Tees Business LIVE : August 2024
EVENTS
WHY SMALL IS BIG
Tees Business LIVE : August 2024
STEM CENTRE , MIDDLESBROUGH COLLEGE
SPONSORED BY
Discussion – the Tees Business LIVE panellists ( from left ) Innovation SuperNetwork ’ s innovation and investor relations manager Gary Lynch , SABIC senior technical manager Simon Mann , PD Ports ’ chief people and compliance officer Michelle Robson and AV Dawson ’ s head of engineering and maintenance Mark Wells .
Bosses spell out why SMEs matter for Tees Valley business scene
Investing in local people and the contribution of SMEs are key to the region ’ s economic health , a panel of bosses told the latest Tees Business LIVE event . A four-strong panel discussed the various business opportunities available in a resurgent Tees Valley at the event , which was held in Middlesbrough College ’ s STEM Centre , organised by Tees Business and sponsored by the Tees Valley Securing Investment Programme , in front of more than 80 delegates .
It was a panel reflecting some of the region ’ s big hitter businesses , comprising PD Ports ’ chief people and compliance officer Michelle Robson , SABIC senior technical manager Simon Mann , AV Dawson ’ s head of engineering and maintenance Mark Wells , and Gary Lynch , innovation and investor relations manager at Innovation SuperNetwork , which is delivering the Tees Valley Securing Investment Programme .
And in a discussion about the importance of SMEs to the local business scene , all agreed they have a massive part to play .
Michelle Robson told the lunchtime audience : “ The connectivity we have with our local SMEs is really important to us . “ Whether it ’ s delivering our capital
10 | Tees Business
projects or our operational delivery , 80 per cent of our supply chain is local SMEs .
“ And if you look at the river itself and Teesport , it probably generates around 22,000 jobs collectively – and the majority of that will be from local SMEs .”
Mark Wells said that as a family firm owned by a staunch Teessider , AV Dawson feels local SMEs are “ extremely important ” to the business , which has a Teesside-first policy when it comes to procurement .
He said AV Dawson had signed up to the Good Business Charter , which ensures that bills from small businesses of less than 50 employees will always be paid within 30 days .
And as an example of working with local companies , he cited an agreement with Central Tyres of Longlands , Middlesbrough , to ensure all AV ’ s scrap tyres are now recycled .
He added : “ For us , it ’ s Teesside first – we ’ ll always continue with local suppliers .”
Simon Mann said SABIC also valued the input of local SMEs .
He told the meeting : “ It ’ s great to see a number of companies out there doing a host of things for us throughout the lifecycle of engineering – designing things , making things for us , building the factories or making modifications , helping us
PICTURES : DOUG MOODY
operate them and , as we ’ ve done recently , demolishing them as well .
“ A lot of that is done by local companies and local people .”
And Gary Lynch agreed the relationship between large businesses and SMEs in the Tees Valley was mutually beneficial .
He said : “ Large businesses can provide SMEs with their first opportunity .”
The Tees Valley Securing Investment Programme , in partnership with Tees Valley Combined Authority , offers dedicated support to help your business access funding opportunities .
You can get personalised support to strengthen your investment readiness and directly connect you with grants , funds and private investors through Tees Valley Investor Connect activity .
Support is delivered on behalf of the Tees Valley mayor and Combined Authority and is fully funded by the government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund .
The programme is open to SMEs based in the Tees Valley ( Darlington , Hartlepool , Middlesbrough , Redcar and Cleveland or Stockton ).
Visit teesvalley-ca . gov . uk for more details