Over a third (36%) of businesses taking part in the region’s leading economic survey say better broadband speed and reliability is critical to future success.

A further 53% of firms completing the first East Midlands Chamber Quarterly Economic Survey for 2018 cited good broadband as ‘very important’.

Only 2.4% of early respondents said it wasn’t important.

Broadband speed and reliability was the biggest single concern of regional businesses (89%), according analysis of mid-survey responses.

The second-biggest concern (69.5%) was mobile connectivity, closely followed by better roads (69.1%), business rates (66%) and red tape and regulation (62.5%).

Just over half of respondents (50.6%) expressed concerns over energy security while 45.3% said greater support for reducing energy costs and usage was either critical or very important.

A third of companies (33.9%) said support to develop a better corporate social responsibility (CSR) profile was either critical or very important to their future success, supporting evidence gathered by the Chamber over the past two years.

Chris Hobson, Director of Policy at East Midlands Chamber, said:-

“These provisional results confirm what we’ve been telling Government for some time, that connectivity is vital to business success, whether its broadband, mobile telephony, roads, rail or air.

“We are already world-leaders when it comes to the technology that will drive the fourth industrial revolution but if we are to remain at the forefront of development in a post-Brexit global economy we must have the best connectivity, the fastest possible broadband, excellent mobile coverage, a 21^st Century rail network, the best international air links and the roads as free from congestion as possible.”

The results from this Quarterly Economic Survey will help form the East Midlands Chamber’s Manifesto for Business for the year, which will be launched to MPs at Westminster later in the spring, and shape campaigns and lobbying activity for the rest of the year and beyond.

The current Quarterly Economic Survey closes late on Monday 12 March. To take part, visit http://bit.ly/2GuuVy5.

The surveys are being sponsored in 2018 by the University of Leicester School of Business. For further information about the University of Leicester School of Business visit www2.le.ac.uk/departments/business.

A quest to find the crème de la crème of the region’s commerce has been launched.

The East Midlands Chamber’s Business Awards are the only annual industry honours where submissions are judged purely by corporate peers.

And they are the only county-by-county accolades that offer winners a chance to compete on the national stage of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) Awards.

The winner of the 2017 East Midlands Chamber Nottinghamshire Outstanding Growth Award – iCON Aerospace Technology, of Retford – went on to win the BCC High Growth Business of the Year Award for increasing turnover by 30% and creating 150 jobs in two years.

The company is a world leader in highly-engineered products utilising polymers in sealing, containment, propulsion and protection systems worldwide.

Scott Knowles, the Chamber’s Chief Executive, said: “You can’t overestimate the value of taking part in awards. They make organisations focus on what they do best, offer opportunities for outward promotion, raise the kudos of the firm and make employees more proud to belong to the organisation. It’s win-win at every level.

“The Chamber’s Business Awards are one of the most contested and prestigious awards programmes and the only ones that offer winning businesses on a county-wide basis the chance to compete on a regional and national scale.”

Organisations can enter as many awards categories as they like. The categories for each of the three counties are Apprentice of the year, Business Improvement Through Technology, Commitment to People Development, Community Impact, Education and Business Partnership, Entrepreneur of the Year, Excellence in Customer Service, Excellence in International Trade, Manufacturer of the Year, Marketing Campaign of the Year, Outstanding Growth and Small Business of the Year.

One of the category winners will also scoop the Business of the Year Award, sponsored by Mazars, one of Europe’s largest accounting firms and headline sponsor of the Chamber’s awards programme.

The deadline for entries to this year’s awards is 5pm on Friday 18 May. For further details and to download county-specific application forms visit http://www.emc-dnl.co.uk/businessawards.

The Chamber will host gala dinners in Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire in the autumn at which the awards will be presented.

Winners of specific awards from each county will go forward to the BCC regional awards for a chance to compete for a national accolade.

Two of Chesterfield’s leading professional services companies have joined forces to offer a fully joined-up legal and independent financial services proposition.

BRM Solicitors has entered into a formal collaboration with Dunston-based Milestone Financial Planning to ensure its clients’ financial affairs are fully covered alongside their legal obligations.

Clients drawing up wills or embarking on a merger or acquisition in particular, will now benefit from the best legal and financial planning expertise. Prior to the collaboration, clients were required to make separate arrangements. Now BRM can provide a joined-up legal and financial planning service from its Saltergate-based offices under the new BRM Financial Planning brand.

