A Shropshire networking group has donated £250 to an annual charity football tournament, held in memory of a county landlord who passed away tragically.  

Leamington-based EMA Business and Management Consultants have promoted Ann Ive to the position of Executive Director.  

The West Midlands business community today told Ministers that co-ordinated action across the region is needed to tackle the economic downturn.  

A hassle-free way to export that does away with the need to deal with foreign countries, has been launched by a West Midlands company, with the appointment of highly experienced international operator, Bill Almen. Bill, with 30 years experience of developing international trade, is launching a service to help UK companies, by easing them into the Middle East region without having to leave their desks.  

New Erewash MP Jessica Lee has joined the board of Ilkeston-based enterprise agency Erewash Partnership.  

A recent survey of more than 200 professional services firms in the West Midlands has shown that 70% have identified the low carbon and environmental technologies sector as a key area for growth, with 41% already offering or developing specialised services in this area.  

The ethos of Phil Wheldon’s company is to make IT fit the client’s business – rather than the other way round. Judging by Wheldon Computing’s performance to date, this approach seems to be working very well.  

Business advisory firm Deloitte has reported revenues of £1,953 million for the year ended 31 May 2010, just £16 million below the previous year, despite the tough economic environment.  

Birmingham based International Synergies has joined forces with Staffordshire University to launch the world’s first undergraduate qualification in applied industrial symbiosis.  

With the new academic year about to start, why not take the opportunity to face your own new challenges and identify some business areas for improvement or development. When you are very busy running a business day-to-day, it can be difficult to look to the future, but those that do are often the businesses that plan for growth, respond to change and become more efficient.  

A team of karting enthusiasts will be living life in the fast lane to boost the funds of a children’s cancer charity.  

The West Midlands Centre for Constructing Excellence (WMCCE) is offering 20 innovative SMEs in the construction sector the opportunity to take a subsidised place at the industry event of the year. The BEST show, formerly Interbuild, will take place at the NEC between 18th and 20th October.  

A fund which was established to help commercialise new technologies from universities in the East Midlands has received a £2m boost from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).  

Ever since she was a child herself, Kirstie Prince, 19, of Alsager’s Bank, has always dreamed of looking after children. “We all have our dream job and everyone’s always told me I’m good with children. I used to look after my little cousins and the children of family friends.”  

UK Trade & Investment East Midlands has appointed a new Operations Manager to help boost exports from the region.  

Derby-based Develop Training, the leading technical skills training provider in the UK, has made three new appointments, strengthening its Electrical, Water and Streetworks divisions.  

UK Trade & Investment's Coventry & Warwickshire international trade team is organising a high level market visit to Toronto and Waterloo for West Midlands Information and Communications Technology (ICT) companies from 27 September to 1 October. The closing date for applications is Friday 27 August.  

EMB Ltd, the organisation that delivers access to the local Business Link service, is reminding businesses to be even more vigilant following a reported increase in the recent number of incidents involving a telephone scam offering a tax payment refund from HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) Refund Department.  

Birmingham-based company SCH is one of Britain’s biggest family businesses, based on the latest study by the Institute for Family Business (IFB).  

Local firms in South Lincolnshire enjoyed a welcome boost recently when the Sustainable Construction iNet business support bus stopped at the Springfields Outlet Shopping Centre, Spalding to offer free business and funding advice to firms in and around South Lincolnshire.  

With the latest official figures revealing that unemployment in the East Midlands rose by 1.8% to 170,000 in the three months to June. Business Link is reminding those with aspirations of being their own boss that practical support and advice is FREELY available to help turn their business dreams into a business reality.  

Businesses from across the Black Country are invited to celebrate success at a major event next month. The famous Black Country Chamber of Commerce Annual Awards and exhibition will take place on Thursday 9th September at Wolverhampton Racecourse.  

A leading East Midlands business, AB Waste Disposal has taken on six new workers in response to clients looking to minimise their waste and maximise recycling thanks to support and advice it received from Business Link...  

Nottingham based Payroll and Business Solutions (PBS UK Ltd) has boosted its international client portfolio with the addition of several key clients from the US  

The Milton Keynes South Midlands economic growth area remains a potential threat to parts of the West Midlands, it was claimed today.  

Nottingham based company PBS (UK) has boosted its international client base with the addition of six key clients in the past two months.  

The Government’s decision to undertake a major reform of economic development structures by abolishing Regional Development Agencies and replacing them with Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) provides an exciting opportunity for the Black Country, according to Mike Dell, President of Black Country Chamber of Commerce.  

Companies looking to maximise their working capital are being given a helping hand thanks to a series of new workshops hosted by Business Link West Midlands.  

A business owner who turns unwanted old garments into funky children’s clothes has won the Birmingham heat of BusinessZone.co.uk’s £50,000 search for Britain’s best new company, The Pitch 2010.  

A Lincolnshire businesswoman is taking over the reins at the Lincoln Business Club after former Chairman Eddie Strengiel stepped down owing to work commitments.  

A Black Country company that has produced elaborate metal sections for a Grand Prix circuit and Wembley Stadium is securing its own international reputation with a number of new export deals.  

A Staffordshire-based Chamber of Commerce has thrown its weight behind a proposal to launch a Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP).  

A leading Midlands-based management training and development company is expanding into the South West and is aiming to make a splash after winning its first contract in the region.  

Staff and partners at business advisory firm Deloitte have raised £1million for charity in just one month.  

The delicate work of conservation at the world-famous Victoria & Albert Museum in London is benefiting from the skills of Gloucestershire training company C&G Services.  

A flourishing group for Staffordshire businesses has scooped a national award. The recently formed Staffordshire Business for Breakfast group won the Best Newcomer award at the group’s Directors’ 2010 conference.  

It was best foot forward for Birmingham walkers as they stepped out on a tranquil summer’s morning to go back in time for a guided tour of the city’s Heartlands Ring.  

andPartnership, a Nottinghamshire leadership development and change management consultancy is hosting a free one day seminar in response to the recent governmental report ‘Engaging for success’1. The co-author of the report, David MacLeod will be speaking at the seminar.  

A leading UK lean management consultancy has encouraged politicians to use external consultants to achieve multi-billion pound savings.  

The staff of East Midlands Business Ltd (EMB) are celebrating the achievement of another national quality standard with recognition as an Investor in Excellence.  

The region’s first ever Top 50 Green Leaders have been revealed today in a bid to drive forward the move to a low carbon economy and society by 2020.  

A Black Country designer and manufacturer of aluminium wheels has won a major new contract in Australia, with help from UK Trade & Investment.  

Cutting red tape is one of the most important concerns for businesses, large and small, so the creation of an office which will simplify the tax system is to be welcomed say local business leaders.  

Business leaders learned how to network more effectively when a night of magic conjured up business skills at Dudley and District Business Club.  

Six West Midlands companies found out more about opportunities for developing their export business in Thailand from Britain's top representative in the country.  

UK Trade & Investment is inviting companies from across the East Midlands to the world’s largest and most international aerospace event which is taking place from Monday 19 July to Sunday 25 July.  

A recent evaluation of activities delivered by UK Trade & Investment over the last three years has revealed that for every pound invested a cumulative return of £44 is anticipated.  

Three adventurous staff from EMB Ltd will take to the skies on 11th September 2010 for a tandem skydive in aid of the Air Ambulance.  

Business Voice WM has stepped up its campaign to get broadband access to rural areas.  

The fall in June inflation figures announced today by the Office for National Statistics is partly due to businesses cutting prices with retailers bringing forward summer sales, say business leaders.  

Business Voice WM is backing a major anti-crime workshop. The lobby group is supporting an event run by the National Federation of Retail Newsagents, a BVWM member, aimed at business crime prevention.  

The regional Business Link service is encouraging people with disabilities to consider starting up their own business.  

West Midlands businesses can learn how they can capitalise on export opportunities with help from a joint initiative between HSBC Commercial Banking and UK Trade & Investment (UKTI).  

Rutland based international educational exchange organisation, IEPUK Ltd, is helping British nationals find work placements all over the world thanks to continued support from UK Trade & Investment.  

The newly-elected Rugby MP, Mark Pawsey, has met with business leaders from the town to discuss how the coalition Government aims to drive economic recovery.  

Three glass artists from the West Midlands have won new business to teach at the most prestigious glass museum in the world this month, following help from UK Trade & Investment.  

With Summer now upon us, businesses in the East Midlands are being urged to take a fresh look at their companies with a FREE Business Link review.  

Business advisory firm Deloitte has signed up to support this year’s World Wheelchair Basketball Championships, in Birmingham.  

Eight local companies were toasting success this week after their efforts to reduce climate change were rewarded at the 2nd West Midlands Low Carbon Economy Awards.  

Professionals from across the region have been told the secrets behind Coventry’s recent Olympic triumph.  

Derby-based Develop Training Ltd, the leading technical skills training provider in the UK, has launched a unique behavioural training programme designed to provide those working in technical roles such as utilities or construction with effective management training.  

Councillor and businessman Eddie Strengiel is to stand down as Chairman of Lincoln Business Club after six years in the role.  

