Chesterfield based businesses Evolution Funding and eBECS have been announced as number 25 and number 97 respectively in the North’s Fastest Growing Tech Companies, compiled by Tech Nation.

Chesterfield based manufacturer , Cathelco, are to extend their geographic footprint and expertise in cleantech systems following acquisition by Evac Group.

Cathelco, a leading global manufacturer of equipment for ships and offshore installations, today announced that it has been acquired by Finland-based Evac Group, the world’s leading provider of integrated waste, wastewater, and water management systems for the marine, offshore, and building industries.

Cathelco has established relationships with Evac’s existing customer groups in the marine and offshore industry, including ship owners, shipyards, fleet managers, rig owners and operators, oil companies, navies, and marine architects and has an excellent product fit with Evac’s portfolio. The acquisition gives Cathelco the opportunity to further expand its geographic footprint and expertise in cleantech systems while also opening up new business opportunities.

With the acquisition, Cathelco’s pipework anti-fouling, hull corrosion protection, fresh water generation, and ballast water treatment systems will become part of the Evac Complete Cleantech Solution. This includes both standard and customized vacuum collection, wastewater treatment, and dry and wet waste management systems, as well as fresh water generation systems for environments ranging from the world’s largest cruise vessels and naval and cargo vessels to small work boats.

Justin Salisbury, Group Managing Director of Cathelco Group, says:-

“Our already broad geographic footprint and expertise in cleantech systems will be augmented considerably by Evac’s broad portfolio, which will enable our customers to meet all their needs from a single reliable partner.”

Tomi Gardemeister, Evac Group CEO and President, says:-

“An extended cleantech system offering, together with an enlarged sales and service network, will allow us to offer a more comprehensive range of solutions and services to our customers. This acquisition also provides a tremendous opportunity for Evac and Cathelco to work together to become a leader in the field of ballast water treatment systems.”

Small to medium Chesterfield businesses are being invited to access expert help to attract, select, recruit and train graduates through a city region-wide funded scheme.

The Sheffield City Region RISE graduate recruitment programme is delivered in partnership with the SCR Growth Hub, University of Sheffield, Sheffield Hallam University and the private sector.

RISE is a free graduate recruitment programme to help SMEs based in in the nine regions of the SCR (including Chesterfield, Dronfield, NE Derbyshire and the Derbyshire Dales) to find the best graduate talent for their business. The project will write an advert for the graduate placement, advertise the role across the UK and put candidates through a variety of recruitment tasks. Businesses can also access line manager training, interview guidance and toolkits.

It aims to connect growing businesses with ambitious graduates – and take the hassle out of recruitment. Local organisations that have been involved in the project to date include Chesterfield Champions Casa Hotel,  Global Brands and BHP  Chartered Accountants.

Rachel Moss, Regional Head of Projects, Today Translations, said:-

“RISE took the time to understand our requirements and provided excellent candidates and an extremely positive interview experience.”

Sinead O’Neill, HR Manager, Magtec:, said:-

“At Magtec we have used RISE to recruit several outstanding graduates.  The whole process was so simple, from helping understand our skills need to writing the job descriptions in a way that would attract graduates, we got the right mix of candidates through the selection process.  We had a great experience and I hope to see RISE continue into the future to help other SMEs too.”

Business can participate in RISE, whether they want to appoint a graduate to a six month internship or a permanent post with a six-month probationary period. The only eligibility criteria is that they have less than 250 employees and are based in the Sheffield City Region.

The organisation must commit to an excellent induction, management support, salary and appraisal package. In return, they can access a fully-funded recruitment programme to help manage the process and ensure the best possible result for both employer and employee – plus there’s a £1,000 wage subsidy available.

To find out more about the RISE project click here. The deadline for applications to get involved is June 19th.

Thanks to help from Sheffield City Region Growth Hub, a much-loved potted beef – created by Chesterfield food producer Granny Mary’s Original Recipes – is being sold nationally, aided by a combined £30,000 in grants and intensive business advice.

