MY BUSINESS MANTRA IS … PROVIDE A GOOD PLACE TO WORK WHERE WE CAN LET PEOPLE BE INSPIRED AND BE THE BEST THEY CAN
Serving the Teesside Business Community | 11
MY BUSINESS MANTRA IS … PROVIDE A GOOD PLACE TO WORK WHERE WE CAN LET PEOPLE BE INSPIRED AND BE THE BEST THEY CAN
My greatest achievement was … Applied Integration winning the Astute class submarine contract was a massive high and game-changer for the business, but we’ ve also invested tens of thousands of pounds into a local amateur football club called Cleveland Juniors. Seeing 500 kids – many of them from underprivileged backgrounds- run around with brand new kits on sporting the Applied Integration logo and helping them build a new clubhouse gives me and my fellow directors great pride, as does the way we’ ve built a business that now employs more than 30 people.
The advice I’ d give to business start-ups is … the advice my dad used to drive into me, which was all about focusing on sales and invoices. But over and above that my advice is to be confident with your products and to remember the old adage that turnover is for vanity, profit is for sanity.
The biggest character on the Tees business scene is … Steve Gibson. I’ ve grown up with him being part of my life as chairman of the football club. The success he’ s had with Boro and Bulkhaul, together with the jobs he’ s created in the area, has been absolutely fantastic. As a 10 or 11-year-old Boro fan, I remember being on the terraces at the
first game back at Ayresome Park after the club went bust. I’ ve never actually met him, though my 13-year-old daughter has!
The individual who is my tip for the top among Tees businesses is … I don’ t know him personally but Dean Benson from Visualsoft stands out to me. His personal goals, his philosophies and achievements in a hi-tech business are similar to our own at Applied Integration.
Teesside’ s a great place for business because … of the passionate people. We’ ve also got a fantastic university and we have a lot of amazing blue chip businesses that provide world class solutions. Two of them I’ d like to mention are our neighbours here on Stokesley Business Park, Labman and Analox.
My biggest frustration about Teesside is … the tendency to focus on the negativity around the downturn in our local industries such as steel and potash. We do have some great businesses here and we need to focus on the positives, not the negatives. There is a lack of investment in Teesside that does frustrate me but we have to make the best of what we have.
My favourite local charity is … Zoe’ s Place. It’ s what they are doing for the local area and making life a little more comfortable for kids at the end of their young lives. As someone with children of my own, that’ s a moving subject, which is why we try to help Zoe’ s Place when we can.
When I’ m not working, I like to spend my time … watching Middlesbrough and watching my two girls, Ashleigh and Gabby, play football. I also enjoy going out walking with my boy, Josh. We love the Gruffalo Trail in Guisborough Woods!
My guilty pleasures are … well, I do like a few beers now and again! I do like my Budweiser. I just like to chill out with friends on a weekend.
The best holiday I ever had was … my honeymoon with my wife, Lindsay. We went out to west America – Las Vegas, Los Angeles and California. We’ ll go back again when the kids are old enough. Everything in Las Vegas is so surreal, everything is on a mega-scale. We did the Hollywood Walk of Fame and Mann’ s Chinese Theatre in LA, and then, in California, visited Alcatraz at night, which was a great experience.
Not many people know this about me but … I actually represented the county at the English schools finals, racing future Olympic gold medallist Darren Campbell in the 100m. I was eighth fastest sprinter in the country for my age-group when I was 14 – and the fastest in the North-East of England.
In retirement, I’ ll spend my time … travelling and seeing places. There’ s a few of places I’ d like to visit – including Australia, Vietnam and Hong Kong.