Black Country firm Sirus Automotive, which adapts vehicles for use by disabled people, has launched its products into the European market, with help from UK Trade & Investment (UKTI).  

New websites to promote businesses in the towns of Ilkeston and Long Eaton have gone live.  

A specialist Warwickshire knitwear company set up after its founder experienced some difficulties whilst travelling extensively in South America, is hoping to double its export sales after tapping into UK Trade & Investment expertise.  

A leading Midlands businessman has challenged the City Region to become more effective.  

Tamworth-based Forensic Pathways chief executive Deb Leary has returned from the two-day United Nations Global Compact Leaders Summit in New York and declared: “Now is the time for ‘good business.”  

Business advisory firm Deloitte has admitted three new partners and promoted a further three associate partners in Birmingham.  

The West Midlands’ best performing business support professionals were recognised this week when the region’s largest Awards ceremony came to a finale in Birmingham.  

Changan Automobile Co, one of China’s leading car manufacturers, today opened its new UK Research and Development Centre in Nottingham, where it will help to develop the low carbon vehicles of the future.  

Business Voice WM has a new member – the Chartered Institute of Marketing. The CIM’s arrival takes the number of organisations who are members of the business lobbying group to 26.  

West Midlands businesses in the aerospace and defence sectors are being invited to take advantage of an exciting opportunity to showcase their expertise at a prestigious exhibition in Poland.  

West Midlands companies are being invited to gain advice and insight from a top level group of public and private sector specialists in trade with Asia.  

More than 40 companies from across Birmingham, Solihull, Coventry and Warwickshire joined forces to celebrate the launch of a group which will support entrepreneurs and generate business opportunities.  

Power System Services Limited, which carries out performance improvement services for heating and air supplies to fifteen power stations, has completed the purchase of a second manufacturing facility, after being awarded a grant of £200,000 from East Midlands Development Agency (emda).  

IoD West Midlands chairman John Rider said the message from the region was “We need jobs, jobs, jobs”.  

With the nation’s public sector clearly in tatters it is now up to the private sector to make its mark. The future of Britain is in the hands of an already increasing band of Entrepreneurs whose foresight and courage can lead us onto the road to recovery  

When Evette Flavell lost her job with a flower wholesaler she could see that self employment as her only option. Now, with a little financial help from UK Steel Enterprise, she has opened her own florist business in Wolverhampton.  

Britain’s Got Talent magician Ben Hanlin will be helping members of Dudley and District Business Club to conjure up orders on Tuesday (22nd).  

Ahead of the Chancellors emergency budget on Tuesday 22nd June, Mike Dell, President of Black Country Chamber of Commerce expresses his expectations: “We need to see measures in the Budget that will genuinely promote productivity, entrepreneurialism and enterprise growth.  

Government cuts need to be even tougher than pundits are predicting, according to the Institute of Directors.  

When Desi Sweets, a chain of asian sweet shops, was approached by Accent on Training to undertake free training to improve customer service skills, general manager Hardeep Singh was eager to make the best use of the opportunity.  

A Midlands woman is set to further bolster the battle against crime.  

An International Trade Roadshow sponsored by UK Trade & Investment in conjunction with Coventry University Enterprises Ltd and West Midlands Chambers of Commerce LLP will be offering West Midlands businesses a chance to meet with representatives from British Embassies, High Commissions and Consulates from all around the world to find out more about accessing overseas markets.  

Being a parent whilst juggling a business is a hard task, and nobody knows this better than Rebekah Harriman. Rebekah, a mother of two from Mountsorrel, Leicestershire runs R&R VA Services, a virtual assistant business offering administration, PR, social media and copywriting services amongst other things to the creative industries.  

If the economic mire gets any worse, then one set of businesswomen may well be looking for an alternative career – in Bollywood!  

A Warwickshire company which makes environmentally friendly graffiti and chewing gum removal products for local authorities and the transport industry has found a new market in Russia – home to some of the most impressive underground systems in the world.  

West Midlands companies are invited to UK Trade and Investment’s (UKTI) ‘International Environment and Water Clinic’ on Tuesday 22 June where they will have the opportunity to meet on a one-to-one basis with a selection of specialists from key international markets from the environment and water sectors.  

A new survey today gave hope for thousands of Staffordshire residents hit hard by the recession.  

With six new cities being constructed, and more than 4,400 new schools, five airports and 3,000 kilometres of rail track, UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) is calling on infrastructure firms to investigate the multi-billion pound opportunities in Saudi Arabia.  

The Bank of England’s decision to keep interest rates at 0.5 per cent has been welcomed by Black Country Chamber of Commerce.  

Glenis Poletti, Executive Director of the Midlands World Trade Forum (MWTF), has announced that she is to leave the forum this month (June) after four years in the role.  

A Wolverhampton firm offering virtual PA services has seen demand for its help soar during the economic downturn – with client numbers almost doubling in recent months.  

EMA Business and Management Consultancy has formed a strategic alliance with Cord, a charity that works to restore community facilities and peace in countries affected by war.  

Birmingham Chamber of Commerce and Industry is leading the fight by a number of core city Chambers to lobby government to begin piloting promised Accelerated Development Zones (ADZ) in the region.  

MOHS Workplace Health is delighted to announce that they have been awarded the tender to provide occupational health services for Midland Heart. MOHS fought of stiff competition in the tender process and will be starting their new contract on May 1st, 2010.  

East Midlands Development Agency (emda) has announced that Changan Automobile Co Limited, one of China’s leading car manufacturers, is establishing Changan UK Research and Development Centre in Nottingham, creating up to 200 new jobs over the next three years.  

Business Link in the East Midlands has launched a new online resource to help farmers and growers understand farming regulations, and manage the daily challenges of running a successful farming business.  

A niche Coventry company is expanding further into the Asian market just eight months after opening an office in Singapore which followed hot on the heels of launching its global offices in Brussels and Sydney.  

It will be business as usual when World Cup fever takes a grip in the coming weeks, a survey by Birmingham and Solihull Chamber of Commerce (BCI) has revealed today.  

An investment network formed to support fledgling, small and medium-sized businesses has enjoyed tremendous growth over the past 12 months.  

Britain’s top overseas trade representative and Olympic Games guru is to be guest of honour at an exclusive lunch hosted by the British American Business Council (BABC).  

The business community has called for a regional plan to create jobs across the West Midlands.  

Network NG, the network for Nottingham’s young professional community, will hold its second Business Breakfast of the year on Tuesday, 8th June, from 8am at the Park Plaza Hotel, Maid Marion Way.  

A Warwickshire volunteering organisation is set to use the 2012 Games as inspiration to support sport and culture across the Midlands.  

It’s not often that a startup or small business can afford the services of a major management consultancy to set them on the road to greater success.  

Developments in low carbon technology will be on the agenda in June after the Manufacturing Advisory Service announced it will be hosting its first national showcase event at MIRA’s internationally renowned testing and design facility in Nuneaton.  

Black Country sports car manufacturer Westfield Sportscars Ltd has hosted a top level delegation from one of Malaysia’s leading corporations to cement a deal to increase its production fivefold over the next three years.  

Strengths in Action are excited about their recent move to Shipston! It means they can enhance their Coaching, Development and Consulting services by offering inhouse seminars and workshops. This is just another value-added service on offer to their expanding client base.  

An innovative and forward thinking Shrewsbury design house that was brave enough to spend money in the middle of the recession to buy in the expertise to help it grow has reached the first goal in its strategic business plan.  

Leading facilities management company Romec, which has a major regional centre in Smethwick, has appointed Dr Stewart Davies from Serco Integrated Services (SIS) as its new managing director.  

West Midlands firms looking to expand into Europe should be looking to the Benelux countries of Belgium, Holland and Luxemburg.  

Professional services giants Deloitte and Geldards have signed up to become corporate partners of BioCity Nottingham, Europe’s fastest growing bio-incubator. The two agreements bring to seven the number of corporate partners working with the flagship bioscience incubator company.  

Business Voice WM welcomed the Queen’s Speech go-ahead for high speed rail.  

An award-winning cotton nappy manufacturer from Northamptonshire has global trade all wrapped up, thanks to support from UK Trade and Investment’s (UKTI) Gateway to Global Growth programme.  

Carving a successful niche in the ‘people business’ is delivering further rapid growth for Leamington based EMA Business and Management Consultancy.  

A social enterprise which tackles worklessness among young people today threw a major lifeline to Staffordshire businesses that are financially struggling to recruit and retain skilled employees.  

Two new directors, an industrialist and a long-standing councillor, have joined the board of enterprise agency Erewash Partnership.  

HR professionals, directors and business owners are invited to attend the official launch of HR Exchange, Derby’s first dedicated HR networking event, which is taking place on Thursday 10th June.  

The 2010 edition of the British Chambers of Commerce’s ‘Burdens Barometer’ shows that the cumulative cost to businesses in the West Midlands of new regulation since 1998 has risen to £6.73bn.  

The West Midlands ICT Cluster is helping local organisations promote themselves online by providing free access to a video publishing platform, Buto (http://buto.tv). The platform formats video for use on the web so that technology companies can then publish videos on a website, blog, forum or social network.  

A leading West Midlands translation firm is helping UK businesses to break down international barriers and access global markets thanks to a new service.  

