The Black Country's Business Club
for people in manufacturing
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The Business XChange is a local business group based in the West Midlands, whose main purpose is to assist local manufacturing and small businesses with support and advice by exchanging skills, ideas and services.
The group meets once every three months to discuss local business issues, share opportunities, and enjoy a focused presentation or speaker aimed at helping members improve the future of their businesses.
If you are looking for local suppliers to enhance your business or the opportunity to meet up on a regular basis with other non-service businesses in the Black Country, the Business XChange is for you.
To get an invitation to our next event please join our mailing list.
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Events with the Edge is a Stourbridge based, West Midlands event management company, guaranteed to give your event that special 'Edge' to make it memorable for all the right reasons.
To find out more information about our services visit: www.eventswiththeedge.co.uk
A design and print company established for over 20 years, Husselworks has gained an exemplary reputation for superior customer service. Offering clients real value for money through our products and experience has allowed the expansion of our product range and service profile.
To find out more information about our services visit: www.husselworks.com
At Origin, we're passionate about providing you with exceptional levels of personal service and our team of Independent Financial Advisers have the specialist skills and qualifications to provide you, your family and your business with a comprehensive level of financial planning advice.
To find out more information about our services visit: www.origin.eu.com
Founded in 1830, Wall James Chappell are a corporate and private client law firm. Corporate activities range from litigation to corporate mergers and acquisitions, shareholder and commercial contract advice and commercial property transactions.
The firm also specialises in wills, trust and probate, family law, residential conveyancing and town planning.
To find out more information about our services visit: www.wjclaw.co.uk
Worton Rock are not just run-of-the-mill accountants who just produce your annual accounts once a year and leave it at that. We bring to our clients a wide range of in house expertise on business development and supplement this by working with well proven partners in specialist areas. This enables us to help you develop your business in terms of profitability and productivity.
To find out more information about our services visit: www.wortonrock.co.uk
Member Offers
This page has been set up to promote business between the members of the Business XChange.
If you would like us to display your business listing along with your offer to the other Business XChange members, please email your details to
info_business-xchange.co.uk
Read our guide on Business Protection to learn more about this subject.
Wall James Chappell solicitors
15-23 Hagley Road
Stourbridge
West Midlands
DY9 0YZ
T: 01384 371 622
E: p.chapman_wjclaw.co.uk
W: www.wjclaw.co.uk
Offer details:-
Business Health Check
The aim of this service is to help your business extract more value from its commercial contracts and ensure that it is in the strongest legal position in terms of its contractual arrangements. As part of the FREE business health check we are offering to review:
Business terms and conditions;
Employment contracts; and
Company and partnership arrangements
To arrange your consultation please contact Philip Chapman on the above telephone number.
Creative Action Agency LLP
7 Walkers Way
High Street
Wombourne
Staffordshire
WV5 9DP
T: 01902 326510
E: colin.adams_ca-team.com
Colin Adams
Partner
Origin Financial Ltd
1 Hagley Court South
The Waterfront
Brierley Hill
DY5 1XE
T:01384 361803
E: info_origin.eu.com
W: www.origin.eu.com
Offer Details:-
Business Contingency Planning
Origin are pleased to offer the members of the Business-XChange a FREE no obligation consultation to review your businesses contingency planning requirements.
To arrange your consultation please contact| Ian Lloyd | on the number above.
More Member Offers
Do you feel like you and your business are “stuck?” Get a free consultation before the end of 2011 to help get you “unstuck” and launch your business into 2012. Call me on 07545 397335 to book a one hour free session or e-mail maxine_perseption-consulting.co.uk.
Perseption Consulting, specialising in implementing change into service businesses of all sizes by supporting them in a programme for growth. Saving businesses time, effort and money on the wasted 50% of their marketing spend (apologies to Henry Ford)
If you want to learn more about how I can support you to grow your business, then read my business guide on my website (free to download) or take the five minute fact find. Or just call me 07545 397335.
ASK ME ABOUT THE £1,000 GRANT AVAILABLE TO GROW YOUR BUSINESS. E-mail to arrange a chat, maxine_perseption-consulting.co.uk.
Perseption Consulting
1 Mansion Close
Dudley, West Midlands DY1 2GY
Promote your business to other members
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Submit your copy for consideration
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JAW Business Solutions are collaborating with a major energy broker in assisting commercial businesses to save on Gas and Electricity bills.
More businesses are looking to save costs wherever possible to remain competitive under tough trading conditions.
The rising cost of oil, depleting resources, and global economic disasters have all had an effect on energy prices.
