FEATURE
Positivity – Tees Valley mayor Ben Houchen .
and expertise have been there to support steelmaking and the process sector . It still exists now and I ’ m extremely proud of it .”
And with an eye to the future , Richard Bendelow said the burgeoning tech scene is “ already on the up ” – but there ’ s potential for even more growth .
He said : “ There are thousands of tech jobs across the region and we could probably fill double that if we can just get the people and get the education right and attract more people to the area – or stop people leaving the area for tech jobs . But that is happening – we ’ re seeing it day by day , people preferring to stay on Teesside rather than go to some of the big cities .”
Keynote speaker at the event , Tees Valley mayor Ben Houchen , said the region was on the “ up ” but needed to be strong enough to “ withstand shunts ” and setbacks – such as the decision by GE Renewables to put plans for a wind turbine factory at Teesworks on hold .
He said : “ We ’ re making progress . The positivity and opportunity within this room , the other projects we ’ ve got going on , we are no longer reliant on one thing – we have so many irons in the fire , so many projects we are working on , separate from all the amazing work you are doing with your businesses .
“ We are in a different phase . Are we the finished product ? Absolutely not . But we ’ re in a phase where we can withstand
Discussion – Panelists debated the Tees Valley ’ s strengths and issues facing it .
those setbacks – we can withstand those shunts and we can continue to move forward together .”
And Dave Allan , a director of This Is Tees Valley publishers Resolution Media and Publishing , said that while it was important to acknowledge our industrial heritage , it was about looking forward too .
He said it was up to the people of Teesside to “ grasp the nettle ” and spread the word about what the region has to offer – “ the people , the skills , the businesses , the investment opportunities ”.
And he called on the region ’ s businesses and organisations to take copies of the magazine with them to exhibitions , conferences and meetings within their sectors across the North-East , UK and beyond .
“ Let ’ s let the world know , if they haven ’ t already heard , that we ’ re a region on the up ,” he said . “ This is the place to do business and invest .
“ This is Tees Valley – let ’ s make sure everyone knows about it !”
Businesses or individuals interested in receiving copies of This Is Tees Valley can email vicky @ resolutionpublishing . co . uk
The voice of business in the Tees region | 19