Business Voice WM is calling for a more co-ordinated approach to flood prevention.  

C&G Safety & Environmental has been contracted by engineering firm Mabey Bridge to act as CDM Co-ordinator under the Construction (Design and Management Regulations) for the development of a new manufacturing facility at its Chepstow base.  

West Midlands companies will be given a unique insight into embracing social media marketing when one of the sector’s leading figures hosts a series of interactive workshops.  

Commenting on the April inflation figures, published today by the ONS, Mike Dell, President of Black Country Chamber of Commerce said: “Today’s figures state that inflation has hit 3.7%, well above the 2% target outlined in the budget earlier this year  

Exporters from across the West Midlands have been encouraged to look to the Nordic and Baltic countries as they bid to expand their businesses.  

The ICT Cluster is supporting a number of regional initiatives, including recruitment services, work placement, career advice and training, designed to encourage small businesses to take on graduates from local universities, rather than the students leaving for technology hotbeds around Reading, Swindon and London.  

A landmark collaboration between three independent housing associations is to create six life-changing apprenticeships in North Staffordshire.  

A Walsall saddler is beating the economic downturn by finding new markets overseas, with help from UK Trade & Investment.  

Black Country Chamber of Commerce will be hosting a Business to Business Exhibition and Table Top Trade Show on Tuesday 18th May 2010, at The Regency Banqueting Suites, Wolverhampton.  

One of the UK’s leading business experts returns to Shropshire and Worcestershire next month, with the aim of encouraging growth and boosting sales.  

Black Country Reinvestment Society (BCRS) the Wolverhampton based not for profit loans company, has helped a Coseley manufacturing company grow out of the recession.  

This month sees the celebration of International Ideas Week 2010, and one Midlands-based financial consultancy are proud to fit the bill.  

Following its launch last month, the new East Midlands business “Unconsultancy” has been fully accredited by the East Midlands Development Agency and there are opportunities for small and medium sized enterprises to benefit from the highest quality business help at highly subsidised prices.  

Drivers Jonas Deloitte’s Birmingham planning team has been appointed by Wiltshire Council to examine how military and civilian communities located on the Salisbury Plain can become more integrated and sustainable.  

Drivers Jonas Deloitte has been named the professional agency team of the year and the office agency team of the year at the 2010 Property Week Awards.  

An aviation enthusiast from Tealby in Lincolnshire has won a package of business support services worth over £8,000 to help him set up a new Internet television channel.  

An octogenarian teddy bear has become an unlikely on-line icon.  

A recent report from the TUC which claimed some in-house apprentice training schemes offer as little as one hour off-the-job training a week has left a Shrewsbury corporate business consultant appalled.  

A dozen West Midlands businesses joined forces this week to put on one of the biggest ‘Fit 4 Fun’ events ever held in the region.  

West Midlands property and business specialist Berrys is stepping up its marketing prowess taking on board the latest social media techniques to boost awareness of properties on its books.  

Dudley and District Business Club’s new chairman has thrown out a huge welcome for growing businesses.  

A top Shropshire business consultant who is gearing up for a cycle ride that will see him pedalling his way from London to Paris on June 23rd to raise funds for The British Heart Foundation will be applying his business disciplines to help him achieve his target.  

An award-winning independent book publisher will be the speaker at the next leading ladies lunch organised by Solihull Chamber of Commerce and Industry on May 14.  

After celebrating 7% growth and setting out ambitious plans for the 2010 / 2011 financial year, DDC Outsourcing Solutions has welcomed heavyweight Client Relationship Director Craig Smith.  

The Birmingham office of national commercial property consultancy, Lambert Smith Hampton (LSH), has made a senior appointment to its Office Agency department as it gears the team up for the next financial year.  

A prolonged period of pricing stability, increased lending and the return of many buyers to the market mean the number of transactions is set to rapidly increase by the end of the year, according to the latest Private Company Price Index (PCPI) and Private Equity Price Index (PEPI) from Midlands accountants and business advisors BDO LLP.  

Blusource Professional, a division of Midlands-based search and selection consultancy, The Blusource Group, has added to its dynamic team with the appointment of interim and contract specialist, Chris Colegate.  

A leading West Midlands business support organisation has a new occupant in the managing director’s hotseat.  

Leading property consultant GVA Grimley this week unveiled research highlighting the importance of urgent and fundamental solutions to unlock and resuscitate existing policy on regeneration in the UK.  

Alliance 4 the Black Country, the organisation representing the area’s growing professional and financial community will be hosting a unique law seminar on Thursday 29th April at the Molineux, Wolverhampton.  

Is this the way to Amarillo? No, but 60s singing sensation Tony Christie may find a few blooming amaryllis when he visits the West Midlands to support a local charity’s flower festival.  

Gloucestershire-based safety consultancy C&G Safety & Environmental has introduced an on-line service for companies who are struggling to manage complex health & safety requirements.  

An event showcasing investment opportunities in Lincolnshire has been heralded a huge success.  

Politicians have been warned not to turn their backs on the West Midlands once the General Election is over.  

Lincoln-based office efficiency company TBSL has picked up two national awards for Best Newcomer and Best Marketing Initiatives at the Philips Partner Awards Ceremony 2010.  

Leading professional services consultancy Begbies Traynor Group held its first major Banking Conference at the Hotel du Vin in Birmingham, where keynote speakers Jon Moulton of Better Capital and Larry Morris of Mesirow Financial Consulting, the firm’s New York joint venture partner, addressed an invited audience of more than 80 senior bankers and staff.  

Database application and strong authentication solutions expert SymTex, based at Warwickshire County Council-owned Eliot Park Innovation Centre in Nuneaton, has been awarded value added reseller status by Gemalto, the world leader in digital security.  

Don’t get fleeced by the bargain buy from Hell, business executives have been warned.  

A new web based service designed to put businesses on the right track to success has been launched.  

Anticipated cuts in public sector jobs will make it difficult for the West Midlands to maintain the latest fall in unemployment figures announced today, said business leaders.  

Leicester-based Minority Supplier Development UK (MSDUK), the national supplier diversity organisation, hosted another successful Procurement Day late last week.  

Business advisory firm Deloitte has appointed Isabel Drabble as its new marketing manager in Birmingham.  

West Midlands professionals need specialist training if they are to take advantage of the growing Islamic finance market, a meeting in Birmingham heard.  

The Translation People, one of the UK’s leading translation service providers, has launched an office in Paris to deal with its rapidly growing French client base.  

Lincoln Business Club is inviting people to put their questions to the city’s parliamentary candidates ahead of the General Election on 6th May.  

In an initial survey of its 2,500 members, the majority of Birmingham Chamber of Commerce and Industry members said their companies had been affected by the shutdown of European airspace. The survey is ongoing.  

The disruption to air travel caused by the Icelandic volcano eruption was continuing to have an increasing impact on Midlands businesses today.  

Executive director at Business Voice West Midlands, James Watkins, will speak at the next Black Country Diners Club (BCDC) event, sharing his thoughts on the future of the region with the West Midlands’ business community.  

Three key MPs from the region will be quizzed by business leaders at a General Election debate organised by Birmingham Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCI).  

The best in cutting-edge technology in the West Midlands is set to be displayed at the forthcoming MACH 2010 exhibition after the launch of a new Zone was announced.  

Wayne Hemingway, one of Britain’s best known designers and champions of innovation, will speak to East Midlands’ organisations about how innovation can boost business success at this year’s Sustainable Construction iNet awards.  

Local business rates specialists Ruddle Merz has achieved a saving of over £40,000 for prestigious nationwide family clothing brand Joules.  

Fast and bold monetary policy response and lessons learned from previous downturns have helped soften the blow to business.  

In what can only be described as one of the toughest years for British businesses, and after making a loss only two years ago, DDC Outsourcing Solutions now celebrates its most profitable year to date.  

‘Free stuff’ is an important tool in the digital armoury of any commercial venture, according to an expert from a specialist ideas business who will be speaking to creative businesspeople in Leicester on 28th April.  

The West Midlands ICT Cluster held the inaugural meeting and networking session for its ICT Excellence Club at the end of March 2010.  

Black Country Reinvestment Society (BCRS) the Wolverhampton based not for profit loans company, is celebrating their small business loan fund reaching £5 million, with plans to extend it to £10 million within two years.  

A new event showcasing investment opportunities in Lincolnshire is to be held at the EPIC Centre at the Lincolnshire Showground next week (14th April).  

One of the county’s best known business improvement consultancies has announced the success of a collaborative services initiative launched last year which saw it working with other professionals in the area to deliver a wider range of complimentary business services to clients, both across the region and further afield.  

Retail consultant Karl McKeever is to make his second major TV appearance of 2010, this time helping out on Feargal Quinn’s Retail Therapy, a six-part series on RTÉ1 designed to offer business development advice to a variety of established independent Irish retailers.  

The title of Dudley Business Brain 2010 at Dudley and District Business Club has been taken by Bryan Manley of Alchemy Translations.  

Entrepreneurs who still face paying a higher rate of tax come April this year are being urged to seek advice on the best way to minimise exposure to the increase.  

