughthe red tape and logistical hurdles.

But the lane finally opened for busi-ness in November, just before thefir m’s 33rd birthday.

The benefits for Eurotaxis are thetime and cost savings in not having toget its vehicles to the test centre. And

to cover the running costs and even-tually recoup the investment, thefirm has opened up the lane to otherc o m p a n i e s.

It has a VOSA tester on site threedays a week, but is hoping to extendthat to Monday to Saturday once ithas enough customers coming in –that could add up to 80 tests eachwe e k .

Juan says the MoT lane will neverbe a big profit-maker for the company,but has mutual benefits for his busi-ness and other firms in the area thatcan make use of it, paying just a smallpit fee on top of the VOSA charges.

The MoT lane is just one of theservices Eurotaxis offers over andabove a typical taxi firm.

It runs a commercial-vehicle re-covery service for breakdowns, cancarry out repairs and maintenancework, and can collect and returnvehicles for their MoTs.

And its coach hire arm takespeople across the UK and Europe.

Eurotaxis undertakes around 8,000to 10,000 taxi journeys every week,and buses about 5,000 children to andfrom school.

Juan said: “The key to growing thebusiness has been hard work andf amily.”

His wife Anne is the managingdirector, sons Keith and William aredirectors and son-in-law Toby runsthe workshop.

Juan said: “It is very importantthat it is a family business. It givesyou trust, and know how, from lengthof service. For example, Keith hasbeen with the business for about 20ye a r s. ”

As to his own involvement as com-pany secretary, Juan, 63, has no plansto retire.

He said: “I enjoy this too much.”And he still gets behind the wheelre gularly.

Juan said: “I still drive every day –buses, taxis, whatever. I enjoy thedriving. There is no hassle. There isno stress. Driving is driving.”

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6 We d n e s d a y, February 12, 2014 7We d n e s d a y, February 12, 2014 w w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/businessw w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/business

Bristol Post’sBristol Connected

In pictures B r i sto l ’s business community Send us photos from your event, withnames please, to business @b-nm.co.uk

Royal visit

The HR Dept10th birthday

� Jim Heal, Rudge Brothers, and James Flooring, with Alistair Watson,Science City Bristol BRML20140205H-003

� Debbie Pritchard, BDO, and Mark Warren, Jenner Property GroupBRML20140205H-004

� Catherine Frankpitt, LEP, and Mary Martin, Business WestBRML20140205H-008

� Zoe Colosio, Neighbourly, Jo Reid, Juliette Randall, Arnos ValeBRML20140205H-039

� Mike Jackson, WebStart Bristol, with Jonathan Williams, BishopFleming Pics: Michael Lloyd BRML20140205H-009

BRISTOL Connected – theBristol Post’s first new reg-ular networking event –got off to a fantastic startat the offices of account-

ants BDO.Tickets for the free event were

snapped up long before the day anddespite bad weather about 80 peoplewere there.

Paul Wilson, chief executive of theWest of England Local EnterprisePartnership, told attendees aboutthe success of the Going for Growthcampaign, run with the Po s t .

The campaign has seen so far£11.85 million in grants approvedfor local businesses to help themgrow and create jobs.

He shared a few of the successstories from the campaign, includ-ing Friska Foods, a fresh fast foodbusiness run by Ed Brown and Griff

Holland that has three outlets andnow plans to open more.

“Entrepreneurs like Ed and Griffare exactly what Bristol needs,”said Paul.

Graham Randall, head of the Bris-tol office of hosts BDO, talked about

the Business Pulse, a joined ini-tiative with the Po s t giving smalland medium-sized businesses avoice. The Pulse is a survey of busi-nesses’ views on issues chosen by ahigh-profile steering group.

Post assistant editor, Gavin

Thompson, said: “Our steeringgroup includes Bristol mayor Geo-rge Ferguson, LEP chairman ColinSkellett and Bristol chamber ex-ecutive director James Durie, so wereally do have the ear of the leaders,decision-makers and influencers.

“This is a great opportunity tomake your business heard.”

Nick Davies, chief executive ofNeighbourly, set out how the newsocial network will bring togetherbusinesses and communities to fillthe gap left by public sector cuts.

� The next event will be atThrings, off Victoria Street, from6-8pm on Wednesday, April 9. Toregister for tickets you must goonline to Eventbrite, where youcan find the event by searchingfor “Bristol Connected”.

� Phil Miller, Amy Morse, Matt Rogers and Ricki CritchellBRML20140205H-002

� Janis Sinton, Taste Tech; Gonzalo Trujillo, HeronCapital; and David Mouncey, Smith and Williams

� Above, Paul Wilson, LEP; right, guests at the eventnetworking and listening to a speaker

� The Prince at Bristol Robotics Laboratory Pics: Simon Galloway BRSG20140210B-09THE HR Dept celebrated 10 years inbusiness by taking a selection of cli-ents out to dinner at the Riversta-tion.

The employment advice specialist,based in Kendleshire, SouthGloucestershire, choose which cli-ents to entertain in a raffle.

The firm, which provides small andmedium-sized businesses with loc-ally-based advice and support, hasgrown to nearly 50 offices across theUK.

The HR Dept was launched by SueTumelty in late 2003. Having relo-

cated to Bristol with husband MikeStevenson after years of working inthe corporate world, Sue decided touse her expertise for the benefit ofsmaller businesses, whether theywere taking on their first member ofstaff or had several hundred employ-e e s.

Demand grew and she began toreceive inquiries from outside Bris-tol and the South West. Keen to keep

the localconnection tocustomers, Suecreated a licensee model, which seesHR experts launch and run HR Deptoffices around the UK under the HRDept brand.

Unlike traditional franchise oper-ations, however, The HR Dept's of-fices work together co-operatively,sharing skills and expertise and evencovering each other's holidays to en-sure clients can always access firstclass advice and support.

� Staff and guests celebrate the anniversary

PRINCE Andrew met entrepren-eurs and inventors on a visit toBristol this week.

The Duke of York went to theEngine Shed business centre inTemple Meads, where he met thefounders of companies in the Web-Start Bristol and SetSquared in-c u b at o r s.

He then called in at the BristolRobotics Laboratory, a joint projectbetween Bristol’s two universities,but based at UWE.

The Prince said: “I am very im-pressed with the connectivitybetween the universities and thebusiness world.

“There is no barrier today tostarting your own business, just aquestion of whether or not we havethe facilities, and this is a won-derful facility in the heart of Bris-tol, next to the railway station.”

� Prince Andrew visiting Bristol RoboticsLaboratory BRSG20140210B-01

� Prince Andrew talking to Nigel Legg at theEngine Shed business centre BRSG20140210A-15

� Right, thePrince atthe EngineShed; left,at theBristolRoboticsLaboratoryBRSG20140210B-03(left);BRSG20140210A-06

Get in the picture

GALLERIESGALORE

FOR MORE PICTURESCheck out our

website at

bristolpost.co.uk/business

*Telephone linesopenfrom8am-8pmMondaytoFriday,excludingbankholidays inEnglandandWales.Callsmaybe recordedandmonitoredfor securityandtrainingpurposes. BT landline calls to 0845 numbers will cost nomore than 5 pence perminute. Charges fromother service providersmay vary and calls frommobiles usuallycost more. Allied Irish Bank (GB) and Allied Irish Bank (GB) Savings Direct are trademarks used under licence by AIB Group (UK) p.l.c. (a wholly owned subsidiary ofAlliedIrishBanks,p.l.c.), incorporated inNorthernIreland.RegisteredOffice4Queen’sSquare,BelfastBT13DJ.RegisteredNumberNI018800.AuthorisedbythePrudentialRegulationAuthorityand regulatedbytheFinancialConductAuthorityandthePrudentialRegulationAuthority. AIB2 BO

“Who says banksaren’t lending?Ours has £250mfor owner managedbusinesses.”We’re not surprised to hear that our bank has set upa loan fund for businesses like ours. They funded thelaunch of our specialist care centre six years ago andthey recently lent us almost £2m to expand, creating50 new jobs. Like us, they care for the individual.

