Aycliffe Today Business Aycliffe Today Issue 44 | Page 33

Positivity – Tees Valley mayor Ben Houchen spoke
passionately about the need to talk up our region.
Packed – more than 300
people crammed into a
newly-opened conference
facility for the event at
Teesside International
Airport.
Talk – Martin Walker joined his Resolution colleagues
Dave Allan and Bob Cuffe to explain the thinking
behind their latest publication.
for a question-and-answer session at the
relaunched airport, alongside Eastern Airways
managing director Tony Burgess, Bill Scott
OBE, chief executive of Wilton Engineering,
Middlesbrough College principal Zoe Lewis
and Frans Calje, the chief executive of PD Ports.
And in his opening address to businessmen
and women, movers and shakers from the
Tees region, mayor Houchen said the new
publication – which has an initial 10,000-print
run – sends out the right messages from an area
which is sometimes guilty of being reluctant to
sing from the rooftops about its abilities and
achievements.
He said: “Because I am an optimist, I am
absolutely adamant about only speaking
positively about Tees Valley and our region
because there are a lot of people out there who
seem to take a lot of pride and energy talking
down this amazing area.
“That is not to play down the significant
challenges we face, but I only want to talk about
the positive stuff.
“Dave Allan and Martin Walker were the first
to talk about ‘Talking Up Teesside’ and we have
started to own that phrase.
“What is really impressive about this
publication is that it carries a positive message
and I want you all to carry that message to
everybody in the region, and beyond, and start
talking about all the fantastic things people in
the region are doing.
“I don’t see why a region should be any
different to a business. You wouldn’t go into a
meeting and talk about all the negative things
and difficulties in your business. You would go
out to sell it. Why should we be any different as
a region?
“If we don’t see ourselves in a positive light
and what we can offer from our big industries,
our IT services, our creative industries and
everyone else in between, no one else is going
to do it for us.
“In the last few years, I think Dave and
Martin have led the charge to change the
negativity and make sure we speak more
positively about ourselves.”
Shouting loud to
the
rest of the UK abo
ut
the Tees region
Published by Resoluti
on
Media & Publishing
Ltd
1
Search on Google for This Is Tees Valley to find
an online version of the magazine.
The magazine for Aycliffe Business Park | 33