NEWS
BUSINESS BITES
LET ’ S TECH OUR CHANCE , SAYS DIGITAL AMBASSADOR
Talk – Dominic Lusardi , winner of the inaugural Tech Ambassador award , spoke at a lunch to celebrate the 2020 Tees Tech Awards , which were held virtually last year .
The first-ever Tees Tech Ambassador has called on the local digital sector to take advantage of the foundations put in place to build a “ vibrant , innovative , world-class ” industry .
Dominic Lusardi was speaking at a celebration lunch at the Riverside Stadium that was held in lieu of the 2020 Tees Tech Awards , which were held virtually due to Covid restrictions .
The awards were organised by Tees Business in association with DigitalCity and Middlesbrough Digital , but this was the first opportunity for sponsors , finalists and winners to meet face-to-face .
Dominic said the response to the pandemic had proved the local tech sector was “ versatile , innovative and creative ” and “ ready to rise to the challenge ”.
He believed the sector could “ build on the foundations put in place over the last 15 years , from Big Bite going big , Paid securing huge investment , Double Eleven literally doubling and Tascomp taking on the world .
“ But we can ’ t stop here and think the job is done ,” he added . “ There was always a
Website celebrates centre ’ s 50 years
Cleveland Centre has launched a dedicated 50th anniversary-themed website as part of celebrations to mark its half-century trading milestone .
Having opened in April 1971 – a month when Marc Bolan ’ s Hot Love was dominating the pop charts , flares and platform heels were in fashion and Stan Anderson was the manager of Middlesbrough Football Club – Cleveland Centre has been at the heart of the local community for more than five decades .
The new website – cc50 . co . uk – is home to a gallery of pictures and videos of Middlesbrough ’ s largest shopping centre over the years , plus a short film showcasing the changing face of the Cleveland Centre .
Centre manager Graeme Skillen said : “ The website is not supposed to be a hard , commercial sell , more a chance for our shoppers to take a nostalgic trip down
dream of a vibrant , innovative , world-class digital sector here in the Tees Valley but we are only at the beginning .
“ With Boho 8 and Boho X coming online , this can be the kickstart to the stage . As the country levels up , so must we .”
Dominic encouraged every tech firm “ to come together and find a narrative that defines who we are and what we can do – better knowledge sharing , better collaboration with education and local government .
“ Now is the time for the companies that have seen the benefits over the years to give back and own this narrative . Rising tides raise all boats .”
Tees Business director Dave Allan said : “ It was fantastic to finally get our 2020 sponsors together with finalists and winners , albeit several weeks after we held the 2021 Tech Awards .
“ We ’ ve had great feedback from those who attended and look forward to working with DigitalCity and Middlesbrough Digital in the months ahead to create a third annual Tech Awards that ’ s the biggest and best yet .”
Memory Lane – Cleveland Centre manager Graeme Skillen .
Memory Lane .
“ The site includes photographs of retailers from bygone years such as Sarah ’ s Restaurant and Paragon Fashion , as well as images commemorating the visits of celebrities to the centre and , of course , the replica of Captain Cook ’ s ship , HMS Endeavour .
“ There ’ s even chance for shoppers to upload their own pictures and videos of the centre over the years , so we look forward to seeing what they add to the gallery .”
£ 45M COVID SUPPORT Businesses around Middlesbrough have now received more than £ 45m in Covid grants via the council , mayor Andy Preston has revealed .
Middlesbrough Council has issued the payments across various schemes to protect jobs and boost growth plans .
Mr Preston has praised the patience and resilience of the town ’ s firms and is looking forward to a much brighter future .
QUEEN ’ S AWARD A Tees company that played a vital role in the fight against Covid-19 has received a Queen ’ s Award for Enterprise in International Trade .
Absolute Antibody , based at the Wilton Centre , near Redcar , was told it was being given the UK ’ s top business award in recognition of the rapid increase in its overseas sales over the previous three years .
SCIENCE PARTNERSHIP A new partnership between Teesside University ’ s National Horizons Centre and the National Measurement Laboratory is set to support industry partners across the North-East region .
The three-year strategic partnership – named the Metrology for Biosciences and Healthcare Innovation Partnership – will aim to advance metrology research with a particular focus on applications to biomanufacturing scale-up and the interface of measurements with digital analytics .
CHARITY GOLF DAY Tees-based ecommerce specialist Visualsoft held one of the company ’ s most successful charity golf days at the Belfry Hotel and Resort , raising over £ 8,000 for the Solan Connor Fawcett Family Cancer Trust .
The thousands of pounds raised will go towards supporting people affected by cancer .
The voice of business in the Tees region | 13