Eddie Sutherland started selling his wife’s potted beef when he worked as a travelling salesman for Lyon’s tea in the Twenties. Sacked when a supervisor noticed, he and his wife Mary decided to make it a full-time business – and it became a multi-million-pound brand stocked on supermarket shelves.

In the 1980s the business was sold to a European food giant. But in 2012 William Sutherland, Eddie’s great grandson, persuaded his father Alistair to start up commercial production again, calling the business Original Recipes.

The Chesterfield business quickly discovered two challenges –  the limited capacity and the standard of the premises they used initially did not appeal to national clients. As a result Original Recipes had been focussed on low volume retail sales.

Advised by City Region Business Growth Specialist Darren Buxton and Access to Finance Advisor Steve Errington, they reviewed their strategy and went into the wholesale market with a fresh approach – creating a new upmarket terrine range, ‘Prochef’, and focussing on wholesale outlets.

Prochef, which took off immediately, is designed for chefs in busy pubs and restaurants: the recipes are of exceptional quality and sold in modern bespoke moulds that make life easier in a hectic professional kitchen.

With this new approach and by investing heavily in new high quality premises at the Storforth Lane trading estate in Chesterfield, the business is now winning national orders.

Alexa Greaves, Chair of the SCR Growth Hub Board, said:-

“I’m delighted to hear this success story and I’m very pleased that we have been able to work with the company to help it reach the right market with the right product.

“The Sheffield City Region is all about innovation and business expansion, and it’s good to see a family enterprise working with the Growth Hub to bring out new products and to take a lead in modern food production.”

The factory, which the firm designed and had built within 12 days, has been supported by a £25,000 grant via the Sheffield City Region Growth Hub Business Investment Fund, plus another £5,000 support via the Growth Hub Enhancement Project, an ERDF funded project, to look at extending the shelf life of the terrines with new packaging. It’s ultra clean and has been designed to exceed even the very rigorous hygiene requirements of the British Retail Consortium.

Alistair Sutherland said:-

“It’s wonderful that as a family we have been able to revive my grandmother’s tasty sandwich filling – her potted beef is still our customer’s favourite of all our 30 different lines.

“It’s lovely to work with my son William, and I’m very impressed with the help and support we have had from the Sheffield City Region Business Growth Specialist Darren and Steve.

“They guided us through all the paperwork, helped us see how to target the right markets, and now we’re looking forward to beating the sales made by Eddie and Granny Mary!”

Firm foundations laid over the past four years have paved the way for an even brighter and more secure future for tourism in the Peak District and Derbyshire.

That was the message from the incoming Chairman of official tourist board Marketing Peak District & Derbyshire, Paul Jones, as he took over the helm from outgoing Chairman Paul Roden this week (Friday May 25).

“Since Marketing Peak District & Derbyshire was reorganised in 2014, so much has been achieved to keep it moving forward to address the ever-changing demands and challenges of the competitive tourism industry,” said Paul, Marketing & Communications Director of The Camping and Caravanning Club, one of the tourist board’s Patrons.

“During Paul Roden’s chairmanship, huge progress has been made in putting the tourist board on a sustainable financial footing, creating a responsive infrastructure to take it forward and devising and taking part in creative and innovative marketing campaigns to attract more staying visitors from both the UK and overseas.

“I’ll be looking to consolidate and build upon the hard work that has already been done, by supporting Managing Director Jo Dilley and her outstanding team to offer an even more effective service in the future.”