Dr. Angela Nall,General Manager, Pathfinders Complex and Specialist Care

Visit our website or call 0845 045 0900*

8am-8pmMonday to Friday to contact your local branch

Jason Fleming, Senior Branch Manager, Bristol Branch,19 Whiteladies Road, Clifton, Bristol BS8 1PB

Our business is business banking aibgb.co.uk

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6 We d n e s d a y, February 12, 2014 7We d n e s d a y, February 12, 2014 w w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/businessw w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/business

Bristol Post’sBristol Connected

In pictures B r i sto l ’s business community Send us photos from your event, withnames please, to business @b-nm.co.uk

Royal visit

The HR Dept10th birthday

� Jim Heal, Rudge Brothers, and James Flooring, with Alistair Watson,Science City Bristol BRML20140205H-003

� Debbie Pritchard, BDO, and Mark Warren, Jenner Property GroupBRML20140205H-004

� Catherine Frankpitt, LEP, and Mary Martin, Business WestBRML20140205H-008

� Zoe Colosio, Neighbourly, Jo Reid, Juliette Randall, Arnos ValeBRML20140205H-039

� Mike Jackson, WebStart Bristol, with Jonathan Williams, BishopFleming Pics: Michael Lloyd BRML20140205H-009

BRISTOL Connected – theBristol Post’s first new reg-ular networking event –got off to a fantastic startat the offices of account-

ants BDO.Tickets for the free event were

snapped up long before the day anddespite bad weather about 80 peoplewere there.

Paul Wilson, chief executive of theWest of England Local EnterprisePartnership, told attendees aboutthe success of the Going for Growthcampaign, run with the Po s t .

The campaign has seen so far£11.85 million in grants approvedfor local businesses to help themgrow and create jobs.

He shared a few of the successstories from the campaign, includ-ing Friska Foods, a fresh fast foodbusiness run by Ed Brown and Griff

Holland that has three outlets andnow plans to open more.

“Entrepreneurs like Ed and Griffare exactly what Bristol needs,”said Paul.

Graham Randall, head of the Bris-tol office of hosts BDO, talked about

the Business Pulse, a joined ini-tiative with the Po s t giving smalland medium-sized businesses avoice. The Pulse is a survey of busi-nesses’ views on issues chosen by ahigh-profile steering group.

Post assistant editor, Gavin

Thompson, said: “Our steeringgroup includes Bristol mayor Geo-rge Ferguson, LEP chairman ColinSkellett and Bristol chamber ex-ecutive director James Durie, so wereally do have the ear of the leaders,decision-makers and influencers.

“This is a great opportunity tomake your business heard.”

Nick Davies, chief executive ofNeighbourly, set out how the newsocial network will bring togetherbusinesses and communities to fillthe gap left by public sector cuts.

� The next event will be atThrings, off Victoria Street, from6-8pm on Wednesday, April 9. Toregister for tickets you must goonline to Eventbrite, where youcan find the event by searchingfor “Bristol Connected”.

� Phil Miller, Amy Morse, Matt Rogers and Ricki CritchellBRML20140205H-002

� Janis Sinton, Taste Tech; Gonzalo Trujillo, HeronCapital; and David Mouncey, Smith and Williams

� Above, Paul Wilson, LEP; right, guests at the eventnetworking and listening to a speaker

� The Prince at Bristol Robotics Laboratory Pics: Simon Galloway BRSG20140210B-09THE HR Dept celebrated 10 years inbusiness by taking a selection of cli-ents out to dinner at the Riversta-tion.

The employment advice specialist,based in Kendleshire, SouthGloucestershire, choose which cli-ents to entertain in a raffle.

The firm, which provides small andmedium-sized businesses with loc-ally-based advice and support, hasgrown to nearly 50 offices across theUK.

The HR Dept was launched by SueTumelty in late 2003. Having relo-

cated to Bristol with husband MikeStevenson after years of working inthe corporate world, Sue decided touse her expertise for the benefit ofsmaller businesses, whether theywere taking on their first member ofstaff or had several hundred employ-e e s.

Demand grew and she began toreceive inquiries from outside Bris-tol and the South West. Keen to keep

the localconnection tocustomers, Suecreated a licensee model, which seesHR experts launch and run HR Deptoffices around the UK under the HRDept brand.

Unlike traditional franchise oper-ations, however, The HR Dept's of-fices work together co-operatively,sharing skills and expertise and evencovering each other's holidays to en-sure clients can always access firstclass advice and support.

� Staff and guests celebrate the anniversary

PRINCE Andrew met entrepren-eurs and inventors on a visit toBristol this week.

The Duke of York went to theEngine Shed business centre inTemple Meads, where he met thefounders of companies in the Web-Start Bristol and SetSquared in-c u b at o r s.

He then called in at the BristolRobotics Laboratory, a joint projectbetween Bristol’s two universities,but based at UWE.

The Prince said: “I am very im-pressed with the connectivitybetween the universities and thebusiness world.

“There is no barrier today tostarting your own business, just aquestion of whether or not we havethe facilities, and this is a won-derful facility in the heart of Bris-tol, next to the railway station.”

� Prince Andrew visiting Bristol RoboticsLaboratory BRSG20140210B-01

� Prince Andrew talking to Nigel Legg at theEngine Shed business centre BRSG20140210A-15

� Right, thePrince atthe EngineShed; left,at theBristolRoboticsLaboratoryBRSG20140210B-03(left);BRSG20140210A-06

Get in the picture

GALLERIESGALORE

FOR MORE PICTURESCheck out our

website at

bristolpost.co.uk/business

*Telephone linesopenfrom8am-8pmMondaytoFriday,excludingbankholidays inEnglandandWales.Callsmaybe recordedandmonitoredfor securityandtrainingpurposes. BT landline calls to 0845 numbers will cost nomore than 5 pence perminute. Charges fromother service providersmay vary and calls frommobiles usuallycost more. Allied Irish Bank (GB) and Allied Irish Bank (GB) Savings Direct are trademarks used under licence by AIB Group (UK) p.l.c. (a wholly owned subsidiary ofAlliedIrishBanks,p.l.c.), incorporated inNorthernIreland.RegisteredOffice4Queen’sSquare,BelfastBT13DJ.RegisteredNumberNI018800.AuthorisedbythePrudentialRegulationAuthorityand regulatedbytheFinancialConductAuthorityandthePrudentialRegulationAuthority. AIB2 BO

“Who says banksaren’t lending?Ours has £250mfor owner managedbusinesses.”We’re not surprised to hear that our bank has set upa loan fund for businesses like ours. They funded thelaunch of our specialist care centre six years ago andthey recently lent us almost £2m to expand, creating50 new jobs. Like us, they care for the individual.

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Our business is business banking aibgb.co.uk

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8 We d n e s d a y, February 12, 2014 9We d n e s d a y, February 12, 2014 w w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/businessw w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/business

THE north Bristol fringe is theRolls-Royce of business dis-tricts. And not just becausethe engine-maker has a plantin Patchway.

The area, most of which actuallyfalls within the boundaries of SouthGloucestershire, is home to the city’smarquee industries of aerospace, ad-vanced engineering and silicon.

These are the industries Bristolcan shout about, upon which its glob-al reputation is built and on whichorganisations such as the West ofEngland Local Enterprise Partner-ship and Invest in Bristol and Bathwill promote brand Bristol.

The area has benefited from thecluster effect whereby expertise andtalent build up around successfulcompanies, such as Airbus.

The plane-maker employs 4,000people in Filton, more than 2,000 ofthem engineers. Workers at the sitedesign wings and design and testlanding gear across the fleet, as wellas assemble wings for the A400Mtransport plane before shipping themto Seville to be attached.

The man in charge of the Filtonoperation is 51-year-old Mark Stew-ar t.

