WORDS : SARAH WALKER PICTURE : CHRIS BOOTH
Creators of This Is Tees Valley reflect on their own regional success story
Champions of the
business community
Sitting in the Middlesbrough office of the creators of This Is Tees Valley , you are immediately struck by an impressive wall of fame . Covers of Tees Business – Resolution Media and Publishing ’ s flagship businessto-business publication – adorn one wall , creating a ‘ Who ’ s who ?’ of the Tees region ’ s most influential businesspeople , from PD Ports ' CEO Frans Calje to Tees Businesswoman of the Year Chloë Clover .
And with anyone who ’ s anyone clambering to be the next cover star , Resolution owners Martin Walker and Dave Allan are looking ahead to an exciting future as the men behind the region ’ s most influential and high-profile organisation of its size .
They are rightly proud of the many positive ways the runaway success of Tees Business has impacted on the region ’ s business community .
Instantly recognisable in the reception areas of commercial properties across the region , Tees Business – which also has a growing online readership – is the voice of business in Tees Valley .
It has become a vehicle for championing Teesside ’ s success stories and it has had a hugely positive effect . Shining through is Martin and Dave ’ s pride in the region they serve and call home .
“ We love talking up Teesside – it ’ s one of our slogans – and we love raising the profile of different businesses in different sectors ,” Dave says .
“ We have so many amazing entrepreneurs and inspiring individuals out there working on Teesside .
“ Tees Business and our awards give us a platform to share the stories of their success
6 and help them go even further .”
In the past five years , and despite the impact of the pandemic , Resolution has also become a premier events specialist .
Martin and Dave have created several new , successful awards events that the Tees Valley business community has taken to its heart .
The Tees Tech Awards , Tees Businesswomen Awards and Best New Business Awards have quickly become highlights of the business calendar , with the Tees Businesswoman Awards their “ proudest achievement ”.
While there have always been successful businesswomen working hard across the Tees Valley , they were perhaps “ under the radar ” – but with their profiles raised , Dave and Martin are delighted to see them inspiring the next generation of young women in business .
“ These awards have actually transformed the businesswomen ’ s network in this region , which is arguably stronger than it is for businessmen – and this is probably unlike any other area in the UK ,” Dave says .
“ It ’ s unique for a specific region to have such a successful businesswomen ’ s awards , and I think we can honestly say those awards have dramatically increased the profile of some of the region ’ s inspiring female business leaders .
“ In the Most Inspiring Business Leaders poll that we do , we have gone from having three women in the top 30 to having 14 women in the Top 30 , including the late Jane Turner as our first female winner last year .”
As well as championing the Tees Valley ’ s businesswomen , the duo have also had a massive positive impact on the local freelance community , providing a
Growing – Resolution Media and Publishing owners Dave Allan and Martin Walker oversee an ever-expanding portfolio of magazines and awards events – and they ’ re constantly looking for new challenges .
springboard for writers , photographers and designers of their publications to grow their own successful businesses and networks .
“ We ’ ve created this powerful community of skills ,” says Dave proudly .
Martin adds : “ That network has grown massively and we are proud to give employment directly to our staff here , but also to our freelance writers , photographers and designers .”
It ’ s clear that both Martin and Dave value the platform they have developed for shouting about Teesside ’ s success stories above the profits they can make .
“ Right from an early stage , we realised that if we purely focused on the bottom line , we would head in a different direction ,” Dave says .
“ We quickly realised we could have a significant impact on the profile and the