A Black Country insolvency practitioner is calling for a culture change at HMRC to help avoid the unnecessary demise of many potentially viable Black Country businesses.  

Network NG, the network for Nottingham’s young professional community, will hold an informal cheese and wine evening on Thursday 22nd April, from 5pm at Yorkshire Bank’s Financial Solutions Centre at Lock House, Castle Meadow Road.  

A West Midlands based cabinet member has visited an automotive manufacturer in his constituency to discover how it has shifted its business into new areas.  

The lights must not go out on the West Midlands, the Institute of Directors warns.  

Manufacturers in the West Midlands received a major boost today, with more than £12m set to be directed into helping the sector compete and make the most of global opportunities over the next two years.  

One of Birmingham’s most respected and well known quantity surveyors has joined HCT Construction Consultants after nearly five decades with his previous employer.  

A leading Shropshire business improvement consultant has accused the government of producing a clever piece of political window dressing rather than a Budget that provided real help for businesses.  

A Staffordshire training provider today announced a landmark partnership which will create up to 100 apprenticeships for local young people.  

A survey of UK manufacturers, conducted by Findlay Media in association with Deloitte, has revealed that almost two-thirds of manufacturers (62 per cent) expect the availability of credit to remain the same or improve in the coming 12 months.  

Ten years after joining the Chartered Institute of Purchasing & Supply, Mike Mari has left the organisation to start up his own company.  

More than 150 would-be entrepreneurs took the first step to setting up in business this week at the first Jet Get Set for Business enterprise event.  

Leicestershire firms have received a direct introduction to potential Australian business partners thanks to the help and support of UK Trade & Investment (UKTI).  

Suzi Perry, star of Five’s The Gadget Show, is set to host Birmingham Young Professional of the Year’s 10th anniversary awards.  

John Nicholls, the interim chief executive at Nottingham Regeneration Limited (NRL), is to finish his time with the company at the end of March.  

Business leaders in Birmingham and Solihull today welcomed measures announced by the Chancellor to help firms recover from the recession but warned that it was a Budget with one eye on the General Election.  

Top networking event Business for Breakfast is set to make its debut in Staffordshire - the event is set to be a regular fixture at the Best Western Stoke-on-Trent Moat House Hotel at Festival Park, Stoke-on-Trent on Thursday mornings from 6.45am to 8.30am, and at the Hatherton Country House Hotel, Penkridge, on Tuesday Mornings from 6.45am to 8.30am  

Derbyshire-based Chevin Fleet Solutions, a leading supplier of fleet and asset management software, has narrowly missed out on a top industry award at one of the fleet industry’s most prestigious events this month.  

A Staffordshire based business coach has been labelled ‘Action Man’ by his fellow coaches after guiding 30 businesses to greater success over the past year.  

A Staffordshire trainer who has helped thousands of women in their careers and personal development has been short-listed for a prestigious award recognising the impact of women in business.  

Entrepreneurial businesses in the West Midlands are being urged to make final reviews of their tax position to ensure their financial house is in order before the end of the tax year.  

A Redditch company is being forced to move for the fourth time by its continuing expansion, which has seen demand for its products soaring.  

A leading Shropshire business consultant who specialises in management and personal development has praised county businesses for recognising that the skills of their managers are what will get them through the aftermath of the recession.  

The Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce is streaming live coverage of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) annual conference back to its headquarters in Binley.  

Malcolm Harbour – West Midlands MEP with the specific remit for and interest in Innovation & Competitiveness and West Midlands International Trade Champion, has agreed to add his support to what he sees as a “brilliant opportunity” to stimulate and support Walsall businesses to once again be at the forefront of Economic Regeneration by tapping into the ingenuity and skill base in the Borough and raise the profile of this exciting new project.  

East Midlands Development Agency (emda) has announced that the second phase of the Regional Innovation Strategy (RIS) has been approved by its Board, meaning that regional businesses will continue to benefit from its offer of innovation support.  

Experienced business brains among members at Dudley and District Business Club are to meet a challenge next week - and attempt to offer solutions to some of the major headaches in running a company.  

A local business in Warwickshire will feature in a new TV series “The Business Inspector” on Wednesday 17 March 2010 at 8pm.  

The National Forest Company has commissioned Rural Development Initiatives (RDI), a not-for-profit project management company, to run Making Woods Work - a two-year programme designed to boost the economic potential of woodland businesses in and around The National Forest.  

Councillor Jon Collins, leader of Nottingham City Council, will set off on a challenging 1000 mile cycle ride from Nottingham to Cannes next Tuesday (March 9).  

The Business Council for Sustainable Development - United Kingdom (BCSD-UK) is to hold an event in the West Midlands on 22 March highlighting both the future opportunities and challenges of living in a low carbon world.  

At a major event next month, West Midlands firms can find out about the huge business potential of joining a low-carbon supply chain. On Thursday 18 March, finditinsandwell (Sandwell Council's award-winning procurement portal) and Advantage West Midlands are hosting a huge ‘Growing Green’ event in West Bromwich.  

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has hosted a successful Safety and Health Awareness Day in Birmingham to make contact with hard to reach communities.  

The Black Country Chamber of Commerce will be hosting a FREE London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games business awareness workshop at the Holiday Inn Birmingham on Wednesday 10th March.  

Business leaders in Coventry and Warwickshire have published a General Election ‘manifesto’ calling on political parties to put rebuilding the UK economy at the top of their agenda.  

Derbyshire businesses got the opportunity to discover business potential in emerging overseas markets thanks to an exclusive event held by the East Midlands International Trade Association (emita) and the UK Trade & Investment (UKTI).  

Companies from the West Midlands’ ground breaking creative industries sector are heading to Texas next week for the one of the world’s most important media and music festivals.  

East Midlands companies are being invited to listen to overseas trade experts at an event promoting business opportunities in South Korea.  

Business leaders in Birmingham and Solihull say only growth in the private sector will keep the economy on its tentative upward trend.  

Nine business women from five counties across the East Midlands are in the running to be winners at this year’s Women of Worth Awards when the results are announced in March.  

The Principal of a leading business improvement and training development consultancy will be focusing on Performance and Capability when she talks to county business owners on her firm’s stand at this year’s Shropshire Chamber of Commerce Business Expo event  

The Midlands World Trade Forum (MWTF) has launched its ambassador scheme, which is aimed at raising the profile of the region-wide organisation.  

A group of local small businesses were given the opportunity to analyse their current position and look to their future growth thanks to Wolverhampton Homes  

Businesses in the East Midlands can get free practical advice on how to save money by improving resource efficiency and waste management at an event in Nottingham on 25th February.  

Homes and jobs must be linked if the Midlands is not to see a new generation of sink estates, the Government has been told.  

A recent broadband event brought together 80 key stakeholders from across the East Midlands who were keen to understand the digital issues facing rural communities.  

Birmingham Chamber of Commerce (BCI), which supports nearly 3,000 companies in the Birmingham and Solihull region, is itself going into business in a bigger way.  

Birmingham Young Professional of the Year (BYPY) candidates are in for a roasting next month as Michelin starred chef Glynn Purnell is set to chair the judging panel.  

A revolutionary concept of business co-operation and self-help, which is designed to help companies recover and grow after the recession, has been launched in Worcestershire.  

An accomplished Midlands entrepreneur who achieved 11th place on the Inner City 100 Register of fastest growing companies will be giving Birmingham business bosses the benefit of his experience when he visits Solihull on Friday February 19th.  

Business leaders in Birmingham and Solihull say the latest dismal job figures are a symptom of the current economic status and will not improve until demand picks up in the global economy.  

East Midlands’ small businesses, start ups and budding entrepreneurs are invited to pitch their business ideas to win a bespoke package of innovation support at this year’s iFestival innovation EXPO (iEXPO).  

Leading Midlands family-run business, The Wilson Organisation, is turning the spotlight on the great work of the region’s other family businesses and their leaders, by launching a new set of Awards that for the first time will showcase their achievements.  

UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) is presenting East Midland’s businesses with global market opportunities thanks to an international Emerging Markets event they are hosting, in partnership with East Midlands International Trade Association (emita), at Sir Denis Rooke Building, Holywell Park, Loughborough on 25 February 2010.  

Leicestershire companies are learning Russian business language and culture at sessions across the East Midlands offered by UK Trade & Investment (UKTI).  

West Midlands firms can find out about the enormous potential of joining a low-carbon supply chain at a major event next month.  

Nottingham’s new business district, Southside, will be thrust into the spotlight at the world's biggest property investment show, le marche international des professionnels de l’immobilier (MIPIM) in Cannes next month, as ‘Team Nottingham’ aims to demonstrate that the City is the best place for investors to put their money.  

A recently published study commissioned by lifestyle firm WhiteConcierge claims that large UK organisations have lost billions of pounds worth of custom in the past two years, largely due to poor customer service. But a leading Shrewsbury business consultant says companies and organisations based in rural counties such as Shropshire are far more focused on customer service than those that are based in major cities.  

Ensuring businesses have effective management account systems in place can really make a difference between success and failure, but a surprisingly large number of business owners in the Midlands are simply not recognising their significance.  

