/TeesBusiness
@Tees_Business
W E LCOM E
Time for true
Teesside steel
FOREWORD by
Dave Allan, joint executive editor
HIGHLIGHTS IN
THIS ISSUE OF
TEES BUSINESS:
14
STANDING TOGETHER
Ben Houchen’s key
Covid-19 crisis message
16
EURO STAR
Cover feature – a born
entrepreneur who’s come
a long way in business
24
FIVE-YEAR CELEBRATION
Six pages of features as
Tees Business reaches
milestone
41
WE’LL BOUNCE BACK
Middlesbrough mayor
admits Covid-19 crisis is
going to be tough
78
GROUP TOGETHER
Tees firm aims to be
industrial powerhouse
82
CATCH THE NEXT WAVE
PD Ports leading on local
logistics careers
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of our knowledge, at the time of publishing.
H
ow do you respond to a crisis of the scale caused by the global
Covid-19 pandemic? It’s an issue we’ve all spent long hours
considering as we attempt to ponder the imponderables.
It’s no doubt already caused
more than a few sleepless
nights and I fear there’ll be
little let-up for our insomnia
in the weeks and months
ahead. We’re in for a ride on
a nightmarish rollercoaster
that is short of any of the
thrill-seeking joy to be found
at Blackpool Pleasure Beach
(pre-coronavirus outbreak,
obviously).
But perhaps we should all
consider the wise words of
one of the Tees region’s wisest
men, PD Ports CEO Frans Calje.
Last summer, we asked Frans
what his business mantra was
and he replied: “It is what it is.”
Interestingly, it’s a favourite
saying of popular former
Middlesbrough manager Tony
Mowbray too, so what is ‘It is
what it is’?
Frans explained: “What I
mean by that is that on many
occasions you’re faced with a
situation or an outcome that
is not what was foreseen or
wanted. But you can’t change
the past, so there is no point
in dwelling on what we could
have done differently…as it is
what it is. The question is ‘What
are you going to do about it?’
So what are you going to do
about it? One option would be
to curl up in a ball, thump our
fists on the ground and yell “It’s
just not fair.”
But I much prefer the idea
of standing tall, rolling up our
sleeves and fighting for our
futures. Now, more than ever,
it’s time to show some true
Teesside steel.
And this is not the time
to blindly do what you’ve
always done. Now is the
moment to adapt to changed
circumstances, a world
where many previous rules of
engagement are officially out
of the window.
At Resolution, we’ve
responded by printing fewer
copies of Tees Business – after
all, many business have sadly
been forced to close, staff are
working from home and all
events are out of the question.
Instead, we’ll be aiming our
promotional big guns at social
media and boosting the hell
out of the online version of
Tees Business and the content
provided by our valued friends
and clients.
We’ve also launched a
new Digital Media Pack to
help businesses reach their
customers and potential
customers. You can read about
it on page 106.
When this is all over - and it
will be - business will boom, the
Tees region will continue its rise
and I believe we’ll all appreciate
life more than ever.
In the meantime, best of
luck to all of our readers, their
businesses and their families
at this most testing of testing
times. Stay safe.
TALKING UP YOUR BUSINESS
A
s the voice of the Tees business community, Tees Business is the
perfect way to promote your successes, products and services to
your fellow local businesses.
Published every quarter, thousands of copies of Tees Business are
delivered FREE to the Tees region’s business communities of Stockton,
Middlesbrough, Darlington, Redcar & Cleveland, Hartlepool, Wynyard and
Stokesley.
See our website www.teesbusiness.co.uk for our Media Pack with full
details of our packages, starting from just £295.
Our skilled team can write your editorial, take photographs and design
your adverts – at no additional charge.
Call 01642 450255 or email [email protected] for more details.
Tees Business | www.teesbusiness.co.uk | Tel: 01642 450255 | Email: [email protected]
Published & distributed by: Resolution Media & Publishing Ltd | resolutionpublishing.co.uk
Executive editors: Martin Walker and Dave Allan. This issue edited by: Michael McGeary
Designed by: KINSHIP, [email protected]
Our writers: Joanne Barrett, Peter Barron, Julie Burniston, Michael McGeary,
Harry Pearson, Adam Steel, Colin Young.
Our photographers: Graeme Rowatt (including front cover), Chris Booth,
Doug Moody, Martin Walker, Tom Banks.
See page 106
for details
about our
enhanced
digital
and online
packages –
with a range
of ideas for
reaching your
potential
customers
during the
Covid-19
challenge.
The voice of business in the Tees region | 3