We deal with the top 50 of the UK’s energy suppliers, and they are all competing against one another, and so very often savings can be made.
Any type of business could benefit from saving on their bills: shops, factories, hotels, restaurants, manufacturing, retail, any business really.
For more details contact.
Dev Masih
JAW Business Solutions Limited
Mobile Phone: 07908 383 570
Email: dev_jawbusiness.co.uk
Back
Details of this event will be announced soon. To be notified of our next event please join our mailing list on the home page.
Event Title: TBA
Date: TBA
Time: 4.30pm - 6.30pm
Cost: £10 per delegate
To attend this event please use the PayPal button below. Once you payment has been received we will send confirmation and a booking receipt.
Bookings for more than one person will need to be done via separate transactions.
Previous Events - 2011
February 2011 - With Guest Speaker Cecil Duckworth
April 2011 - With Guest Speaker Margot James MP
October 2011 - With Guest Speaker Stewart Towe CBE
What would you like to discuss at the next Business XChange meeting?
Please use the comments box below to share any ideas or comments you have about the Business XChange.
Tuesday 8th February 2011 at Dudley Kingswinford Rugby Club.
Between 40 and 50 people attended the re-launch of Business XChange at Dudley Kingswinford RFC on Tuesday 8th February.
We were extremely fortunate to welcome former owner of Worcester Bosch, Cecil Duckworth OBE as our speaker. Cecil told us how he went from starting a business making boilers with just £300.00 to the multi-millionaire he is today. Another of his proposed business plans was to manufacture self-service petrol pumps but this was rejected as it was considered impractical!
His fascinating talk gave us all an insight in to how much business has moved on in the last twenty years and not always for the better, in particular the amount of regulation currently affecting even small changes in business practises.
Cecil was accompanied by Kathy Leather, Commercial Director of Worcester Warriors and Worcestershire Businesswoman of the Year. Kathy spoke briefly about her role at Sixways and gave an insight into her world of rugby union. Their generous donation of tickets to the forth-coming Warriors v Cornish Pirates game on 26th February to all Business XChange attendees was extremely popular.
We are now looking forward to our next meeting on 20th April when Stourbridge MP Margot James will be our guest speaker.
Margot is a successful businesswoman and has been Vice Chairman of the Conservative Party since 2005. She sits on the select committee for Business Innovation and Skills.
Wednesday 20th April - Margot James MP at DK Rugby Club
Margot James, Member of Parliament for Stourbridge and a former businesswoman joined 30 members of the Business XChange to talk about the challenges and issues facing local manufacturing businesses.
Wednesday 5th October 2011 - Stewart Towe CBE at DK Rugby Club
Stewart Towe CBE joined over 40 members of the Business XChange to discuss his involvement in the Black Country LEP and various local business issues.
The Business XChange group meet every three months at various locations around the Black Country..
If you would like to find out more infomation about becoming a member, please use the contact form below to provide us with you business contact details and someone will call for a discussion.
Profile of Stewart Towe
Stewart was appointed to the Main Board of Hadley Industries in 1978 taking responsibility for the commercial and financial development of the Group. Completed the buy-out of the business from the Hadley family in April 2006.
Hadley have grown from £1 million annual turnover in the mid 1970s to over £100 million annual turnover in 2010. Growth has been primarily by product development, not acquisition. Hadley now have manufacturing plants in the Middle East, Far East and Europe and licensees throughout the world.
•Awarded C.B.E. in the Queens Birthday Honours List, June 2008, for services to Industry in the West Midlands
•Appointed as Business in the Communitys Regional Ambassador for the West Midlands by His Royal Highness, The Prince of Wales in June 2007
•High Sheriff of the West Midlands 2012 (in nomination)
•Chair Business in the Community, West Midlands Region (October 2009 onwards)
•Chair Black Country L.E.P. (December 2010 onwards)
•Chair of Governors - Bromsgrove School and Alexandra High School & Sixth Form Centre
•Chair - Black Country Employment & Skills Board
•Governor - Wolverhampton University and Sandwell Academy
•Member of HSBC International Advisory Board
•Member of the CBI Manufacturing Council
•Past President - Sandwell Division of Black Country Chamber of Commerce
On Wednesday 5th October 2011 Stewart Towe joined over 40 member of the local business community at the Business XChange to talk about his involvement in the Black Country LEP and various business issues.