“Airbus has built on 100 years ofaviation expertise in the region goingback to Sir George White (founder ofthe Bristol Aeroplane Company).”

He said Bristol had a “criticalmass” of aviation expertise, pointingto firms such as GKN which is majorsupplier to Airbus and the NationalComposite Centre in EmersonsGreen, in which Airbus is a key play-er. There are also a host of smallerfirms in the supply chain broughthere to be close to the big boys.

Mark added: “Filton is the engin-eering capital of the UK.”

It’s not just engineering. Since the1970s Bristol has become a hub forsilicon and semiconductors, secondonly to California.

Originally American firmFairchild Semiconductor opened adesign office here in 1972. One of itsteam Peter Cavill went on to establishInmos in 1978 which developed a newgeneration of microprocessor calledthe transputer. From there a clusterdeveloped that continues to growt o d ay.

The spirit of innovation is echoedacross other sectors too. The Bristoland Bath Science Park in EmersonsGreen houses dozens of high-techbusinesses, from a man who inventedheated gloves to keep his son’s handswarm playing rugby to Marine Cur-rent Turbines, a big player in thedevelopment of tidal powers o u rc e s.

Drive around the loop ofAztec West and the drabwarehouse buildingscontain a seeminglyendless number of suc-cessful businesses,from Aardman Anima-tions to Metryx, whichsupplies machines tomeasure the tiniest imper-fections in microchips duringmass production.

It wasn’t always such a buzzingbusiness hub, however. David Mace,regional senior director at propertyexperts GVA, said the real economicdriver for the city’s northern fringewas the building of the motorwaynetwork in the 1960s and 70s.

That infrastructure giving easy ac-

cess to London, the West Midlandsand the South West made the areaattractive to businesses and stands indirect comparison to the lack of in-vestment in anything similar forsouth Bristol.

The business property sector re-mains less buoyant than the city

centre, where the professionalservices firms such as law-

yers, bankers and account-ants want prominentbuildings with which toimpress their clients.But north Bristol ismore about making, cre-ating and getting things

done than showing off.Over the next few years,

t h e re ’s another industry get-ting things done here - house

building. With the sale of Filton air-field to developers and major devel-opments around Emersons Green,thousands of new homes will be ap-pearing.

Keith Simmons, managing directorof Taylor Wimpey in Bristol said“house building is bu s i n e s s ” and onethat will be in the area for some time

as these big developments unfold.“If you build 100 homes a year,

t h at ’s 150 jobs on site,” he said. “If wewere opening a factory employing 150people, they’d give us a grant.”

These new homes will in turn bringthousands of new people with theirspending power to the area, needingfurniture, removals, white goods,professional services and so on.

The developments will also meanmore employment land, usually aplanning condition of building largenumbers of homes.

Mr Mace explained: “House build-ers realise they have got to bringemployment too. Planning require-ments are very much driving forpeople to be able to live, work and playin the same location.”

With Cribbs Causeway’s shops andentertainment nearby, plans to de-velop Bristol Zoo’s Wild Place animalpark and an application currentlygoing through the council for a man-made surfing lake in the area, com-bined with the skilled, high qualityjobs already there, it’s an ambitionthe northern Bristol fringe is verywell-placed to deliver.

Boasting some of the city’sbiggest employers, Bristol’snorthern fringe of Filton,Emersons Green and CribbsCauseway is booming, asGavin Thompson reports

Silicon heritage proves crucialCase study

� Nvidia’s mobile technology engineering facility at Aztec West

North Bristol focus

THE activity level of de-velopers based in NorthBristol, and more spe-cifically South Glouc-estershire are encour-

agingly high.There has been a substantial

increase over the last decade andthis has been predominatelybased around the residential sec-t o r.

The majority of this recent res-idential development has re-volved around the major Plcs,who have the largest appetite.

The current planning of LydeGreen is a good example of this,but many more instances of de-velopment exist.

The Crest development atHarry Stoke and the proposedscheme for the former FiltonAirfield site by Bridge Houseand BEA both support this re-cent expansion.

This will provide a combin-ation of at least 8,000 new homesand 60 hectares of employmentland. This has the ability to cre-ate in the region of 1,000 newj o b s.

The new residential and com-mercial development is positivefor South Gloucestershire andNorth Bristol, but there are con-cerns that this increase in activ-ity may lead to strains on thelocal infrastructure.

There is a desperate need forthe local government to ensurethis is avoided.

There must be sufficient or-ganisation to ensure the neces-sary arrangements are in placeto amalgamate this new businesss u c c e s s f u l ly.

The creation of local enter-prise partnerships to assist thisis of limited help. The economy iscurrently too dependent on anarrow range of industry sec-t o r s.

It is now vital that local au-thorities provide more supportto reduce burdens for busi-nesses, particularly in terms ofplanning, lower tax levels, andother administrative burdens.

If achieved, South Gloucester-shire can look forward to being amore competitive region withinNorth Bristol.

Peter WhiteSenior director andhead of Bristol agencyBNP Paribasp e t e r. w h i t e@bnpparibas.co.uk

Vital to easeburdens onb u s i n esses

Expert eye

Northern heights The industriesmaking mark for city worldwide

� TAYLOR Wimpey has longrecognised the potential of the northBristol area and in recognition ofthat potential we’re due to startwork on a major new residentialdevelopment in Emersons Greenwithin the next two weeks.

The initial 223 two-bedroomapartments and two, three, four andfive-bedroom houses will comprisethe first phase of the Lyde Greendevelopment, which will ultimatelydeliver more than 2,000 new homes,together with a range of communityfacilities including primary andsecondary schools, a communityhall and sports pitches.

Not only is this fantastic news forthose seeking a new place to live, itwill bring significant economicbenefits to the region. As part of ourSection 106 agreement, we will bemaking a number of financialcontributions towards highwaysimprovements and public transport,primary and secondary education,health provision, library services,public art and the community forest.

In fact, Taylor Wimpey Bristolcontributed a massive £7 milliontowards local infrastructure during2012 for the benefit of thecommunities where we build ournew homes, and the companycontributed £175m nationally.

There is further investment tocome for the local area under the

Unlocking the potentialoffered by north BristolH o u se b u i l d e r ’sv i ew p o i n t

� Keith Simmons, managing director of Taylor Wimpey Bristol

area – Cossham Street inMangotsfield and Somerdale inKeynsham. We recognise thedemand for high-quality housing inthis beautiful part of the country andare determined to unlock thedevelopment potential of each ofthese sustainable locations.

And with each development thatgets the go-ahead we will bemaking a number of financialcontributions towards improvingcommunity facilities in the local areaas part of the planning agreement.

Our commitment to pursuing newdevelopment in the Bristol areademonstrates that the industrycontinues to thrive.

Consumer confidence is

New Homes Bonus – an initiativethat enables local authorities toshare in the economic benefits thatdevelopment brings through theGovernment match-funding thecouncil tax raised from the buildingof new homes for six years, with anadditional amount for affordablehomes.

Another positive effect ourdevelopment will have in the regionis the creation of new jobs.Research by Michael Ball, professorof urban and property regenerationat Reading University, suggests thatevery new home built creates 1.5full-time ‘direct jobs’, while theHome Builders Federation estimatesthat an additional 4.5 jobs arecreated indirectly through the supplychain.

At Lyde Green, the result isapproximately 375 new on-site jobsand more than 1,000 supplier jobs.

An influx of workers to the areawill have a positive knock-on effectfor local businesses, from the petrolstation where they fill up their workvans to the local cafe where theybuy a sandwich at lunchtime. Localsuppliers to the construction tradewill also see a rise in trade.

Lyde Green represents asignificant investment in the northBristol area and is just the start ofmore to come.

Taylor Wimpey is actively seekingfurther residential developmentopportunities across the SouthWest, where there is a recognisedneed for housing.

We have already presentedproposals for a further twodevelopments in the greater Bristol

returning to the housing market andthe Government’s hugely popularHelp to Buy scheme is givingfirst-time buyers the opportunity tostep on to the property ladder, whileexisting homeowners are takingadvantage of the scheme to tradeup.

