Tees Business | Page 42

Serving the Teesside Business Community | 43 / HARTLEPOOL NEWS CrossFit’s youngest head coach inspires membership boom Evie Hollis has inspired a membership boom at CrossFit’s Hartlepool branch. Professional Business IT Support Get your FREE IT HEALTH CHECK now T he Hartlepool branch of international fitness sensation CrossFit has seen its membership rocket under the guidance of 19-year-old head coach Evie Hollis. Such has been Evie’s impact that CrossFit Telic’s membership has increased by a third in just six months, with directors Joanne McCue – ex-wife of Duncan Bannatyne – and ex-Marine Lee Howe hailing the former Middlesbrough girls footballer as “inspiring”. Now Joanne and Lee plan to meet the increasing demand for functional fitness classes by extending the opening hours and potentially doubling the size of the unit on Park View Industrial Estate. Believed to be the youngest head coach of any of CrossFit’s 300 UK boxes, Evie was appointed head coach in October last year when she was only 18, having taken up Enquire about any of our services: • Web & Email Hosting • Physical & Virtual Servers • Networking & Firewalls • Maintenance Contracts • One off support • Help with Projects Web: www.giraffesolutions.co.uk Tel: +44 (0)1642 773159 MARKETING FIRM WORKS WITH MFC We are a customer-focused business, with a wealth of experience in the transport, distribution and warehousing sectors. Stiller in brief: • Family owned business, established in 1954 • Cost-effective regional and national distribution • Diverse fleet of collection and delivery vehicles • On–line tracking and tracing of freight deliveries • High-bay racked warehouses for up to 20,000 pallets • On-line stock tracking • Over 200,000 square feet of food grade warehousing • ISO 9001 (Quality) accredited • ISO 14001 (Environmental) accredited • Broad range of commercial and in dustrial properties to let WE NOW HAVE EXTRA PALLET STORAGE AVAILABLE Call 01325 313 140 Ridgeway, Aycliffe Business Park Newton Aycliffe, County Durham DL5 6SP for more details One of Teesside’s leading marketing agencies is celebrating after joining forces with Middlesbrough FC to carry our several initiatives following Boro’s long-awaited return to the Premier League. Hartlepool-based Emmerson Marketing were the brains behind the popular #THISISOURTIME slogan which aimed to galvanise fans in the run up to promotion. They also achieved what director Matt Emmerson described as “a real feather in our cap” when helping Boro boss Aitor Karanka create a “Riverside cauldron” for the promotion decider against Brighton, providing 25,000 red and white supporter flags to help the sell-out crowd create a spine-tingling atmosphere. The full-service agency also offers a range of branded apparel and merchandise to a number of clients, including providing the branded T-shirts and medals for the Ali Brownlee Riverside Run. coaching the fitness sport at the age of just 16. The teenager leads a small team of three qualified CrossFit coaches, having achieved Level 2 CrossFit trainer qualifications. Evie, from Ingleby Barwick, initially took up CrossFit as a 14-year-old only in preparation for football trials with Middlesbrough Ladies’ Centre of Excellence but became “hooked” on a sport her parents Steve and Sue had already taken up. Since kicking football into touch to focus solely on CrossFit, Evie has competed in the World CrossFit Games in California, finishing fifth in the 16-18 years category when she was still aged just 16. Passionate about Olympic weightlifting, she has also been included in the Golden Chance nurturing campaign run by the British weightlifting team in Loughborough. “I come to work every day with a smile on my face,” said Evie. “I’m doing something I love, that I’m passionate about. Right from first taking up CrossFit I’ve just loved everything about it.” NATIONAL SUCCESS FOR DAWSON LANDSCAPES A landscaping firm which was set up by a man with a wheelbarrow and just £500 in his pocket has received national recognition at an awards ceremony. Dawson Landscapes, based in Hartlepool, landed three honours in the regional heats of the annual Marshalls Awards which attracts entries from creative gardening and landscaping teams from across the UK. Dawson also scooped top prize in the Best Use Of Drivesys category for excellence in block paving at the national finals. They were also highly commended in the best drive over 70m section, and came third in the contract of the year category. All three nominations came from a contract which was carried out at a private property in Newcastle. Recycling firm encouraging healthy workforce J&B Recycling has signed up to a scheme which is set up to encourage the workforce to take more care of their health. The Hartlepool-based company has undertaken a number of initiatives in the workplace in recent months including regular training and health checks. J&B, which employs almost 200 staff across two sites in Hartlepool and another in Middlesbrough, has brought in private health insurance for employees. The scheme, which allows employees to claim for things such as dental treatment, optical tests and chiropody as well as specialist consultations and health screenings, is part of the company’s drive to encourage a healthy workforce. Managing director Vikki Jackson-Smith (pictured above) added: “The health and welfare of our workers is something which we take a great deal of pride in, and by signing up to this scheme we will be encouraging staff to embrace it and take a step towards a healthier lifestyle.” Hydrochem helping businesses save energy cash Businesses can save as much as 25% on their energy costs by ensuring their heating facilities are working at full capacity. Hartlepool-based Hydrochem regularly carries out servicing and monitoring works at business premises throughout the UK, with several major hotel, leisure and fitness groups on their portfolio. Modern buildings fitted with the latest facilities are more likely to be energyefficient. But engineers from the firm tend to find that older systems are needlessly costing businesses thousands of pounds in lost energy when a simple flush and clean could solve their problems. Hydrochem is advising firms to act now to make savings and recently helped a London-based local authority significantly slash its bills.