I qualified as a Mechanical Engineer in 1961 and started my business with £300 in 1962. I had two ideas, one being a self-service petrol pump and the other to manufacture oil-fired domestic central heating boilers. I filed a number of patents for a petrol pump concept but the petrol companies said it was too early, therefore I concentrated on the central heating boilers. My initial boilers were made in the Old Vinegar Works, which was only 1,000 sq.ft and in a fairly dilapidated condition. A few years later we moved to our own new 15,000 sq.ft factory which was extended to 30,000 sq.ft. two years later. We were fast becoming one of the UKs leading oil-fired boiler manufacturers. In 1970 we launched our first gas-fired combination boiler and called this the Combi which revolutionised central heating boilers in this country. All our competitors thought the concept would not take off, but after the Water Byelaws were changed in the mid 1980s my companys growth was spectacular. We went Public on the London Stock Exchange in 1986 and became the biggest growth share the following year with the equity growth rising to 12 times the launch price.
The Combi concept has now grown to over 65% of the UK market and Worcester Bosch is by far the largest manufacturer of domestic central heating boilers in the UK. In 1998 and 1990 the company moved into a new factory 160,000 sq.ft. factory in Warndon. This area has now been considerably extended. In the 1990s Worcester Heat Systems was producing 40,000 boilers per year but now output is well over 300,000.
In 1992 the company was sold to Bosch of Germany who provided £100 million inward investment. Cecil Duckworth was appointed Chief Executive of the Heating Division of Bosch and became the first non-German to hold such a position in Bosch. After four years, and having successfully completed my earn-out he sold his share to Bosch in December 1996.
In addition to the main business CD also served as a governor of Worcester Sixth Form College and the Technical College and in 1992 became a non-Executive of the Worcester Health Authority. In 1993 he was made Chairman of the South Worcestershire Community NHS Trust. Three years later the South Worcestershire Trust merged with the North Worcestershire Trust to form the Worcestershire Community Healthcare NHS Trust and he was appointed Chairman. He served for a further three years. For each of these three years and during the time he was Chairman of the South Worcester Trust all targets were achieved and operated to within budget.
In 1998 he retired from the NHS to concentrate on the development of three projects :
1.Worcester Rugby Football Club
In 1993 CD had agreed to help financially and professionally Worcester Rugby Football Club with their lottery application to build a centre of excellence. This included a new top quality pitch, a new extensive clubhouse and a unique indoor training centre. The application was successful in gaining a £1.3 million contribution to the £3m scheme.
His objective was also to develop rugby for the community. The financial investment he made was in gratitude to the people of Worcester who enabled him to build a significant company.
The club has been very successful over the last 11 years, gaining promotion eventually into the Guinness Premiership. The club has developed a substantial Mini-Junior Section with over 500 children from 7 to 18 years olds, winning many National awards at various age levels. Matchday crowd capacity for the coming season (2009/10) will be 12,500, compared with 20-30 twelve years ago!
2.Acorns Childrens Hospice Trust
CD was approached eight years ago by an old school friend of his daughters who had a child with severe difficulties, and a very limited life expectancy, and wondered what help he could provide. He has a handicapped son, so as a result of that meeting he visited Acorns Childrens Hospice in Selly Oak, Birmingham and was so impressed with the work they were doing there requested they undertook a work study to determine whether a similar operation could operate from Worcester and, if so, he would be willing to help. That study was carried out and proved there was a definite need, not only for a Hospice, but also for a more extended network of outworkers. The Hospice gives respite care to those unfortunate children and support to their parents. The Selly Oak operation was not big enough to deal with extra children from Worcestershire, Herefordshire and North Gloucestershire. Therefore, the project was born. He financed the setting up of the office in Worcester to enable the capital appeal to get underway underway. The land alongside the Bath Road was bought by the Duckworth Worcestershire Trust, and the Hospice opened in March 2005.
3.The Duckworth Worcestershire Trust
The Duckworth Worcestershire Trust was set up in 1998 with a view to making the city of Worcester a more attractive place to live, to be cleaner and safer. Significant improvements have been made in achieving these aims.
The DWT purchased 35 acres of amenity land opposite Worcester Cathedral which they manage, and ensure it is not only a habitat for wildlife but is also used by the community and particularly the schools.
The Trust harnesses a significant amount of voluntary help from the local community, in addition to working with the Probation Service and other agencies, to assist the Warden Team improve the cleanliness, the removal of graffiti, litter picking, instigate community projects, conservation and provide education to schools and community groups on relevant topics.
The Trust has also contributed to the City CCTV camera system and major improvements to the historic Edgar Tower and Fish Street as well as the fountain on South Quay.
Cecil Duckworth was awarded the OBE in 2005 for his services to rugby and the environment in Worcestershire.
September 2009 appointed to the RFU Image of the Game Task Group.