Since 2014, Marketing Peak District & Derbyshire has:

• Secured £1.49 million from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) to fund a comprehensive, three-year business support programme, currently being delivered until March 2019
• Successfully bid – with a range of other tourist boards and partners – for around £5.2 million from VisitBritain’s Discover England Fund to bring in more staying visitors from key overseas markets such as Australia, China, Germany, The Netherlands and the USA
• Revamped and relaunched its website to make it more customer friendly and responsive when searching for accommodation, attractions, activities and events in the area
• Run carefully targeted multi-media marketing campaigns, such as ‘The Land to Forget Time’ (aimed at affluent 25- to 35-year-olds) and the current #Unique District (aimed at a variety of audiences, including millennials, empty nesters, groups and camping and caravanning enthusiasts)
• Organised scores of educational visits for national and international media, online influencers and travel trade buyers across the UK and in key overseas markets – including leading titles such as The Times and Sunday Times, The Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph and The Guardian, plus growing markets such as China, Germany and the USA
• Restructured its skilled and committed team to heighten the area’s profile at home and abroad and provide an even better service for visitors, members, Patrons and public and private sector partners

Added Paul: “I’m delighted to take over the role of Chairman at such a pivotal time for the tourist board. Our two organisations have had a long and mutually beneficial relationship – we work very creatively together and complement each other.

”Marketing Peak District & Derbyshire was the first tourist board we actively partnered with, and our strong working links have been so successful that we have used them as a blueprint for working with other destination management organisations across the UK.

“I will be aiming to bring added value in areas such as membership, finance and partnership working. I’m also keen to actively support the tourist board’s mission to encourage more people to come and stay here and to extend their stays, so that they spend more in the local economy to support jobs and boost overall prosperity – that’s very important.

“I want to be an effective ambassador for the organisation and for the Peak District and Derbyshire, and am both excited by, and very much looking forward to, the challenge.”

Outgoing Chairman Paul Roden, owner of Losehill House Hotel & Spa, Hope, who took up the post in June 2014, said: “The past four years have proved to be a busy and rewarding phase for Marketing Peak District & Derbyshire, as it successfully negotiated a period of transition after reorganisation in late 2014 to keep pace with the constantly evolving tourism market.

“It’s been a privilege and a pleasure to be part of this crucial phase in its development, and I would like to thank all the members of its small, but dedicated team for their  hard work and commitment, as well as all our public and private sector partners, Patrons and members for their continuing loyalty and support.

“I wish them and my successor, Paul Jones, every success as they embark on another exciting phase to further develop and grow the tourism sector for the benefit of local businesses, residents and the local and regional economy.”

The new Fairplay Gift Emporium opened its doors following an official opening in May 2018.

The Chair of Fairplay, Cllr Peter Barr and Steve Shipp, MDS Ultra Marathon runner and Fairplay supporter, officially opened the new shop at Chesterfield Market Hall, alongside Fairplay young people and staff.

The aim of the Gift Emporium is to give young people the opportunity to learn valuable employment skills in a safe, supportive environment.

Fairplay has looked for suitable premises for many months and jumped at the offer of unit 21 on the side of the market hall. A grant from the National Lottery Awards for All has helped to get the project off the ground.

‘’The shop is in a great location as there is a lot of footfall around the market hall. We hope that our lovely range of gifts will encourage people to shop with us and support the young people in this exciting new venture’’.

‘’There is a lovely range of products for sale including cards, scarves, unique prints by Dave Draws based in Manchester as well local artists.’’

Leading national consultancy Commercial Property Partners LLP (CPP) has secured three new occupants for Wilson Business Park, a speculatively developed 13-unit scheme at Markham Vale in Chesterfield, with a further 4 units currently under offer.

The units, ranging from 1,200 – 3050 sq. ft. are available to buy, presenting a unique opportunity in the market for businesses looking to own a building on Derbyshire’s flagship business park. The scheme was recently developed by Priority Space in conjunction with Hunt Group and designed to address  a chronic shortage of high quality SME business space in the region.

New occupant Direct Track Solutions (DTS) has agreed a long-term lease on Unit 1 after the building was purchased ‘off plan’ by an investor. DTS manufacture products for the rail sector and have now taken occupation of a 1,450 sq ft unit.