Under Help to Buy, purchaserscan secure a Government loan for20 per cent of the full price of theirnew home – meaning they onlyrequire a 75 per cent loan-to-valuemortgage and a five per centdeposit.

Thousands of homebuyers havebenefited from Help to Buy since itwas launched last April, and manymore are expected to take

advantage of the scheme in 2014.As further evidence of the strength

of the market, Taylor Wimpey Bristolis investing in more staff and iscurrently seeking three managementtrainees and three apprentice sitemanagers to oversee severalexciting new developments whichare being brought forward in thelocal area.

This investment in staff reflectsour confidence in the market as weexpect demand for high-quality newhomes to continue to rise in theSouth West.

To register an interest in one ofour superb new homes at LydeGreen, house-hunters can visitw w w. t a y l o r w i m p e y. c o . u k .

By Keith Simmons,of Taylor Wimpey

� WITH chips and processors inmany of the mobile phones andtablets on the market today, Nvidiais an example of a thriving sectorin north Bristol.

The firm, which employs 203people and continues to grow, lastyear moved into new offices inAztec West.

It could have moved away fromthe area, but Bristol’s strongheritage in silicon was a strongfactor in staying local.

Pete Hughes, vice president,modem hardware and silicon,said: “Bristol is one of a handful oflocations worldwide that is acentre of excellence formicroprocessor and wirelesscommunications expertise.”

Steve Allpress, vice president,mobile communications software,

agreed, pointing to the stronguniversities of Bristol, UWE andBath providing a good crop ofpotential candidates and thestrong history of “siliconexpertise”, which dates back to1972 when American firm FairchildSemiconductor chose Bristol tolocate a design office.

Mr Allpress said: “Thetechnology we develop here inBristol delivers the latest 4Gfunctionality to smartphones,tablets and other connecteddevices – and it takes the smartestengineers to develop.

“Bristol is a great area to recruitengineering talent, with access to

students from great institutionslike the University of Bristol.”

However, the specialisednature of the work means thatnew recruits need more trainingbefore they can be let loose onp ro d u c t s .

Those very smart people work inwhat looks rather like astripped-down, open-plan officethat hasn’t been decorated yet,and with a lot more plug sockets.

Here the developers and testerssit prodding, poking and creating.There are hot and cold areas totest chips in different climates.They even have a mobile phonebase station, so they can testchips in different devices in areal-life situation.

Nvidia hopes to grow to 250employees over the next twoyears. That expansion is a vote ofconfidence in the future of thenorth Bristol area.

� An apprentice work on a A400M wing cover; below, Mark Stewart

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8 We d n e s d a y, February 12, 2014 9We d n e s d a y, February 12, 2014 w w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/businessw w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/business

THE north Bristol fringe is theRolls-Royce of business dis-tricts. And not just becausethe engine-maker has a plantin Patchway.

The area, most of which actuallyfalls within the boundaries of SouthGloucestershire, is home to the city’smarquee industries of aerospace, ad-vanced engineering and silicon.

These are the industries Bristolcan shout about, upon which its glob-al reputation is built and on whichorganisations such as the West ofEngland Local Enterprise Partner-ship and Invest in Bristol and Bathwill promote brand Bristol.

The area has benefited from thecluster effect whereby expertise andtalent build up around successfulcompanies, such as Airbus.

The plane-maker employs 4,000people in Filton, more than 2,000 ofthem engineers. Workers at the sitedesign wings and design and testlanding gear across the fleet, as wellas assemble wings for the A400Mtransport plane before shipping themto Seville to be attached.

The man in charge of the Filtonoperation is 51-year-old Mark Stew-ar t.

“Airbus has built on 100 years ofaviation expertise in the region goingback to Sir George White (founder ofthe Bristol Aeroplane Company).”

He said Bristol had a “criticalmass” of aviation expertise, pointingto firms such as GKN which is majorsupplier to Airbus and the NationalComposite Centre in EmersonsGreen, in which Airbus is a key play-er. There are also a host of smallerfirms in the supply chain broughthere to be close to the big boys.

Mark added: “Filton is the engin-eering capital of the UK.”

It’s not just engineering. Since the1970s Bristol has become a hub forsilicon and semiconductors, secondonly to California.

Originally American firmFairchild Semiconductor opened adesign office here in 1972. One of itsteam Peter Cavill went on to establishInmos in 1978 which developed a newgeneration of microprocessor calledthe transputer. From there a clusterdeveloped that continues to growt o d ay.

The spirit of innovation is echoedacross other sectors too. The Bristoland Bath Science Park in EmersonsGreen houses dozens of high-techbusinesses, from a man who inventedheated gloves to keep his son’s handswarm playing rugby to Marine Cur-rent Turbines, a big player in thedevelopment of tidal powers o u rc e s.

Drive around the loop ofAztec West and the drabwarehouse buildingscontain a seeminglyendless number of suc-cessful businesses,from Aardman Anima-tions to Metryx, whichsupplies machines tomeasure the tiniest imper-fections in microchips duringmass production.

It wasn’t always such a buzzingbusiness hub, however. David Mace,regional senior director at propertyexperts GVA, said the real economicdriver for the city’s northern fringewas the building of the motorwaynetwork in the 1960s and 70s.

That infrastructure giving easy ac-

cess to London, the West Midlandsand the South West made the areaattractive to businesses and stands indirect comparison to the lack of in-vestment in anything similar forsouth Bristol.

The business property sector re-mains less buoyant than the city

centre, where the professionalservices firms such as law-

yers, bankers and account-ants want prominentbuildings with which toimpress their clients.But north Bristol ismore about making, cre-ating and getting things

done than showing off.Over the next few years,

t h e re ’s another industry get-ting things done here - house

building. With the sale of Filton air-field to developers and major devel-opments around Emersons Green,thousands of new homes will be ap-pearing.

Keith Simmons, managing directorof Taylor Wimpey in Bristol said“house building is bu s i n e s s ” and onethat will be in the area for some time

as these big developments unfold.“If you build 100 homes a year,

t h at ’s 150 jobs on site,” he said. “If wewere opening a factory employing 150people, they’d give us a grant.”

These new homes will in turn bringthousands of new people with theirspending power to the area, needingfurniture, removals, white goods,professional services and so on.

The developments will also meanmore employment land, usually aplanning condition of building largenumbers of homes.

Mr Mace explained: “House build-ers realise they have got to bringemployment too. Planning require-ments are very much driving forpeople to be able to live, work and playin the same location.”

With Cribbs Causeway’s shops andentertainment nearby, plans to de-velop Bristol Zoo’s Wild Place animalpark and an application currentlygoing through the council for a man-made surfing lake in the area, com-bined with the skilled, high qualityjobs already there, it’s an ambitionthe northern Bristol fringe is verywell-placed to deliver.

Boasting some of the city’sbiggest employers, Bristol’snorthern fringe of Filton,Emersons Green and CribbsCauseway is booming, asGavin Thompson reports

Silicon heritage proves crucialCase study

� Nvidia’s mobile technology engineering facility at Aztec West

North Bristol focus

THE activity level of de-velopers based in NorthBristol, and more spe-cifically South Glouc-estershire are encour-

agingly high.There has been a substantial

increase over the last decade andthis has been predominatelybased around the residential sec-t o r.

The majority of this recent res-idential development has re-volved around the major Plcs,who have the largest appetite.

The current planning of LydeGreen is a good example of this,but many more instances of de-velopment exist.

The Crest development atHarry Stoke and the proposedscheme for the former FiltonAirfield site by Bridge Houseand BEA both support this re-cent expansion.

This will provide a combin-ation of at least 8,000 new homesand 60 hectares of employmentland. This has the ability to cre-ate in the region of 1,000 newj o b s.

