Teessidebased Cornerstone looks to Aycliffe
PICTURE : CHRIS BOOTH
CORNERING
THE MARKET
Cornerstone Business Solutions business development manager Gemma Holmes is aiming to raise the firm ’ s profile across Aycliffe Business Park .
Teessidebased Cornerstone looks to Aycliffe
One of the region ’ s best-known providers of IT business solutions is looking to establish a name for itself in Newton Aycliffe – and a familiar face to the area is leading the charge .
County Durham-born and raised Gemma Holmes has been the business development manager at Cornerstone Business Solutions for the last 18 months .
Her focus now is predominantly to build relationships across Aycliffe Business Park to highlight how the 15-year-old Stockton-based IT , digital and telecoms company can work for you .
Cornerstone is a managed service provider ( MSP ), effectively providing IT support and system design for an organisation ’ s networks with clients across the United Kingdom and beyond . Now Gemma , who has vast experience of working in the Newton Aycliffe area , is looking to extend Cornerstone ’ s reach , ironically , much closer to home .
Gemma said : “ I ’ m from Darlington , I was born there , so I have always been in that vicinity .
“ As well as it being my home , the surrounding areas like Aycliffe are where I have tended to work with local businesses .
“ We are a well-known Teesside-based business and I ’ m looking to branch us out further afield , to
Darlington , Aycliffe , Richmond and throughout County Durham and North Yorkshire .
“ We would love to build up a base of clients in Newton Aycliffe to then warrant a branch and engineers located here . I would love us to be the main IT provider for Aycliffe Business Park and become the main IT company of choice for it .”
Gemma has spent more than 17 years in the Aycliffe area working with manufacturing and logistics companies within the recruitment sector . It is those such contacts that she is talking to in a bid to help Cornerstone grow in County Durham . She said : “ Knowing Aycliffe as I do , I think a lot of people like to use local or familiar people to work and refer to . They tend to try to keep work in that area if they can and expand in that area .
“ Aycliffe is a tight community – like Teesside . With me growing up in Darlington and the County Durham area , I know I am a familiar face to many and referrals go a long way too so we are looking forward to building those relationships and showing what we can do .”
Cornerstone , through Gemma , are not just looking to build up their own client base , they are also keen to work with charities and good causes – something they are renowned for on Teesside , where they recently moved into new headquarters at Preston Farm .
26 | Aycliffe Business