Shotblast Solutions Ltd, the second new occupant on the estate, has purchased Unit 14, totalling 1,250 sq ft, the company provides parts to the surface preparation industry, along with 24/7 repairs and maintenance services for shot blasting machines.

Magpie Beauty, an online retailer of beauty products, will occupy Unit 9. The 2,300 sq ft unit at Wilson Business Park will form their new HQ and distribution depot.

All new occupants will join the wider Markham Vale site, a key employment site in the region which has attracted likes of Ready Egg, Gould Alloys, Inspirepac, Meter Provida, Great Bear and Ferdinand Bilstein, all of which have committed to large scale warehousing and distribution facilities on the park.

Stuart Waite, sole marketing agent on the scheme commented:-

“We are delighted to welcome the first occupiers into Wilson Business Park, and we hope to be in a position to announce further deals in the near future, with a further four units currently under offer.

“The accessible nature of the scheme, being just off J29a M1, the quality of the units and the option to buy has been a key driver of demand. For companies needing a location to service a customer base across the region, and even the UK, the units at Wilson Business Park are ideal.”

Lee Buchanan of Priority Space commented:-

“We feel the deals completed up to this point provide a real endorsement of our decision to speculatively develop a scheme of this nature on one of the region’s flagship business parks. It’s great to see activity on the site and we are confident this will lead to further concluded deals in the near future.”

Wilson Business Park forms part of the wider Markham Vale regeneration area, which benefits from its own dedicated M1 motorway junction, Junction 29a – just 5 miles east of Chesterfield and approximately 20 miles from Sheffield, Nottingham and Derby. Markham Vale is a 200 acre employment led scheme being delivered by Henry Boot in partnership with Derbyshire County Council.

Chesterfield Champion, Whittam Cox Architects, have been listed in the fifth edition of London Stock Exchange Group’s ‘1000 companies to Inspire Britain’ report, published this month.

The report is a celebration of the UK’s fastest-growing and most dynamic small and medium sized businesses across the UK. To be included in the list, companies needed to show consistent revenue growth over a minimum of three years, significantly outperforming their industry peers.

Of the 1000 companies listed, around 40% are based in London/South East. The East Midlands and Yorkshire region, where Whittam Cox Architects are based, represents 14% of companies listed. Less than 10 Architects practices were listed in total.

The report states that creative industries continue to live up to their name by being one of the most innovative parts of the UK economy, generating an estimated £10.5m every hour and employing 3 million people. Creative industries have also been growing twice as fast as the whole economy in recent years; with a 7.6% increase in the sector’s gross value in 2016 alone. And, while the industry is often associated with the London tech sector, in fact, two-thirds of creative industries jobs are outside the capital, in areas as diverse as architecture music, fashion and museums.

The report has been supported cross-party from leading politicians, including The Rt Hon Theresa May MP who provided opening commentary in the report. Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond MP also attended the official launch of the Report on the 15^th May.

Nick Riley, Board director at the practice, commented:-

“We are genuinely delighted to have been recognised in this impressive publication; particularly in the context of its multi-sector national spread. We have put a huge amount of time and energy into redefining and shaping our business direction over the last three years. Whilst change process can of course be challenging at times, we believe we have created a strategic and operational model which will hopefully sustain us for the long-term.”

Ashley Turner, CEO at the practice, added:-

“As an Architect’s practice, our success is defined by our people, who are the reason for our ongoing success and we are grateful to everybody, both within and associated with our business, for supporting us along the way.”

Nikhil Rathi, CEO at the London Stock Exchange Plc, added:-

“We warmly congratulate all of the companies identified in this year’s ‘1000 Companies to Inspire Britain’ report. Five years on, the report continues to demonstrate the strength and diversity of British businesses across the country. These dynamic companies are the backbone of our economy, playing an important role in the UK’s ability to innovate, export and grow.”

A full searchable database of all of the companies along with a downloadable pdf of the publication can be found online at www.1000companies.com