The new residential and com-mercial development is positivefor South Gloucestershire andNorth Bristol, but there are con-cerns that this increase in activ-ity may lead to strains on thelocal infrastructure.

There is a desperate need forthe local government to ensurethis is avoided.

There must be sufficient or-ganisation to ensure the neces-sary arrangements are in placeto amalgamate this new businesss u c c e s s f u l ly.

The creation of local enter-prise partnerships to assist thisis of limited help. The economy iscurrently too dependent on anarrow range of industry sec-t o r s.

It is now vital that local au-thorities provide more supportto reduce burdens for busi-nesses, particularly in terms ofplanning, lower tax levels, andother administrative burdens.

If achieved, South Gloucester-shire can look forward to being amore competitive region withinNorth Bristol.

Peter WhiteSenior director andhead of Bristol agencyBNP Paribasp e t e r. w h i t e@bnpparibas.co.uk

Vital to easeburdens onb u s i n esses

Expert eye

Northern heights The industriesmaking mark for city worldwide

� TAYLOR Wimpey has longrecognised the potential of the northBristol area and in recognition ofthat potential we’re due to startwork on a major new residentialdevelopment in Emersons Greenwithin the next two weeks.

The initial 223 two-bedroomapartments and two, three, four andfive-bedroom houses will comprisethe first phase of the Lyde Greendevelopment, which will ultimatelydeliver more than 2,000 new homes,together with a range of communityfacilities including primary andsecondary schools, a communityhall and sports pitches.

Not only is this fantastic news forthose seeking a new place to live, itwill bring significant economicbenefits to the region. As part of ourSection 106 agreement, we will bemaking a number of financialcontributions towards highwaysimprovements and public transport,primary and secondary education,health provision, library services,public art and the community forest.

In fact, Taylor Wimpey Bristolcontributed a massive £7 milliontowards local infrastructure during2012 for the benefit of thecommunities where we build ournew homes, and the companycontributed £175m nationally.

There is further investment tocome for the local area under the

Unlocking the potentialoffered by north BristolH o u se b u i l d e r ’sv i ew p o i n t

� Keith Simmons, managing director of Taylor Wimpey Bristol

area – Cossham Street inMangotsfield and Somerdale inKeynsham. We recognise thedemand for high-quality housing inthis beautiful part of the country andare determined to unlock thedevelopment potential of each ofthese sustainable locations.

And with each development thatgets the go-ahead we will bemaking a number of financialcontributions towards improvingcommunity facilities in the local areaas part of the planning agreement.

Our commitment to pursuing newdevelopment in the Bristol areademonstrates that the industrycontinues to thrive.

Consumer confidence is

New Homes Bonus – an initiativethat enables local authorities toshare in the economic benefits thatdevelopment brings through theGovernment match-funding thecouncil tax raised from the buildingof new homes for six years, with anadditional amount for affordablehomes.

Another positive effect ourdevelopment will have in the regionis the creation of new jobs.Research by Michael Ball, professorof urban and property regenerationat Reading University, suggests thatevery new home built creates 1.5full-time ‘direct jobs’, while theHome Builders Federation estimatesthat an additional 4.5 jobs arecreated indirectly through the supplychain.

At Lyde Green, the result isapproximately 375 new on-site jobsand more than 1,000 supplier jobs.

An influx of workers to the areawill have a positive knock-on effectfor local businesses, from the petrolstation where they fill up their workvans to the local cafe where theybuy a sandwich at lunchtime. Localsuppliers to the construction tradewill also see a rise in trade.

Lyde Green represents asignificant investment in the northBristol area and is just the start ofmore to come.

Taylor Wimpey is actively seekingfurther residential developmentopportunities across the SouthWest, where there is a recognisedneed for housing.

We have already presentedproposals for a further twodevelopments in the greater Bristol

returning to the housing market andthe Government’s hugely popularHelp to Buy scheme is givingfirst-time buyers the opportunity tostep on to the property ladder, whileexisting homeowners are takingadvantage of the scheme to tradeup.

Under Help to Buy, purchaserscan secure a Government loan for20 per cent of the full price of theirnew home – meaning they onlyrequire a 75 per cent loan-to-valuemortgage and a five per centdeposit.

Thousands of homebuyers havebenefited from Help to Buy since itwas launched last April, and manymore are expected to take

advantage of the scheme in 2014.As further evidence of the strength

of the market, Taylor Wimpey Bristolis investing in more staff and iscurrently seeking three managementtrainees and three apprentice sitemanagers to oversee severalexciting new developments whichare being brought forward in thelocal area.

This investment in staff reflectsour confidence in the market as weexpect demand for high-quality newhomes to continue to rise in theSouth West.

To register an interest in one ofour superb new homes at LydeGreen, house-hunters can visitw w w. t a y l o r w i m p e y. c o . u k .

By Keith Simmons,of Taylor Wimpey

� WITH chips and processors inmany of the mobile phones andtablets on the market today, Nvidiais an example of a thriving sectorin north Bristol.

The firm, which employs 203people and continues to grow, lastyear moved into new offices inAztec West.

It could have moved away fromthe area, but Bristol’s strongheritage in silicon was a strongfactor in staying local.

Pete Hughes, vice president,modem hardware and silicon,said: “Bristol is one of a handful oflocations worldwide that is acentre of excellence formicroprocessor and wirelesscommunications expertise.”

Steve Allpress, vice president,mobile communications software,

agreed, pointing to the stronguniversities of Bristol, UWE andBath providing a good crop ofpotential candidates and thestrong history of “siliconexpertise”, which dates back to1972 when American firm FairchildSemiconductor chose Bristol tolocate a design office.

Mr Allpress said: “Thetechnology we develop here inBristol delivers the latest 4Gfunctionality to smartphones,tablets and other connecteddevices – and it takes the smartestengineers to develop.

“Bristol is a great area to recruitengineering talent, with access to

students from great institutionslike the University of Bristol.”

However, the specialisednature of the work means thatnew recruits need more trainingbefore they can be let loose onp ro d u c t s .

Those very smart people work inwhat looks rather like astripped-down, open-plan officethat hasn’t been decorated yet,and with a lot more plug sockets.

Here the developers and testerssit prodding, poking and creating.There are hot and cold areas totest chips in different climates.They even have a mobile phonebase station, so they can testchips in different devices in areal-life situation.

Nvidia hopes to grow to 250employees over the next twoyears. That expansion is a vote ofconfidence in the future of thenorth Bristol area.

� An apprentice work on a A400M wing cover; below, Mark Stewart

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10 We d n e s d a y, February 12, 2014 11We d n e s d a y, February 12, 2014 w w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/businessw w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/business

The Big Interview

IT all started with a beer, DonCameron tells me when I askhow his career in balloon mak-ing, which recently saw him ap-pointed MBE in the New Year

Honours, began.“People ask me how I got started

and I put it down to drink,” he says.“I used to be a member of a gliding

club and in the bar one day a few of usstarted talking about this new kind ofballoon that had just been invented inthe States using propane burners andnylon fabric.

“We ended up building the firstmodern hot air balloon in WesternEurope. We started to do bits forother people then it became apart-time job. Eventually I gave upmy real job and started developing

the balloon business.”The business has grown from Don’s

Cotham home, spent a decade in StM i ch a e l ’s Parish Hall nearby, beforemoving to Bedminster more than 30years ago. That he doesn’t regard it asa real job tells you something aboutthe adventure Don has been on.

But that doesn’t mean it hasbeen easy.

“The UK needs people to start busi-n e s s e s, ” he says. “But it’s hard work,you certainly don’t work 9-5. I re-member I worked a whole year wheremy income was negative. But it’sworth it in the end – it’s fun apartfrom anything else.

“I’m lucky in the sense that mybusiness is a bit spectacular, al-though that does mean we have a lotof competition. If you want to makemoney, go into a business like clean-ing drains – something that no oneelse wants to do.”

The balloon business attracts manyenthusiasts, which means they areprepared to do more for less money.That said, it’s not cheap. A standardballoon will set you back around£20,000. If you want it shaped like amagic castle or Darth Vader’s head itcould near £100,000.

