4 | Tees Business
BUSINESS BITES
MAJOR AWARD FOR
UNIVERSITY
Teesside University’s commitment to
creating a dynamic, customer-focused
environment for its business services
has been recognised with a prestigious
award.
The university’s business hub, The
Forge, has been awarded the nationally
recognised Putting The Customer First
accreditation – one of only a handful of
universities in the country to achieve this
standard.
Dozens of university staff were
interviewed as part of a rigorous
assessment process which looked at
how the university meets client needs
through relationship building, market
awareness and people development.
MIDDLE EAST DEAL BOOST
A Tees-based engineering information
management company is celebrating
a new partnership with a Middle East
regional solutions provider for industry
and enterprise as part of the company’s
plans for global expansion.
Kuwait-based Enterprise Business
Solutions will provide Middlesbrough
firm Datum360’s Software as a Service
(SaaS) offering across the Middle East
region from their locations which include
Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain and Qatar.
EBS with Datum360 will work to
deliver value to clients with trusted
engineering information management
solutions that provide quick, accurate
and reliable results.
ACKLAM HALL AGREES
FOOD DEAL
A Darlington-based foodservice
consumables company is celebrating
a major contract win with the newly
refurbished Acklam Hall.
MAC International food service has
signed a deal to supply the only Grade
I-listed building in Middlesbrough with
its new crockery, glassware and cutlery.
The company – which works with
many well-known independent hotels,
restaurants and caterers throughout the
North of England – will also be supplying
foodservice consumables, disposables
and hygiene cleaning systems on
a weekly basis to the 17th century
building.
PROFITS UP AT BULKHAUL
Bulkhaul has reported an increase in
profits in its latest financial results for
the last year.
The Middlesbrough-based haulage
firm, which is part-owned by Boro
chairman Steve Gibson, saw pre-tax
profits climb £4.2m from £31.5m to
£35.7m a rise of more than 13%.
The positive end result came despite
a drop in annual turnover in the year to
June 30 last year, down from £170m to
£164m in 2015 – a dip of 3.7%.
Mayor Dave Budd
and Cllr Lewis
Young promoting
this year’s Tour de
Yorkshire, which
will pass through
Middlesbrough this
summer.
Not too late to get involved
in Tour de Yorkshire
T
ees businesses still have a chance
to get involved in this year’s Tour de
Yorkshire.
This summer’s bike race will pass
through Middlesbrough on Sunday May 1 as
the third stage of the competition gathers
pace.
It means some of the leading names in
world cycling are set to roll out through the
town before tackling a challenging and hilly
198km route to Scarborough.
Now businesses are being invited to
get involved in a range of sponsorship and
corporate hospitality packages available.
Tour de Yorkshire can also offer businesses
advice on how to make the most of this
world-class event.
Councillor Lewis Young, Middlesbrough
Council’s executive member for Culture,
Leisure and Sport, said: “It’s a fantastic
opportunity for local businesses and how
to make the most of the legacy the Tour de
Yorkshire will undoubtedly leave behind.”
Sir Gary Verity, chief executive of Welcome
to Yorkshire, added: “This is the third year
we’ve gone out to local communities to
share information about how the race
works and to discuss how businesses and
communities can make it a spectacular
weekend.
“The feedback from the inaugural Tour
de Yorkshire was extremely positive and I’d
encourage everyone on the route, particularly
those in areas the race hasn’t visited before,
to come along and find out how to make it
your Tour.”
Businesses can find out more at www.
lovemiddlesbrough.com/enjoytheride
Commercial Expert expands to new office space
A
commercial finance company which
manages more than £48m-worth of
deals a year for clients nationwide has
expanded.
Tees Valley firm Commercial Expert has
taken on additional team members and
moved to larger, modern, bespoke fitted
premises at The HUB Workspace on Aycliffe
Business Park due to continuing success and
expansion of an already flourishing business.
It now expects to see turnover increase
and is looking to take on additional staff in
2016 after a record year.
The company was founded by managing
director Mike Coates in 2008 when he
diversified from the residential mortgage and
insurance advice career he began in 2001.
Commercial Expert offers a comprehensive
range of business finance to a broad
spectrum of clients, each with differing
financial requirements.
Services include business loans, property
investment finance, and development
finance, bridging finance and crowdfunding
The Commercial Expert team i