The Tees Valley is a hotbed of activity
FEATURE
New development – artists ’ impressions of the planned new hybrid commercial units to be built at Teesworks .
The Tees Valley is a hotbed of activity
won contracts to build the plant ’ s office accommodation block and maintenance building .
Meldrum Group now employs more than 220 people in the North-East , with offices in Teesside , Gateshead and Cambridge , and subscribes to the ‘ buy local ’ philosophy .
CEO and founder Dave Meldrum said : “ We ’ re thrilled to be part of the Tees Valley economic landscape and similarly believe that as employers we should recruit and spend locally .”
As well as using local labour and know-how , construction of the SeAH Wind factory has used local components - almost 35,000 tonnes of steel used in the building has come from British Steel ’ s Teesside Beam Mill at nearby Lackenby .
Let ’ s take another company starting out at the site : Steel River Power . A 50:50 joint venture between Steel River Energy Limited and North West Electricity Networks ( UK ) Limited , Steel River Power was set up last autumn to own , operate and expand what will become the largest private wire electricity distribution network in the UK on the Teesworks site .
The company , which directly employs more than 25 people , is upgrading and expanding the existing private electricity distribution network to accommodate the current and future needs of tenants on the Teesworks site – and it prioritised local suppliers when it came to getting things off the ground .
Steel River Power director Ian Kirk explained : “ When Steel River Power acquired the private wire network in October of last year , we had to build a business and it was important to us to utilise local supply chain partners .
Everything from recruitment and professional services to IT and furniture – we worked with local firms across the board .
“ Outsourced HR in Darlington managed TUPE of the existing engineering team and established staff policies and contracts for new employees sourced through NRL Recruitment . Tindalls in Stockton provide our payroll , whilst Baines Jewitt Financial Advisors established the new pension scheme . A fleet of electric vans were supplied from Advanced Vehicle Leasing in Middlesbrough , which were sign written by Sign Design GB in Eaglescliffe , and Lucid Technology Solutions in Norton installed all IT and telecoms hardware .”
Further opportunities for local businesses at Teesworks will be coming soon after planning permission was secured for more than 40 hybrid commercial units to be built on the site . Teesworks intends to rent out the
New beginning - the Day One operational and management team of Steel River Power at the company ’ s launch in October 2024 .
units to local SMEs , a number of whom are likely to service the needs of large occupiers on the Teesworks site .
Teesworks Ltd chairman Chris Musgrave explained : “ While the likes of SeAH Wind and bp are headline-grabbing occupiers at Teesworks , it has always been our intention that their presence will feed into the local economy and help drive further investment and job creation , a process which is already happening .
“ That ’ s why we have set aside this part of the development for hybrid units offering occupiers easy in / easy out access terms so that local small businesses can start up on the site or set up new offices here .
“ We know how important small businesses are to building the bedrock of the local economy , creating jobs and driving prosperity which is why we always wanted to involve SMEs literally on the ground at Teesworks .”
The voice of business in the Tees region | 53