And despite the fun, it’s not a busi-ness on an upward trajectory. Camer-on Balloons has been making fewerand fewer balloons each year, from130 in 2010 to just 82 last year.

Don has no doubt where the blamel i e s.

m a ch i n e ”, as Don puts it.Sewing machines take up the top

floor of the factory, while on theground floor are the engineers, bas-kets, administration staff and moresewing machines (easier access forrepairs). The middle floor is largelyempty, so there is room to “s p re a dthings out” when putting the balloonsto gether.

One of the ways it is trying to beatthe regulation issues is with exportsfurther afield.

Europe has been its biggest marketbut balloons are gaining popularityin the Far East, with Myanmar andTaiwan among the destinations forCameron Balloons’ g o o d s.

‘RED TAPE IS DRIVING PEOPLE OUT OF BALLOONING’He’s been one of thecity’s businesshigh-flyers - literally -for years. Don Camerontells Gavin Thompsonabout balloons, red tapeand adventures overthe Atlantic

from getting into ballooning, theylook at the costs and everything that’sinvolved and say ‘blow it’.”

Examples of that red tape includepilots having to be re-tested every fewyears, balloons having to undergomore lengthy airworthiness tests andgetting “certification to prove youhave a certificate”. All of which costsmoney and time. Don says you used tobe able to get an inspector to look atyour balloon “for a beer” but nowbecause the test is more involved andtakes much longer, you have to pay. Ifyou can find an inspector – as manyhave got fed-up and quit.

The problem, it seems, lies in thetransfer for control from the Civil

Name: Don CameronAge: 74 but not planning toretire yet!Place of birth: GlasgowSchool: Allan Glen’s (a grammartype school with a science bias)First job: Bristol AeroplaneCompanyHero or inspiration: Myg r a n d f a t h e r.

Vital statistics

Customers over the years havebeen varied. Don is proud that theonly two balloons to go all the wayaround the world were made by thefirm, one co-piloted by then employeeBrian Jones.

And he’s something of an adven-turer himself, having both failed thensucceeded in crossing the Atlantic ina balloon and being the first and onlyperson to fly from the UK to the SovietUnion by such a mode of transport.

“No one will take that record fromm e, ” chuckles Don.

“The Soviet Union ceased to existsoon afterwards.

“That trip was as much a triumphover bureaucracy than technical

challenges. It took an age to get per-mission and in the end they insisted Ihad a Russian co-pilot. It worked outwell though and he became a goodfriend. The only thing was every timehe come over to Bristol he wouldbring along a bottle of vodka...”

Don still flies regularly, thoughh a s n’t been up in a balloon for aboutthree months largely due to thedreadful weather of late. But he’slooking forward to his next oppor-t u n i t y.

He says: “It’s an adventure everytime you get in a balloon. It’s a jour-ney with an unknown destination.”

Not unlike running a business,p e r h ap s.

Aviation Authority to the EuropeanAir Safety Agency.

But despite the problems,77-year-old Don has no plans tostep back from the business heclearly loves.

“T hey’ll probably have to carry meout of here in a box,” he says.

The firm, in St John’s Street, Bed-minster, employs 60 people includingengineers working on burners andfans, and machinists sewing the bal-loons together.

Some of the technology has de-veloped over the years, such as com-puter cutting of letters and the waysome of the balloons are designed, but“a sewing machine is still a sewing

THE BIG INTERVIEW WITH DON CAMERON

bristolpost.co.uk/business

Find outwhat adviceDon has forstar t-upb u s i n essesby visitingour website

“Regulation of the balloon industryhas moved to Europe and because thenew regulator is very lazy it regulatesballoons as if they are a small aero-p l a n e, ” he says.

“This has massively increasedcosts and is driving people out ofballooning.”

Don explains that the burden of redtape is perhaps more manageable forthe pleasure trip balloon firms, asthey can spread the cost over manyflights. But it is prohibitive for theprivate enthusiasts.

“If you only fly your balloon a fewtimes a year, this is adding hundredsof pounds to the cost of every flight,”says Don. “It is putting off new people

Don Cameron

“The UK needs people tostart businesses. But it’shard work, you certainlydon’t work 9-5. I remember Iworked a whole year wheremy income was negative.But it’s worth it in the end –it’s fun apart from anythingelse.

My working dayWake up: 7amBreakfast: Egg and beans sometimesStart work: 9ishTypical working day: U n p re d i c t a b l e !Go home: Typically 5.30pmTake work home/attend evening functions: Ye s ,often

My downtimePerfect weekend: I go to balloon events quite a lot inthe summer.Favourite book or film or TV show: I don’t watch TV alot, but I have many books.Hobbies: Too many – I am convenor for philosophy atthe Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution. ViceChairman of the Town Council in Portishead. A memberof the Royal Aero Club Council and the British Balloonand Airship Club Committee. Sailing, ballooning.Member of the Balloon Fiesta Committee. I do a littlebit for the Children’s Hospice and the BristolSamaritans. I speak at Burns Suppers (but only in lateJanuary).

Business diary

Email your business events togavin.thompson@b-nm.co.uk.Events are sometimescancelled without us beingnotified so please check withorganisers before travelling.

Chinese New Year Reception:Bristol China Partnershipwelcomes the Year of the Horsewith gala banquet at Zen tonight.Tickets £40 for members and£50 for non-members. ContactDianne.francombe@bristol-china-partnership.com orcall 0117 956 7096.

We d n e s d a y @ 6 : Bristol Instituteof Directors informal freenetworking at The Radisson Blufrom 6-8pm, February 19. Call0117 3707785 to register.

FSB South Gloucestershireseminar: Wednesday, February26, 6.45pm-9.45pm, Aztec WestHotel, Almondsbury, BS32 4TS.Register at www.fsb.org.uk.

Ready for business workshop:Workshops for anyone who isexploring starting a business atBrave, The Coach House, UpperYork Street, Bristol, 10am-4pm,Thursday, February 27. Free.Contact r eadyforbusiness@businesswest.co.uk.

Emerging Europe trademission: Join Trade MinisterLord Livingstone on mission todiscover benefits of exporting toa region with huge potential fornovice and experiencedexporters in Poland, CzechRepublic, Hungary and Slovakia.March 3-7. ContactAngela.Maynard-Smith@uktisouthwest.org.

FSB Bristol branch networkingevent: Free for membersnetworking, 9.30am-11.30am,Wednesday, March 5,9.30am-11.30am, 1 FriaryTemple Quay BS1 6EA. Registerat www.fsb.org.uk.

We d n e s d a y @ 6 : Bristol Instituteof Directors informal freenetworking at The Radisson Blufrom 6-8pm, March 5. Call 01173707785 to register.

The Set.Social: Monthlyinformal networking night at TheSet, a collaboration club at BathRoad Studios. First Wednesdayof every month, aims to bringtogether like-minded people inthe South of Bristol to Meet.Think. Create over drinks andcanapés. from 6pm

Bristol Chamber of Commercenetworking breakfast: Liaisewith like minded people andenjoy a full English breakfast inthe contemporary setting ofGoldbrick House.7.30am-9.30am, Thursday,March 6. £11 members, £20non-members. Contactevents@businesswest.co.uk.

Ready for business workshop:Workshops for anyone who isexploring the concept of startinga business at Leigh Court,Abbots Leigh, BS8 3RA,10am-4pm, Tuesday, March 11.Contact readyforbusiness@businesswest.co.uk.

Doing Business in India: UKIndia Business Council is takinga business delegation to Delhi,Gurgaon and Bangalore, March10-17. Contact angela.m a y n a rd - s m i t h @ u k t i s o u t h w e s t . o rg .