The vast majority of retailers (85 per cent) reported positive like-for-like sales figures for the Christmas 2009 trading period, according to analysis by business advisory firm Deloitte.  

One of the Midlands’ leading business property consultants has issued a rallying call for a new sense of reality in real estate.  

The Bank of England’s decision to keep interest rates at 0.5 per cent has been welcomed by Black Country Chamber of Commerce.  

The Birmingham Young Professional of the Year (BYPY) event was launched to much success, with more than a hundred showing up to ensure the annual event kicked off in style.  

In just over 100 days, four people from Deloitte’s Birmingham office will take to the roads of Britain as part of a cycling team bidding to raise £1m for ParalympicsGB over the next four years.  

Technology is set to become even more environmentally friendly this year as companies pursue a green agenda, according to research from business advisory firm Deloitte.  

Birmingham's office market is more competitive as London’s West End is once again the most expensive location in the world to occupy office space in, according to DTZ’s latest Global Occupancy Costs survey.  

Taking social enterprise to the next level could create hundreds of new jobs in the West Midlands over the next few years and have a major impact on how we run our public services it was revealed yesterday.  

A recent ruling from the European Court of Justice which allows employees to claim back time if they are sick while on holiday, risks forcing good employers in Shropshire and the Border Counties to abandon generous occupational sickness schemes warns a local HR consultancy.  

Chesterfield-based Evolution Training is looking for additional assessors to help cope with the demand as a result of new contracts that have been confirmed — tripling their turnover for the current financial year.  

Small business owners, many of whom are paying hundreds of pounds so they can legally play music at work, are now able to complain to an ombudsman if they believe they have been treated unfairly by the Performing Rights Society (PRS).  

Over 60 East Midland regeneration practitioners attended a free event that took place on 19th January in Nottingham city centre.  

The importance of the Rural Enterprise Centre to Leominster’s economy was underlined last week when Bill Wiggin called for more local entrepreneurs and young businesses to make the most of the specialist facility.  

More businesses are likely to fall into difficulty this year as the emergency relief measures introduced in response to the economic crisis come to an end.  

Whilst businesses are sitting out the storm of recession, rather than standing still they should be grasping the opportunity to take time out and indulge in the two basic ingredients of innovation – thinking and planning. And a good way to start is to positively engage their people, by for example holding a brain storming session.  

Flexible working strategies and infrastructure could have helped to maintain companies’ productivity and potentially saved millions of pounds over the last two weeks as the country’s heavy snowfall and record-breaking minimum temperatures caused transport chaos across the UK, according to CB Richard Ellis.  

East Midlands Development Agency (emda) has invested a further £250,000 in its successful Career Chain programme, which aims to help individuals and businesses facing redundancy in the engineering and construction sectors.  

Local companies and potential entrepreneurs are being urged to attend the first business support lunch of 2010 when it takes place at the Rural Enterprise Centre in Leominster on Friday (Jan 15th).  

Royal Mail has been given the stamp of approval to continue having a VAT advantage over its competitors.  

Peter Thornton, the former chairman of one of Britain’s premier brands, is guest speaker at the Wilsons Family Business Forum in the West Midlands.  

A Shropshire woman who has just returned from an overseas business trip says UK businesses must toughen up and learn to take bad weather in their stride.  

Stoke-based social enterprise PM Training has been named the top Entry to Employment provider in Staffordshire.  

DTZ's Midlands region graduates are celebrating 100 per cent exam success after passing their Assessment of Professional Competence (APC), which means they are now qualified Chartered Surveyors.  

Bromyard-based credit control specialists Inksmoor Credit Management is looking forward to providing its clients with an even better service in future after launching its new, improved website.  

Nottingham networking group, Network NG hosted a Christmas Quiz to celebrate the end of 2009 at Castle Bar on Castle Road in the City last week.  

BSP Consulting employee Matt Viggars has become one of the youngest people in the East Midlands to be awarded the status of chartered engineer.  

Getting more young people involved in enterprise could help North Staffordshire combat an alarming rise in youth unemployment.  

Regional development agencies must stay, Business Voice WM has insisted. But it wants the private sector to have a greater influence on how Advantage West Midlands is run.  

Convergence Group, the Midlands-based network systems integrator, thanks to business wins worth over £4 million is expanding its operations and team despite the current economic climate.  

Businesses from the Midlands are cashing in on the competitive pound to increase exports – but they are doing it on a budget, according to Birmingham-based translation services provider - The Translation People.  

Many company directors are still not aware of their responsibilities as part of the Companies Act 2006, and remain unaware that they could be prosecuted for their failures to take appropriate action when required.  

Simon Lloyd, head of industrial agency at DTZ in Birmingham, said: "The Government has failed to address the problems caused by this tax, which is a tax on failure, despite this very small concession for the very smallest of properties.  

Having been overshadowed by the desperate need to rebuild public finances, the commercial property sector was left somewhat under-whelmed by Chancellor Alistair Darling’s latest ever Pre-Budget Report (PBR) according to Richard Wackett, Head of National Rating at Lambert Smith Hampton (LSH).  

A 10-year-old Bromsgrove schoolboy is playing a key role in helping his dad do the ordering for the town’s recently opened old fashioned sweet shop.  

Rider Levett Bucknall Europe, launched just twelve months ago, has delivered another key success with an appointment to Western Europe’s first new nuclear reactor.  

The recession could leave a legacy of improved resource efficiency in the West Midlands as businesses adopt an increasingly ‘thrifty’ mindset – that’s according to a new report published today by sustainability experts Envirowise.  

Grant Thornton Birmingham accountant and singer/songwriter Chris Whiting has teamed up with The Charlatans’ drummer Jon Brookes on a new charity single in aid of SSAFA Forces Help.  

Relatively low rates of capital gains tax cannot last much longer, a Midland expert has warned, and business owners should at least consider taking advantage.  

A new consultancy which helps businesses harness the power of communications has been launched by two Birmingham-based entrepreneurs.  

A leading firm of Shropshire business consultants have announced the latest of several client instructions received during the past twelve months which are earning them a keen reputation as ‘business connectors’ as well as business improvement and development practitioners.  

New Year’s Day may bring a few more aching heads than normal this year, as Gordon Brown’s temporary tax cut is withdrawn and VAT returns to 17.5%  

A new martial arts academy for the Midlands is to open under the supervision of one of the world’s leading martial arts trainers.  

Hundreds of businesses across the West Midlands are still not covered by the correct insurance programmes and only find out when they try to make a claim.  

A Midlands based business improvement and training consultancy has backed a CBI report published last week calling for a reform of government funded employee training programmes.  

A Midland tax expert says the taxman is set to be more hard-nosed in the coming year when it comes to the business of raising revenue.  

Nottingham-based Blusource Professional Services, one of the East Midlands most dynamic search and selection consultancies, has appointed a new manager to help spearhead the growth of one of its divisions, Blusource Professional Ltd.  

As retailers across the Midlands prepare themselves for the busiest trading period of the year, business advisory firm Deloitte forecasts that retail spend in the UK during December will be up by 0.5 per cent compared with 2008  

Despite the recession the clinical cosmetic industry is growing faster than ever, and over the next two weeks Shropshire people will be helping to shape its future when they take part in a series of Focus Groups being held in Shrewsbury and Telford.  

The head of a leading firm of Shropshire business improvement and development consultants is urging bosses right across the Midlands region to start planning now for the New Year if they want to avoid being one of the 10,000 plus businesses reported by the Department of Trade & Industry to fail in the UK each year.  

Danbro, the award-winning specialist accountancy firm for contract and freelance workers, has organised a special event to celebrate National Freelancers Day on Monday, 23 November.  

Workers facing career-threatening disciplinary hearings could increasingly be able to call on a lawyer to defend themselves, an employment expert has warned.  

Birmingham’s hotels are continuing to struggle, according to the latest research from business advisory firm Deloitte.  

More than 60 new graduates have started work at Deloitte’s Birmingham office as part of the business advisory firm’s annual graduate intake programme.  

Looking beyond the horizon of the recession, an innovative and forward-thinking Shrewsbury design and digital marketing agency has engaged the services of leading business improvement consultants, The Business Company, to help develop its future strategy and business plan.  

A leading international spring manufacturer was named one of the first West Midlands companies to receive a recognition award within the SC21 programme yesterday at a major conference for aerospace and defence suppliers.  

Executive training projects have become a priority for firms fighting their way out of recession, according to a leading figure in Midlands sales and management coaching.  

Amey, one of the UK’s leading public service providers, picked up a prestigious award at the British Institute of Facilities Management (BIFM) Investors in FM Excellence Awards.  

Structural and civil engineering firm BSP Consulting has been crowned Consultant of the Year 2009 at the East Midlands Property Dinner  

National Apprenticeship Week will take place from Monday 1 February to Friday 5 February 2010.  

The first ever Ideal Office Exhibition is being hailed a great success by office equipment firm TBSL, who are now hoping to make it an annual event  

Leading property firm The Graves Partnership has been placed into administration.  

Birmingham’s biggest residential and commercial property auctioneers say there is now hard evidence that interest is returning to the market following their latest sales.  