With care home costs rocketing and many people having to sell their homes to pay the fees, it is believed that clients planning now for later life care will benefit greatly from the collaboration.

Explaining the collaboration, Paul Berresford, director at BRM Solicitors said: “We are delighted to be working with Milestone Financial Planning. Legal advice often gives rise to the need for independent financial advice. The formal collaboration of our firms is now enabling us to provide a more holistic client service.”

Working on behalf of BRM’s clients, the two firms will take ownership behind the scenes, talking to each other and liaising with other third party professionals, such as accountants, to deliver the fully joined up approach.

Michael Heath, Director of Milestone, added: “We are delighted to be working with BRM Solicitors. Like them, we are committed to achieving only the very best outcomes for our clients. It is testimony to Chesterfield’s close-knit professional services community that we are able to now formally offer our services in such a seamless way. It’s a very exciting way of working for all of us.”

Milestone Financial Planning was established by Michael Heath who believes financial planning shouldn’t be done in isolation of other professional services; rather everyone should work together in the interests of the client. This delivers a better, uncomplicated experience for the client enabling them to enjoy their money in later life rather than worry about it.

Leading regional estate agent Redbrik has promoted one of their high-flying sales managers.

Ross Bateman, 27, from Dronfield, will take on his new role as valuer after more than eight years in the industry and two with Redbrik.

As a valuer, Ross will give expert advice to homeowners on how to achieve the best price for their property and will formulate bespoke marketing strategies for every home.

Ross said:-

“I am delighted to have achieved this promotion – it’s everything I’ve been working towards since I started in the industry. The standards at Redbrik are higher than anywhere else I have worked or come across, so it is a real sense of achievement to have earned this position.

“Being a valuer is quite different to my previous role as a Sales Manager, but I’m able to bring all my skills and experience to the position. I am enjoying all the diverse aspects the job brings and looking forward to developing further.”

Mark Ross, director at Redbrik, said: “Ross is a dedicated and hardworking member of the Redbrik family, so it is with great pleasure that we have been able to offer him the position of Valuer.

“He epitomises our ethos and has been training for this role since he joined Redbrik. I am certain he will be incredibly successful and help our homeowners achieve the best price for their homes.”

Chesterfield and Mansfield-based solicitors, Banner Jones, has raised £1870 to support the work of John Eastwood Hospice, following participation in the John Eastwood Hospice Free Wills Month late last year.

The multi-award-winning law firm, which offers tailored no-nonsense legal advice across Nottinghamshire and North Derbyshire, offered members of the public the opportunity to have their will written, or updated, free of charge, in return for a donation to the charity.

John Eastwood Hospice, an independent registered charity which provides palliative care to patients across Nottinghamshire, relies on the generosity of the local community and a team of volunteers to provide a range of vital services offered free of charge to those with a life-limiting illness.

Sarah Nadin, Head of the Private Client Department at Banner Jones said:

“We’re delighted with the success of the Free Wills Month. Several clients that we worked with also chose to include a legacy in their new will with part of their estate due to be donated to John Eastwood Hospice in the coming years as a result.

“It’s also been a fantastic opportunity to help and guide people through the process of writing a will, many of whom had not had one before. A will is such an important document – both in terms of ensuring that your wishes are carried out and making the process of dealing with your estate easier for your family and friends – and it’s therefore great that our latest charity campaign not only benefited such a wonderful cause, but also helped those who so generously donated.”

Helen Gregory, A Trustee from John Eastwood Hospice adds:-

“As the demand for our services grows, so does the need for funding which is why the support that local businesses provide through campaigns such as this is absolutely crucial.

“We have a long standing relationship with Banner Jones and are so grateful that they continue to support our work with their impressive fundraising efforts – it makes an incredible difference to the lives of so many, both the people that we care for and those closest to them.”

Ashgate Hospicecare is thrilled to announce that NAPIT have raised over £11,500 through their various fundraising initiatives in 2017.

Employees from NAPIT, a Government approved membership scheme operator in the building and fabric sectors, took part in the gruelling Yorkshire Three Peak Challenge, sponsored the Hospice’s Open Air Cinema in August and hosted their annual summer BBQ with all proceeds going to the Hospice. The money raised will help to ensure that patients with a life-limiting illness and their families across North Derbyshire get the care and support they require.