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10 We d n e s d a y, February 12, 2014 11We d n e s d a y, February 12, 2014 w w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/businessw w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/business

The Big Interview

IT all started with a beer, DonCameron tells me when I askhow his career in balloon mak-ing, which recently saw him ap-pointed MBE in the New Year

Honours, began.“People ask me how I got started

and I put it down to drink,” he says.“I used to be a member of a gliding

club and in the bar one day a few of usstarted talking about this new kind ofballoon that had just been invented inthe States using propane burners andnylon fabric.

“We ended up building the firstmodern hot air balloon in WesternEurope. We started to do bits forother people then it became apart-time job. Eventually I gave upmy real job and started developing

the balloon business.”The business has grown from Don’s

Cotham home, spent a decade in StM i ch a e l ’s Parish Hall nearby, beforemoving to Bedminster more than 30years ago. That he doesn’t regard it asa real job tells you something aboutthe adventure Don has been on.

But that doesn’t mean it hasbeen easy.

“The UK needs people to start busi-n e s s e s, ” he says. “But it’s hard work,you certainly don’t work 9-5. I re-member I worked a whole year wheremy income was negative. But it’sworth it in the end – it’s fun apartfrom anything else.

“I’m lucky in the sense that mybusiness is a bit spectacular, al-though that does mean we have a lotof competition. If you want to makemoney, go into a business like clean-ing drains – something that no oneelse wants to do.”

The balloon business attracts manyenthusiasts, which means they areprepared to do more for less money.That said, it’s not cheap. A standardballoon will set you back around£20,000. If you want it shaped like amagic castle or Darth Vader’s head itcould near £100,000.

And despite the fun, it’s not a busi-ness on an upward trajectory. Camer-on Balloons has been making fewerand fewer balloons each year, from130 in 2010 to just 82 last year.

Don has no doubt where the blamel i e s.

m a ch i n e ”, as Don puts it.Sewing machines take up the top

floor of the factory, while on theground floor are the engineers, bas-kets, administration staff and moresewing machines (easier access forrepairs). The middle floor is largelyempty, so there is room to “s p re a dthings out” when putting the balloonsto gether.

One of the ways it is trying to beatthe regulation issues is with exportsfurther afield.

Europe has been its biggest marketbut balloons are gaining popularityin the Far East, with Myanmar andTaiwan among the destinations forCameron Balloons’ g o o d s.

‘RED TAPE IS DRIVING PEOPLE OUT OF BALLOONING’He’s been one of thecity’s businesshigh-flyers - literally -for years. Don Camerontells Gavin Thompsonabout balloons, red tapeand adventures overthe Atlantic

from getting into ballooning, theylook at the costs and everything that’sinvolved and say ‘blow it’.”

Examples of that red tape includepilots having to be re-tested every fewyears, balloons having to undergomore lengthy airworthiness tests andgetting “certification to prove youhave a certificate”. All of which costsmoney and time. Don says you used tobe able to get an inspector to look atyour balloon “for a beer” but nowbecause the test is more involved andtakes much longer, you have to pay. Ifyou can find an inspector – as manyhave got fed-up and quit.

The problem, it seems, lies in thetransfer for control from the Civil

Name: Don CameronAge: 74 but not planning toretire yet!Place of birth: GlasgowSchool: Allan Glen’s (a grammartype school with a science bias)First job: Bristol AeroplaneCompanyHero or inspiration: Myg r a n d f a t h e r.

Vital statistics

Customers over the years havebeen varied. Don is proud that theonly two balloons to go all the wayaround the world were made by thefirm, one co-piloted by then employeeBrian Jones.

And he’s something of an adven-turer himself, having both failed thensucceeded in crossing the Atlantic ina balloon and being the first and onlyperson to fly from the UK to the SovietUnion by such a mode of transport.

“No one will take that record fromm e, ” chuckles Don.

“The Soviet Union ceased to existsoon afterwards.

“That trip was as much a triumphover bureaucracy than technical

challenges. It took an age to get per-mission and in the end they insisted Ihad a Russian co-pilot. It worked outwell though and he became a goodfriend. The only thing was every timehe come over to Bristol he wouldbring along a bottle of vodka...”

Don still flies regularly, thoughh a s n’t been up in a balloon for aboutthree months largely due to thedreadful weather of late. But he’slooking forward to his next oppor-t u n i t y.

He says: “It’s an adventure everytime you get in a balloon. It’s a jour-ney with an unknown destination.”

Not unlike running a business,p e r h ap s.

Aviation Authority to the EuropeanAir Safety Agency.

But despite the problems,77-year-old Don has no plans tostep back from the business heclearly loves.

“T hey’ll probably have to carry meout of here in a box,” he says.

The firm, in St John’s Street, Bed-minster, employs 60 people includingengineers working on burners andfans, and machinists sewing the bal-loons together.

Some of the technology has de-veloped over the years, such as com-puter cutting of letters and the waysome of the balloons are designed, but“a sewing machine is still a sewing

THE BIG INTERVIEW WITH DON CAMERON

bristolpost.co.uk/business

Find outwhat adviceDon has forstar t-upb u s i n essesby visitingour website

“Regulation of the balloon industryhas moved to Europe and because thenew regulator is very lazy it regulatesballoons as if they are a small aero-p l a n e, ” he says.

“This has massively increasedcosts and is driving people out ofballooning.”

Don explains that the burden of redtape is perhaps more manageable forthe pleasure trip balloon firms, asthey can spread the cost over manyflights. But it is prohibitive for theprivate enthusiasts.

“If you only fly your balloon a fewtimes a year, this is adding hundredsof pounds to the cost of every flight,”says Don. “It is putting off new people

Don Cameron

“The UK needs people tostart businesses. But it’shard work, you certainlydon’t work 9-5. I remember Iworked a whole year wheremy income was negative.But it’s worth it in the end –it’s fun apart from anythingelse.

My working dayWake up: 7amBreakfast: Egg and beans sometimesStart work: 9ishTypical working day: U n p re d i c t a b l e !Go home: Typically 5.30pmTake work home/attend evening functions: Ye s ,often

My downtimePerfect weekend: I go to balloon events quite a lot inthe summer.Favourite book or film or TV show: I don’t watch TV alot, but I have many books.Hobbies: Too many – I am convenor for philosophy atthe Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution. ViceChairman of the Town Council in Portishead. A memberof the Royal Aero Club Council and the British Balloonand Airship Club Committee. Sailing, ballooning.Member of the Balloon Fiesta Committee. I do a littlebit for the Children’s Hospice and the BristolSamaritans. I speak at Burns Suppers (but only in lateJanuary).

Business diary

Email your business events togavin.thompson@b-nm.co.uk.Events are sometimescancelled without us beingnotified so please check withorganisers before travelling.

Chinese New Year Reception:Bristol China Partnershipwelcomes the Year of the Horsewith gala banquet at Zen tonight.Tickets £40 for members and£50 for non-members. ContactDianne.francombe@bristol-china-partnership.com orcall 0117 956 7096.

We d n e s d a y @ 6 : Bristol Instituteof Directors informal freenetworking at The Radisson Blufrom 6-8pm, February 19. Call0117 3707785 to register.

FSB South Gloucestershireseminar: Wednesday, February26, 6.45pm-9.45pm, Aztec WestHotel, Almondsbury, BS32 4TS.Register at www.fsb.org.uk.

Ready for business workshop:Workshops for anyone who isexploring starting a business atBrave, The Coach House, UpperYork Street, Bristol, 10am-4pm,Thursday, February 27. Free.Contact r eadyforbusiness@businesswest.co.uk.

Emerging Europe trademission: Join Trade MinisterLord Livingstone on mission todiscover benefits of exporting toa region with huge potential fornovice and experiencedexporters in Poland, CzechRepublic, Hungary and Slovakia.March 3-7. ContactAngela.Maynard-Smith@uktisouthwest.org.

FSB Bristol branch networkingevent: Free for membersnetworking, 9.30am-11.30am,Wednesday, March 5,9.30am-11.30am, 1 FriaryTemple Quay BS1 6EA. Registerat www.fsb.org.uk.

