Conservatory , Wynyard Hall
EVENTS
On stage – Tees Valley mayor Ben Houchen speaks to guests at the launch of This Is Tees Valley , in front of panellists Mark South ( Double Eleven ), Nikki Sayer ( Casper Shipping ), David Jack ( SeAH Wind ) and Charlie Nettle ( AV Dawson ).
This Is Tees Valley launch event
Tees Valley mayor Ben Houchen used the 2023-24 launch event for This Is Tees Valley to say there ’ s a growing economic momentum on Teesside that ’ s attracting interest from around the world .
Mayor Houchen was special guest at an event to launch This Is Tees Valley 2023-24 – a magazine , produced by Tees Business with the support of Tees Valley Combined Authority , which shouts loud and proud about the benefits of living , working and investing in this region .
More than 150 people attended the Wynyard Hall event , which was sponsored by Teesside-based critical power specialists Durata , and featured a Q & A session with a panel of local business leaders from SeAH Wind , AV Dawson , Casper Group and Double Eleven .
And Mr Houchen said the success of such key local firms , as well as the ability of the Tees Valley to attract the likes of SeAH ’ s giant wind turbine monopile factory to the Teesworks site , showed how much the region had to offer .
He said : “ That ’ s the reason behind This Is Tees Valley . We ’ re a region that wasn ’ t talked about at all a few years ago but we ’ re now being talked about a lot .
“ Until recently , it ’ s been extremely positive but we ’ ll deal with the other stuff – and we will continue to grow and become stronger as a result of that .
“ With the cluster on Teesworks with companies like SeAH , we ’ re now seeing other countries coming to Teesside to understand what we ’ re doing .
Conservatory , Wynyard Hall
PICTURES BY TOM BANKS
“ Countries are literally sending delegations from their governments over to Teesside to look at how we ’ re managing to cluster those new technologies , how we ’ re managing to work with a company like SeAH and get them to invest .
“ There is a lot underneath that ’ s creating that groundswell and starting to change those perceptions . What we ’ re getting now is a momentum – I think over the next 12 to 18 months , we ’ ll be in a place where it takes on a life of its own and you probably won ’ t need politicians and people like me trying to drive it from the centre .
“ That clustering
“ We ’ re a region that wasn ’ t talked about at all a few years ago but we ’ re now being talked about a lot .” effect and that private sector momentum will massively take over and then whatever happens politically , hopefully the local economy and local businesses are insulated from the nonsense that ’ s sadly increasing in politics locally .”
Mr Houchen praised the businesses represented on the panel , saying AV Dawson had given “ incredible support to me and my organisation ”.
He said : “ I don ’ t think we ’ d have come such a long way , particularly on the Teesworks site , if it wasn ’ t for the support of AV Dawson and their expertise .”
Casper Group , he said , had helped hugely in developing the freeport concept not just on Teesside , but nationally by working with HMRC , while he said games developer Double Eleven ’ s presence in Middlesbrough , where it should soon be employing more than 400 people , was a “ huge tick in the box ” when it comes to attracting new investors and diversifying the local economy .
He also said it was fitting to be launching This Is Tees Valley on a day when SeAH Wind ’ s first visible columns were being erected .
He said : “ Today ’ s the start – you will be able to see that structure coming out of the ground from all over Teesside and it will truly transform the landscape and that creates confidence .
“ While you ’ re driving down the Trunk Road at South Bank you can ’ t really see what ’ s happening on that site but very shortly you will and that will inspire more confidence for local businesses as well as other investors . Don ’ t underestimate the size and scale of that .”
Adding that a lot of work continues to go on “ under the radar ” in bringing more investors to the Tees Valley , he told the audience : “ It ’ s sometimes very easy to do my job when it comes to investors because I can just point to the sort of people we have on this panel and in the audience , and I don ’ t have to explain myself .
“ I couldn ’ t do what I do , and we would not have achieved what we have achieved , without everyone in this room helping each other and speaking positively about the fantastic things that are happening .”
12 | Tees Business