Mike Andrews, Chief Executive of NAPIT Group, said:-

“It was heart-warming to see all the hard work NAPIT staff put in throughout the year, they volunteered their time and collected an enormous amount for Ashgate Hospicecare’s charity shops too, we were very pleased with the overall amount we raised.”

Ali Ward-Foster, Partnerships Manager at Ashgate Hospicecare, said:-

“We are thrilled to be partnered with NAPIT, it is great to see the staff so engaged and pulling together for hospice care. The money raised will make a real difference to the lives of our patients, thank you so much NAPIT.

“Ashgate Hospicecare is only able to provide excellent care to our patients and their families because of the generosity of our community, including our committed business supporters like NAPIT.”

Shedding light on how both Growth Hubs can help businesses in the area will be the goal at the ‘Best of Both Hubs’ event on 8 March in Chesterfield.

Business experts from South Yorkshire, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire have united for a joint event to help small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) access support, grow, and thrive.

D2N2 Growth Hub and Sheffield City Region Growth Hub are working together to stage the event which takes place from 8am to 2.30pm on Thursday 8 March, at the Proact Stadium in Chesterfield. It is specifically aimed at Small and medium-sized enterprises based in Derbyshire Dales, Chesterfield, North East Derbyshire, Bolsover or Bassetlaw.

Part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund, the free event will offer businesses an insight into the support available to help them achieve success. Growth Hubs can advise on a wide variety of opportunities, including support from the region’s Universities to develop new products and improve productivity, coaching and mentoring schemes to assist with scaling up, funding and investment streams for business growth, assistance to reach new markets and customers in the UK and overseas and recruitment, retention and skills programmes.

David Grimes, Head of the Sheffield City Region Growth Hub, said: “Our Growth Hub works collaboratively with regional and national support programmes, as well as local authorities and private sector businesses, to ensure consistent access to specialist, high-quality advice.

“This event is an ideal opportunity for businesses to meet us, find out more about what we do, and take that first step towards getting the best possible support to grow their business.”

Chris Pook, D2N2 Growth Hub Manager, said: “There’s a double hit of support for businesses in our overlap area and this conference is an opportunity to come and hear first-hand about what’s on offer and to highlight the benefits that businesses receive from the close partnership working we have with Sheffield City Region Growth Hub.”

Delegates will also hear from one of the National Cyber Security Centre’s (NCSC) on the current threats to businesses and how they can protect systems, staff and customers from cyber crime.

A spokesperson from the NCSC said: “Cyber security can feel daunting for a small business, so we’re tailoring guidance, like our Small Business Guide, to help them thrive online.

“Protecting against malware, backing up data and avoiding phishing attacks should be as second nature to a small firm as cashing up or locking the doors at night.

“Whether you own a bakery, a building firm or you sell products online, our advice will help all business owners avoid threats that can cost time, money and reputation.”

Other features from the conference will include:

• A choice of workshops that address today’s business challenges including skills, scaling up, reaching new markets and improving competitiveness
• A real example from Mike Lloyd, Director at CEM Solutions on how working across both Growth Hubs can benefit your business, and
• Opportunities to meet with Growth Hub advisers, make new connections with other local businesses and enjoy a networking lunch.

Workshop speakers will include:

• Richard Kirkland of D2N2 LEP on Employment and Skills for Growth, covering how to recruit the right staff and developing employees’ skills for improved productivity and growth.
• Darren Buxton of Sheffield City Region Growth Hub and Lynn Oxborrow of Nottingham Trent University on scaling-up your business and help available to achieve full potential.
• Sharon McCarthy of the Department for International Trade on Exporting for Growth and how a team of local experts is available to help with those first crucial steps into overseas markets.
• Antony Davies, Innovation expert at Marmotte Consulting and board member of Sheffield City Region Innovation Centre of Expertise, along with Angela Tooley, Head of Enscite, University of Derby, on Growth through Innovation and how local universities can help firms improve productivity to drive innovation, growth and competitiveness.

This is a free event so businesses are urged to book early to be guaranteed a place.  Only small and medium-sized enterprises based in Derbyshire Dales, Chesterfield, North East Derbyshire, Bolsover or Bassetlaw are eligible to take part.

For full details and booking please visit the website.