We d n e s d a y @ 6 : Bristol Instituteof Directors informal freenetworking at The Radisson Blufrom 6-8pm, March 5. Call 01173707785 to register.

The Set.Social: Monthlyinformal networking night at TheSet, a collaboration club at BathRoad Studios. First Wednesdayof every month, aims to bringtogether like-minded people inthe South of Bristol to Meet.Think. Create over drinks andcanapés. from 6pm

Bristol Chamber of Commercenetworking breakfast: Liaisewith like minded people andenjoy a full English breakfast inthe contemporary setting ofGoldbrick House.7.30am-9.30am, Thursday,March 6. £11 members, £20non-members. Contactevents@businesswest.co.uk.

Ready for business workshop:Workshops for anyone who isexploring the concept of startinga business at Leigh Court,Abbots Leigh, BS8 3RA,10am-4pm, Tuesday, March 11.Contact readyforbusiness@businesswest.co.uk.

Doing Business in India: UKIndia Business Council is takinga business delegation to Delhi,Gurgaon and Bangalore, March10-17. Contact angela.m a y n a rd - s m i t h @ u k t i s o u t h w e s t . o rg .

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12 We d n e s d a y, February 12, 2014w w w. b r i s t o l p o s t .co.uk/business

� CONSTRUCTION firm Midasis taking action to bolster itssupply chain as the companypredicts sustained futureshortages of skilled labour inthe region.

It has appointed Colin Mulleras head of procurement andsupply chain, with the aim ofcementing long-termrelationships with current andpotential suppliers andsub-contractors

Colin joins the Midas Groupfrom Cowlin. He said: “With theeconomy on the up, skills andlabour are already beingstretched. We are taking theright steps to ensure that thechallenges in the industry arebeing managed effectively.”

Movers & shake-upsUp and comingThe future of businessThe latest appointments news. Sendyour news to business@b-nm.co.uk

� CARE provider Brunelcarehas appointed a new chair oftrustees. Steve Boardman,below, brings 25 years’ healthcare expertise, includingd i re c t o rpositions attwo localNHStrusts.

Stevesaid:“Ouraim isto helpmeet theneeds ofan everincreasing elderlypopulation. However, we areworking in the context of anausterity policy which imposessignificant cuts in the publicsector finances that pay for ourservices and in the benefitssystem, which supports manyof our tenants, residents andclients.

“Fortunately, we have anexcellent management teamand wonderful, committed,caring staff.”

� ONLINE market researchcompany OnePoll hasappointed Chris Martin asresearch director.

Chris hasnine years’experienceinmarketre s e a rc hinre s e a rc hagenciesandclientbrands,includingSynovate and the MoneyAdvice Service.

He said: “There is anincreasingly large demand forconsumer research packagesthat offer clients’ detailedinsight presented in aninteractive and digestiblemanner. I will be spearheadingOnePoll’s new full-serviceanalysis package.”

Le i s u re

ANEW mum from WindmillHill has launched an innov-ative toddler-friendly cafe inBedminster and is hoping toopen her second venue in the

next three years.Melody Beard opened Hungry

Caterpillar Play Cafe in CannonStreet last November after being frus-trated by the lack of venues where shecould take her baby.

Speaking to other mothers, the31-year-old realised there wasdemand for space which allowedchildren to play safely while alsoaccommodating their parents,without the constraints of a play-g roup.

After support from start-up groupBRAVE Enterprise and with finan-cial backing assisted by the SouthWest Investment Group (SWIG),M e l o dy ’s business is up and runningand already proving to be extremelyp o p u l a r.

Hungry Caterpillar has a safe playarea for children up to five years old,games and crafts for all ages along-side workshops, activities andlanguage classes for both adults andch i l d re n .

For grown-up customers, it alsoprovides free wifi, newspapers andmag azines.

Originally planned to be a solo ven-ture, Hungry Caterpillar has de-veloped quickly and turned into a

family business, with Melody’s hus-band Tom leaving his job at BristolZoo to work full time at the cafe.

She said: “We are still getting toknow the market, finding out whatworks for our customers. We are hav-ing our first supper club on February14 which has sold out, and are fullybooked for birthday parties untilM ay.

“We are planning to keep growingand would like to open our secondcafe in the next three years.”

And she said her biggest hurdle hasbeen starting the business while rais-ing her two-year-old daughter: “I sortof idealised running a business along-side having my daughter around andit hasn’t worked out like that at all. Inow have my daughter with me threedays a week and she has childcare onthe other two days.”

John Hector, business mentor atBRAVE Enterprise, has workedclosely with Melody on the business.He said: “Melody has workedextremely hard to start up a vibrantplay cafe that is already proving tobe very popular with the local

Caterpillar playcafe prepares tospread its wings

Agent welcomes new apprenticebuild a business whilst helping toimprove the shocking statistics re-lating to youth unemployment.”

Scott lives locally, and is a formerpupil of Churchill School, later

moving to Weston Collegewhere he studied for an

advanced diploma inI T.

He said: “I am sopleased to have beenaccepted at DebbieFortune EstateAgents. My first few

weeks have gone likea flash and every day

is different.“It is an exciting and

fast-moving environment towork in and I hope that I will be

able to pursue a career with Debbie,but I know I will have to work hard tomeet her high standards.”

For more information about ap-prenticeships, either contact theBusiness Enterprise Centre at Wes-ton College or visit w w w. a p p re n-t i c e s h i p s. o rg. u k .

AN estate agents in the Somersetvillage of Wrington has welcomed itslatest new face into the team.

Scott Higgins, p i c t u re d , is thefourth apprentice at Debbie FortuneEstate Agents, after startinghis career path at the com-pany at the beginning ofJa nu a r y.

Scott joined the firmunder the National Ap-prentice Service,which gives studentsthe opportunity of pur-suing an alternativeprogression route to de-gree level qualificationswhilst gaining job specifics k i l l s.

Company managing directorDebbie Fortune said: “As an am-bassador for the NAS, I am a keensupporter of apprenticeships.

“We work closely with Weston Col-lege, which administers the schemeand provides the training, and Iwould urge employers to consider anapprenticeship. It is a great way to

Rachael gets her property break

Hoffman Male, which specialises inwills and probate as well as con-veyancing, is looking to expand itsteam following the upturn in theproperty market – fuelled by renewedconfidence and the Government’sHelp to Buy scheme – and is keen todevelop new talent.

RACHAEL James is embarking on acareer in property law, having joinedspecialist firm Hoffman Male as atrainee conveyancer.

The 22-year-old has joined thefir m’s Bristol team, working along-side partner Yvette Morcombe. Shehas a law degree from Swansea Uni-versity, where she also took her legalpractice course before starting withher new employer.

Rachael said: “I was looking for acareer in property, as that area of lawreally interests me.

“There is a lot of variety and chal-lenge in the role.

“I am delighted to be starting withHoffman Male and I’m already reallyenjoying working with the team.”

Bristol partner, Yvette Morcombe,said: “I am delighted that Rachael hasjoined us and at such an exciting timein the progress and development ofthe Bristol office.”

Rachael is currently commuting tothe firm’s offices at Aztec West, nearAlmondsbury, from her home in New-port, Wales.

Ed u c a t i o n Le g a l

Rupert JanischBusiness@b-nm.co.uk

community in Bedminster. She hasshown endless drive and determin-ation, and, perhaps most importantly,had researched the market thor-oughly and talked to local parentsabout their needs. She invested timeand energy in developing a robustbusiness plan in order to accessstart-up finance from SWIG.”

Unable to access traditional fin-ance due to a lack of security, Melodyapplied to SWIG for funding and wassuccessful in her application for aGovernment-backed Start-Up Loan aswell as a loan through the South WestMicrocredit Fund, part-financed bythe Competitiveness EuropeanRegional Development Fund.

Melody Beard (right)

I sort of idealisedrunning a businessalongside having mydaughter around and ithasn’t worked out likethat at all.

� Rachael James

“