Tees Business Tees Business Issue 21 | Page 101

Making an impact - Centre Square has received award nominations. MIDDLES B ROUG H N E WS DENTAL SPECIALIST LAUNCHES NEW ECO RANGE CENTRE SQUARE UP FOR PRESTIGIOUS AWARDS T he Centre Square project, which it is hoped will revitalise Middlesbrough town centre and kickstart the area’s economy, is in contention for several prestigious awards. Both Centre Square’s buildings – One and Two Centre Square – have been nominated in the inaugural Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) Social Impact Awards, which recognise the built environment’s “positive and transformational contribution to society”. Meanwhile, judges from the British Council for Offices (BCO) came on a fact-finding visit to Middlesbrough after One and Two Centre Square were nominated for best Commercial Workplace Award. The Centre Square project was launched five years ago by developer Mark Ashall after the influential think-tank Centre for Cities concluded that Middlesbrough town centre needed Grade A offices to attract large QA Weld Tech marks 40th anniversary companies offering well-paid jobs which, in turn, would have a beneficial impact on the local economy. Last July, Two Centre Square, a three- storey 35,000 sq ft office building, was completed. One Centre Square followed two months later. It is bigger – 60,000 sq ft over four storeys – with a large space for a restaurant/café on the ground floor. “The aim was to create buildings which have a stunning visual impact, but also provide high-quality space that is adaptable, economic and sustainable,” said Mr Ashall, of Ashall Projects. “Employees are a business’ greatest asset – and that was our starting point. “We are delighted with the endorsement from two sets of judges. It underlines our ambition to create the very best, capable of attracting business and employees to Middlesbrough.” Middlesbrough-based independent dental handpiece firm, Trigiene Dental, has announced the launch of a reusable Eco Repair Box and a new eco range of sustainable products that aim to greatly reduce the sector’s heavy reliance on single-use plastic. Single-use products are synonymous in the dental world with decontamination and reduction of cross-infection and are considered vital to meet HTM01-05 standards. So plastic-wrapped instruments alongside numerous single-use items including face masks, tips, gloves and cups are the norm. The family-owned business’s new cardboard Eco Repair Box offers a sustainable alternative to traditional plastic padded repair envelopes. Celebrating the perfect partnership A cleaner, greener Symbol QA Weld Tech, the Middlesbrough- based international specialist engineering company, is celebrating its 40th anniversary with ambitions to grow its export activity. The firm specialises in the welding and fabrication of complex components for severe service applications such as subsea production systems for the oil and gas industry, in addition to critical components for marine, chemical and nuclear applications. Employing a workforce of more than 60 and with a turnover in excess of £7m, QA Weld Tech has expanded since it was founded from a single unit on Riverside Park Industrial Estate to an additional eight units on the same site. Learning Curve Group and Building Heroes are celebrating after the first cohort of military veterans completed their training in the region. LCG’s Construction Academy in Middlesbrough provides fully-funded training to members of the armed forces and military veterans. Aimed at helping veterans back into employment and preparing serving personnel for life after the military, the servicemen and women on the Property Maintenance course have gained a range of skills including painting and decorating, plastering, joinery and bricklaying. Having now completed the course, LCG and Building Heroes have hosted a celebration event with 15 per cent of graduates gaining full-time employment immediately following completion. Middlesbrough print firm Symbol has revolutionised the way it operates to make it greener than ever before. The company’s new HQ at North Road, Middlesbrough, has been transformed into a modern manufacturing plant with some of the largest digital printers and cutters in the UK. The changes have resulted in significant cost savings for customers and an 80 per cent reduction in waste materials and energy costs. Digital printing is better for the environment than traditional screen methods and the new technology also means customers can print on demand. The voice of business in the Tees region | 101