Forget iphones, skinny jeans or the latest BMX - snazzy snacks, lumpy lollies and lickable lids are set to be the new, must-have accessories for the new school year, according to young entrepreneurs in Mansfield, Ashfield and Bolsover  

180 delegates will attend the biggest market towns and rural event of the year - The Action for Market Towns Convention - which will be held in the Leicestershire market town of Melton Mowbray on 13 and 14 October.  

East Midlands Development Agency (emda) is due to hold its 10th Annual Public Meeting next week.  

Birmingham has been named as the best performing European city in which to do business, having risen more places in Cushman & Wakefield's influential European Cities Monitor than any of its competitors.  

Nottingham based Payroll and Business Solutions (PBS UK Ltd) is reaching further across the globe with its International Payroll Service with the recent addition of clients operating in Argentina and Hong Kong.  

Two inventors based in Coventry are set to play a key role in the next generation of “intelligent tyres" after developing a new way to harvest power.  

One of science’s most compelling communicators, Professor Steve Jones will deliver the seventh BioCity Nottingham Annual Lecture to an audience of over 150 guests on Thursday 8th October 2009.  

Richard Reed, the man who founded Innocent Drinks, gave an inspiring talk to county business people at the first annual Lincolnshire Business Convention on Lincolnshire Day (Thursday 1st October).  

Communication agency drpgroup is fast approaching its 30th birthday and has kicked off its 30th anniversary celebrations by launching the first of several fantastic deals for clients and potential clients in 2010.  

NOTTINGHAM city centre could potentially discourage investors if it does not address its looming undersupply of quality office space according to Phil Quiggin, Head of Office Agency at national commercial property consultancy, Lambert Smith Hampton’s (LSH) Nottingham office.  

Over the coming weeks, business owners will be receiving correspondence from the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) advising them to check the details of their property valuation to ensure they are correct and directing them to a newly-created website.  

Telford-based Company Select (UK) Ltd celebrated the official opening of its new premises in Halesfield this week with a function for local businesses  

Business networking group ‘Milk No Sugar?’ which launched last month in Bewdley, is again set to create new business opportunities at its next meeting to be held on Wednesday 14th October at the Hop Pole Inn from 11am to 12:30pm  

The finalists for the prestigious 2009 Business Woman of the Year Award are announced today. Now in its 27th year, the awards celebrate women’s achievements and highlight role model  

Manufacturing has a strong future but there will be casualties along the way, director general of the Institute of Directors Miles Templeman warned on a visit to the West Midlands.  

British heptathlete Louise Hazel spoke at a workshop which offered guidance for West Midlands companies on the extent of business to be won from the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.  

Contract Fire Security (CFS), the national provider of fire and security services nationwide with its head office in Sutton Coldfield, has acquired two companies that will strengthen its portfolio in high-tech CCTV and intruder systems in the southern region.  

Friend LLP is continuing its recruitment drive with the appointment to Tax Director of former KPMG M&A Tax Director, Iain Wright.  

Business Link is kicking off the autumn with a range of face to face activities across the East Midlands designed to take their Start-Up Service directly to the regions budding entrepreneurs.  

The head of organisational development and training at a Shropshire Business Improvement consultancy has warned that this week’s report of an “acute shortage” of funding for ‘Train for Gain’, the Government’s biggest skills programme, will encourage even more employers to just pay “lip service” to training.  

Telford’s new International Railfreight Park is opening its doors to the business community for the first time as part of a new initiative designed to showcase innovative projects in Telford.  

A Midlands business consultant has warned that business owners and managers need to keep a closer eye on what is happening to their staff if they want to keep customers and clients happy and stop them going elsewhere.  

More than half of the UK’s entrepreneurs are relying on working capital to stay afloat, according to a survey by business advisory firm Deloitte.  

East Midlands food and drink firms interested in taking on a graduate could be in line for a grant to help with recruitment.  

Stratford on Avon accountants, Murphy Salisbury is proud to be part sponsoring the performance of two music legends at this year’s Stratford Music Festival.  

Firms and organisations planning to enter this year’s Food and Drink iNet Innovation Awards are being urged to submit their entries as soon as possible.  

Common Purpose, an international organisation, aims to inform and motivate leaders from all walks of life by bringing together leaders from different sectors  

Following the relocation of regional search and selection consultancy Blusource Professional Services to a new HQ in Nottingham city centre, the rapidly expanding company has announced the appointment of a new director to lead the Blusource Professional business.  

Discount vouchers and promotional offers have been helping to shore up trade for pub and restaurant operators during difficult times, according to analysis of the industry by business advisory firm Deloitte.  

High net worth individuals can expect to be clobbered for many years by new rates of income tax and restrictions on pension tax relief in 2010 according to a Midlands tax expert.  

There are significant rewards from being a socially responsible employer and getting involved in community projects, according to a Midlands business adviser.  

The energy needs of Midlands businesses will be met – despite continuing fears that the network is not up to scratch, Energy Minister, Lord Hunt of Kings Heath, told Business Voice WM.  

A derelict wood turned social enterprise success story, a nanoparticle specialist and a global breakthrough in satellite navigation were the main winners recently when the Lord Stafford Awards came to a glittering finale.  

Thirty-four companies or organisations from the East Midlands have already won contracts from the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA), and many more have won work supplying the ODA's contractors through the supply chain.  

Nottingham based Payroll and Business Solutions (PBS UK Ltd) has boosted its outsourced Human Resources package with the addition of a new outplacement service to provide vital support and training for businesses and their employees dealing with redundancy.  

The Birmingham office of leading corporate adviser Grant Thornton is investing in the future with the recruitment of one of its largest graduate contingents on record.  

With graduates across Britain facing a challenging career search, 17 lucky young people, including seven in Birmingham, have taken their first steps on the career ladder by joining support services company Amey’s graduate training programme.  

Orange and T-Mobile have announced in recent days a deal to create the UK’s largest mobile phone operator reports Chris Hicks of Fisher German Chartered Surveyors.  

East Midlands' companies who want to kick start their exporting success in the growing Brazilian market can get some hot tips at an East Midlands International Trade Association (Emita) event on 25 September.  

Graduates need to be seen as an asset and not a cost, Richard Boot, West Midlands’ chairman of the Institute of Directors, urged today.  

The Birmingham office of business rescue, recovery and restructuring specialists Begbies Traynor is expanding to cope with the increased workload generated by the recession.  

A Lincolnshire entrepreneur’s equestrian business is back on track, thanks to EnterpriseLoans East Midlands.  

The West Midlands business community has created a powerful new voice to campaign on key issues.  

The Swedish Chamber of Commerce for the UK is re-launching its Midlands Chapter in a bid to forge stronger business links between the region and Nordic countries.  

Black Country Chamber of Commerce will celebrate the launch of the Black Country map at their annual event on September 11th at Wolverhampton Racecourse.  

Businesses and investment leaders from the West Midlands are being urged to have their say on the future of our rural economies when a special Summit takes place in September.  

Business leaders in Birmingham and Solihull were “alarmed” today at the decline in the number of youngsters studying foreign languages.  

A new initiative for the business community to share knowledge and gain insight into innovative projects in Telford has been announced. Telford Showcase, organised by economic development company, Transforming Telford, offers local businesses the opportunity to tour new facilities, meet the people behind the projects and share best practice.  

Thinking outside the box may impress your boss, but the UK’s much-loved business jargon is not faring well on foreign shores, a Birmingham-based translation specialist has revealed.  

If a second bout of swine flu hits the UK in the autumn, the new working time rules could pose havoc on business operations, according to West Midlands business leaders.  

A leading academic at Coventry University says that in spite of a positive economic upturn, unemployment in the UK is still set to rise well into 2010.  

As children return to school next month, many employers will be faced with requests from their employees for flexible working. The regional Business Link service offers local businesses advice on how these requests should be managed and how to ensure that the business benefits as much as the employee.  

Kings Heath Business Im pr ovement District has appointed a Birmingham communications consultancy to implement an intensive research programme.  

In the autumn, seasonal flu will add another dimension to the current outbreak of swine flu, warn Solihull business leaders.  

West Midlands business leaders are today urging education establishments to do more to equip school leavers for work.  

David Chambers, chief executive of Black Country Chamber of Commerce, is to retire from his position in the organisation in March 2010. The Chamber is now seeking to appoint a replacement chief executive, with the recruitment process commencing in September.  

The West Midlands needs to expand its horizons if it is to thrive and prosper, it was claimed today.  

The Chairman of Transforming Telford Peter Roach today announced that Sarah Raper is to step down as Chief Executive, effective from 31 August.  

Business leaders have expressed surprise that CPI inflation held at 1.8% in July.  

Made redundant last autumn, father-of-three Gavin Wesson, 31 from Top Valley in Nottingham had his confidence shattered as he had never been out of work before.  

Midlands businesses, already undermined by the recession, are increasingly at risk of being washed away in a flood.  

Worcester is one of only nine places throughout the UK that Brad Sugars, widely regarded as one of the world's top business gurus, will be appearing during his UK tour, to deliver his inspirational seminar “Business is Booming,”  

Business leaders in Birmingham and Solihull are urging the government to do more to ensure that our younger generation is not lost and added to the ever increasing unemployment register.  

Business leaders in Birmingham and Solihull are aware they are in for a bumpy ride with today’s announcement by the Bank of England that it expects the economy to shrink by around 5.5% at its lowest point this year before the recovery.  

Local business consultant and author John Cox, who has a long history of working with a range of organisations throughout the region, has been appointed Chair of the Institute of Business Consulting East Midlands Region.  

A unique event that will bring together a wide range of people in leading roles will take place in Birmingham on 21 September 2009.  

The Forum of Private Business (FPB) is advising businesses to go online to maximise their chances of winning public contracts, following the Government’s decision to scrap its policy of charging a maximum of £180 per year to use its supply2.gov.uk portal.  

West Midlands companies are being urged to explore export opportunities in an Asian market that is beating the global downturn.  

In-depth research has been taking place into how the night-time visitor attraction can be developed in Solihull town centre.  

A new survey of UK bosses highlights that swine flu is currently having little impact on businesses.  

Businesses and professionals in Worcestershire and the West Midlands were today warned by a senior business coach to be prepared and ‘ready for off’ as soon as the recession storm begins to ease.  

Leicester Libraries have teamed up with the regional Business Link service and opened its doors to help budding entrepreneurs access the best resources available.  

The Forum of Private Business (FPB) is highlighting a record drop in lending as the main reason behind the increase in company insolvencies, as revealed in new figures published today.  

The founder of the region’s leading innovation competition has urged the East Midlands business community to make the most of University collaborations to help it emerge from the current economic downturn.  

The introduction of a controversial new tax which charges employees to park on company car parks is causing consternation amongst West Midlands businesses.  

Nottingham Regeneration (NRL) has appointed a new regeneration director to join its specialist team.  

More imaginative methods are needed to address repossessions – not just in the interests of social cohesion but also to get the housing market back on track.  

After being made redundant from Avon Cosmetics in April, Weller Howard was made up to go back to work within a week and be among the first to benefit from the new Euro-funded ‘Response to Redundancy’ (R2R) training.  

Is your office a tangle of papers, folders and notes? Do you waste precious time searching your computer network for elusive files and lost invoices?Are your printing costs spiralling out of control? If so, help is at hand: Lincoln office equipment firm TBSL is organising a free event in October which will show business owners and office managers how to save time and reduce costs by creating the ideal office.  

Lincoln Business Club donated £600 to Strut in the Community and the Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire Air Ambulance at its AGM on Friday (31st July).  

A leading representative of the Chinese Government has seen how UK Trade & Investment is helping West Midlands automotive firms beat the economic downturn.  

A small business support and lobby group today said it was ‘furious’ over the introduction of a ‘scandalous’ tax on businesses’ own parking spaces.  

West Midlands companies are being offered help to export their way out of the recession with a £600 grant to research opportunities in the East African market.  

Next generation broadband is the future for businesses large and small, a leading campaigner insists.  

A successful series of interactive workshops in practical leadership skills has been specially adapted for Shropshire healthcare managers and their deputies.  

The simmering border dispute between the West Midlands and Milton Keynes has flared up again.  

UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) is encouraging UK firms to use the quieter summer months to think strategically about how exports can be used to help their business activities in the autumn and in the longer term.  

Depressed and unemployed, Mary Buxton, 52, a widow from Leicester, had spent five years looking for work until a euro-funded course gave her food for thought.  

Lincoln Business Club is to donate £600 to Strut in the Community and the Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire Air Ambulance at its AGM this month.  

The Broad Street Business Improvement District (BID) has submitted its renewal proposal to Birmingham City Council for approval prior to holding a ballot in October 2009. The proposal is due to be considered by cabinet on 27th July.  

East Midlands Development Agency (emda) is set to play an important role in implementing the recommendations in the MacLeod review of employee engagement, which has just been launched.  

The Government must urgently press ahead with its quantitative easing programme or other mechanisms to encourage banks to lend, business leaders said this week.  

Regeneration partnership PxP West Midlands has received planning permission for the first phase of a £35 million development in Hodge Hill, with the potential to create up to 500 new jobs in the area.  

Coventry University has successfully assembled £1m of investment which it will be using to help businesses within the region to overcome the effects of the recession.  

Birmingham and Solihull businesses are backing the City’s bid to be crowned the UK’s first City of Culture in 2013.  

Business intelligence specialist Ardentia has announced its 2008 annual results, reporting continued growth, with its healthcare operations increasing by 35%.  

West Midlands Business Council and Birmingham Law Society are joining forces in an effort to add new impetus to the campaign to bring the Ministry of Justice to the city.  

Business leaders of the future could be honing their boardroom skills by getting in the boxing ring and learning the winning ways of sporting legends.  

Nottingham is to be partnered with the Russian city of Krasnodar, earmarked to host the 2014 winter Olympics.  

West Midlands Business Council has warmly welcomed a BT announcement to speed up plans for super-fast broadband. But it has urged the company to do even more.  

A West Midlands company has eased the workload of charity finance staff in London after digitally scanning many thousands of paper documents.  

Organisers of an event designed to support business women, say it was such a huge success, that they will plan another.  

Over 350 business leaders and guests attended The National Business Awards Regional Programme, sponsored by Orange, in Birmingham, Thursday 16th July, to celebrate the success of the most innovative, ethical and successful businesses in Wales, The Midlands and East Anglia.  

Businesses in the West Midlands need to make greater use of their staff to help improve environmental performance and unlock valuable cost savings – according to sustainable business experts Envirowise.  

Members of the local business community turned out in force for the official launch of Derby Cathedral’s new meeting and conference facilities, which have been developed following a £30,000 refurbishment programme.  

West Midlands exporters have said they are being held back in their attempts to help the UK fight its way out of recession by the decision of some brokers to withdraw export credit insurance.  

Solihull needs to be ahead of its competitors when the UK comes out of the recession, says the businesswoman leading the town centre’s business improvement district initiative.  

The first of a new series of workshops designed to help business owners or leaders work with less stress is set to take place in Derby next month.  

Business leaders in West Midlands warned today that the number of people out of work in the region will get much worse.  

West Midlands businesses will have the opportunity to quiz a senior Bank of England official next week.  

Midland bosses are continuing to invest in training despite the recession and downturn in profits.  

The Midlands needs Government action, not words, if the problems of Jaguar Land Rover are not to develop into a full blown crisis.  

The Government team responsible for cutting red tape visited a East Midlands cycle company and Indian snack firm to talk about saving businesses even more time and money when it comes to regulation.  

When Jo Jinks took redundancy there was an aim in her life – to run her own company from home so that she could enjoy her family at the same time.  

On Wednesday 8 July, finditinsandwell held a huge trade fair in Civic Square, Oldbury, with the aim of showing Council workers, visitors to the Council house, passers-by and shoppers the variety and high quality of consumer goods available in the borough.  

The Government’s newly launched export credit insurance proposals don’t go far enough, West Midlands Business Council has warned. And it has told the Export Credits Guarantees Department that it must do more if there is to be an export-led recovery.  

A group of Coventry and Warwickshire professionals have been given an exclusive guided tour of Coventry’s new QCA (Quality and Curriculum Authority) building, and all agreed that it was a fantastic addition to Coventry’s commercial infrastructure.  

Speaking to West Midlands Business Council, at an event organised by Forrest Research and Birmingham Business School, Larry Elliott said Britain had been given a painful reality check.  

Fast-growing specialist marketing firm BAM Agency Ltd has relocated its head office and staff team from Wales to Cheltenham.  

Local companies from Birmingham and Redditch joined 100 fellow exporters from across the UK at a reception at Downing Street. They were invited to Number 10 by the Prime Minister in recognition of their business success in overseas markets and their contribution to the UK economy.  

The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) today hands over its national Keep Trade Local (KTL) petition to Number 10, Downing Street.  

The rural West has a major role to play in helping the region emerge from the current economic downturn it was announced on Friday at the Rural Regeneration Zone (RRZ) Annual Conference in Ludlow.  

Walsall’s ‘start-up’ credentials were firmly on show this week when Bruce George MP was given a guided tour of 34 Green Lane.  

The Government’s newly launched export credit insurance proposals don’t go far enough, West Midlands Business Council has warned.  

Dr Richard Hutchins has been appointed Deputy Chief Executive of Advantage West Midlands, the regional development agency for the West Midlands region.  

Advantage West Midlands has completed a detailed update of its Corporate Plan for the Government and confirmed £1.1 billion worth of funding for projects that will balance support for businesses and communities during the recession with longer term plans to ensure the region is prepared for the economic upturn.  

Research carried out by the Forum of Private Business (FPB) has found that firms in the region spend around £807 million each year complying with legislation.  

Nottingham City Council, Nottinghamshire County Council, Rushcliffe Borough Council, emda and Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club have been handed a prestigious award for a partnership project which culminated in the successful staging of the ICC World Twenty20 earlier this month.  

ESG Herefordshire Limited, the organisation overseeing Hereford’s biggest regeneration project in nearly 1000 years, has appointed Ted Willmott CB OBE as its new chairman.  

A huge open-air trade fair promoting goods and services offered by Sandwell businesses is being held this month (July) in Oldbury town centre.  

Fresh from its success at the Business Awards Derbyshire, leading property auctioneer Graham Penny Auctions has announced that it is set to expand its operation with the launch of a new estate agency division.  

Advantage West Midlands have, today, announced a series of new calls for bids designed to provide millions of pounds of investment to rural businesses all over the region.  

Regional development agency Advantage West Midlands is working alongside key regeneration partners in Staffordshire to start rolling out a tailored package of economic measures to support market towns worst affected during the recession.  

A multimillion pound development programme to support the growth of creative and digital industries, enterprise and innovation is to centre on the refurbishment of a Grade II listed church building in Warwickshire.  

Business Link West Midlands is urging companies across the region to tap into a wealth of free advice through its next e-newsletter.  

A Herefordshire company is racing ahead in European markets with a new product for horse owners, with help from UK Trade & Investment.  

According to the Forum of Private Business (FPB) latest Referendum survey on the ‘cost of compliance', small business employers devote an average of 37 hours each month to complying with regulations.  

Derbyshire Enterprise agency Erewash Partnership has notched up a record number of supporters.  

Firm interest has been shown in an old building in Ilkeston which has been renovated and refurbished to create offices for new and growing businesses.  

West Midlands companies are being urged to make sure they don’t miss out on new business from global fiscal stimulus programmes.  

Two new directors have joined the committee team at the IoD Young Directors Forum for the coming year.  

West Midlands Business Council Executive Director James Watkins this month renewed his organisation’s pledge never to let up on business crime.  

Helping people who are unemployed or facing the prospect of redundancy to access new skills and job opportunities is at the heart of a joint commitment to be made by public bodies and business representatives in the Black Country this wee  

Leicester-based KPW Architects, one of the East Midlands leading architectural practices, has signed a contract to design a new care facility in Kibworth, Leicestershire on behalf of self unlimited  

A plucky Derbyshire entrepreneur has launched a new business importing and selling harps, thanks to EnterpriseLoans East Midlands. Harp teacher and performer Helen-Elizabeth Naylor, from Mackworth, applied for a small business loan to enable her to set up The Little Welsh Shop.  

Spanish owned translation specialists, OH2 International, has recently opened its first UK office, and first office outside of Spain, at North Staffordshire’s Keele University Science and Business Park.  

The results of an international survey carried out by a Leicestershire based company supports suggestions that the first stage of economic recovery is underway. The study focused on trading comparisons and predictions in a range of manufacturing companies and was carried out by Darian, a global outsourcing company based in Market Harborough.  

Olympic javelin medallist Steve Backley will return to Loughborough University this week to help local exporters target even greater success.  

World Trade Week begins today and one Nottingham Businesswoman is keen to share her experience of international trade.  

East Midlands Development Agency (emda) have announced the names of the 27 ambitious high growth companies who have been accepted to take part in the agency’s flagship High Growth programme, part of HighGrowth East Midlands in 2009.  

More than 80 small and medium-sized companies from across the West Midlands found out from UK Trade & Investment experts why they should be looking at new markets in Central Europe to beat the economic downturn.  

The Government has warned eighteen employment agencies supplying drivers to businesses in the West Midlands for failing to comply with the law.  

A Telford based company is reporting solid signs of business confidence despite the challenging economic situation, with a second consecutive month of record new company registrations.  

The loan problems facing Midland companies are the result of “spooked” banks stunned by their own losses, a senior Labour MP has claimed.  

Protocol Consultancy Services are celebrating a remarkable double after scooping two prestigious awards for quality.  

The UK's smallest businesses – which make up the majority of the workforce – must be given their own Small Business Sector Skills Council that will focus on the needs of micro-firms, according to the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB).  

The latest British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) Monthly Business Survey published on 29/5/09, reveals the extent of the problem businesses face with late payment and confirms their recruitment intentions over the summer months.  

Since the onset of the recession the majority of the region’s market towns have seen unemployment rise by more than 50% and the Taskforce has moved to address a number of specific issues.  

Last week, figures from across the UK came together at ‘Addressing City Flight,’ a day-long event hosted by the region’s Urban Partnership Group (UPG) at Leicester’s Highpoint Conference Centre.  

Samantha Goode, a Stoke based NHS Careers Officer, has supported a total of 90 local jobseekers back into work in less than 12 months, 73 of whom have started a career within health and social care.  

The Forum of Private Business (FPB) is helping small firms to maximise signs that business confidence is slowly returning despite falling sales, late payments and spiralling costs.  

Newquay Cornwall Airport welcomes the launch of bmibaby’s new four times weekly flights from Birmingham International Airport  

One of the region’s leading trainers has turned entrepreneur in a bid to boost start-ups and young businesses in the West Midlands.  

Bosses in the West Midlands are being warned that new grievance laws could lead to a flood of tribunal claims, with huge penalties for companies already under siege from the recession.  

A business organisation in Coventry and Warwickshire has received national accreditation for its support of women’s enterprise.  

Despite the challenging conditions currently affecting the global economy, thousands of visitors from all over the world will descend on Birmingham in June to attend one of the biggest conventions to be held in the UK for 20 years.  

A West Bridgford-based financial management company, Four Corners Ltd, has raised £200,000 with the assistance of an InvoRed “Green Stream” consultant funded by Connect Midlands, the not-for-profit network part-funded by ERDF and backed by the East Midlands Development Agency (emda)  

More than 500 firms from the West Midlands gathered in the Black Country today to learn about the diverse business opportunities emerging from the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games in London.  

Ben Reid, chief executive of the Midcounties Co-operative, has been appointed regional chair of the LSC in the West Midlands as part of a national drive to make the organisation’s structure more responsive to the skills needs of learners and employers.  

An estimated 10 million employees are entitled to request flexible working and the number likely to utilise this right is set to rise says Midlands law firm Challinors  

Advantage West Midlands has announced a review of all its projects – as a result of the recession, reduction in resources and knowledge gained from a recent independent evaluation of its activity.  

Business leaders have stepped up their opposition to badly planned eco towns. It comes in a new paper submitted to the Regional Spatial Strategy public inquiry currently taking place in Wolverhampton.  

Owner managed businesses whose directors feel like rabbits frozen in the headlights following the economic downturn may now have a lifeline.  

A leading Staffordshire commercial property lawyer has joined Else Commercial Solicitors as head of property.  

Phil Hope, Minister for the East Midlands, today (Monday 11 May) faced some tough questions from budding business people who quizzed him about the future of the economy.  

Bromsgrove based, Barberry Developments has unveiled new plans to transform part of Leicester High Street and create a three-storey 16,000 sq ft retail space, which could accommodate up to six retailers.  

Bromsgrove based commercial property company Barberry Group has appointed one of Birmingham’s most respected figureheads, Digby, Lord Jones of Birmingham as advisor to the group.  

In the last year, the East Midlands region’s Business Link service has enabled even more businesses to receive the help they need to survive, develop and grow, according to figures just released by the East Midlands Development Agency (emda).  

More than half a million pounds has been awarded to small businesses in the East Midlands in less than a year by a loan fund designed to help entrepreneurs overcome difficulties in raising finance from other sources.  

Hundreds of business people from all over the Midlands region will be in Sandwell next month for a special Olympic event.  

In a move at odds with the general mood in the legal sector, Birmingham law firm Martineau has strengthened its formidable, award-winning real estate team with the appointment of popular local lawyer Amanda Hanmore.  

Solicitor Bernard Shepherd has taken up the presidency of Birmingham Law Society. He takes the baton from Caroline Coates, who stood down at the Society's Annual General Meeting (28 April), becoming the organisation's 190th president.  

Nine of the ‘greenest’ businesses in the West Midlands celebrated their commitment to reducing climate change, after picking up major titles at a new awards scheme.  

Midlands’ professional services firms have spoken! The Government needs to get the economy moving through increased access to finance, not advice or training or further VAT rate changes  

Small businesses in Gloucestershire can gain an edge on the competition by claiming up to £1,000 worth of leadership and management skills training – all for just £135.  

James Plaskitt, Minister for the European Social Fund (ESF), and Liam Byrne, Regional Minister for the West Midlands, have welcomed the roll-out of new European Social Fund projects in the West Midlands.  

Pat McFadden, Minister of State for Employment Relations and Postal Affairs, today announced the reappointment of Brendan Connor to the Board of Advantage West Midlands.  

Businesses in South Staffordshire can now quickly find out about grants and funding through a free-to-use website called South Staffordshire 4 Business.  

An independent study, published today, reveals how much Advantage West Midlands is adding value to the regional economy, benefitting people, businesses and communities across the West Midlands.  

Data released today shows that UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) is helping hundreds more companies than ever before to export. The latest quarterly survey shows that a record 20,700 businesses were helped to generate £3.6 billion in additional profit. Of these, over 1,300 companies were from the East Midlands.  

West Midlands firms can learn how they can benefit from a new joint initiative between HSBC Holdings Plc and UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) to help UK exporters of all sizes capitalise on trade opportunities in 2009.  

A new service providing employers with easy access to free advice and support has been launched as part of the Government’s commitment to provide ‘real help now’ for business.