On November 11 2016, Morclean Ltd travelled to the Houses of Parliament in London to attend the Green Apple Awards for Environmental Best Practice. The Green Apple Awards, which are sponsored by the Environment Agency, are dedicated to recognising, rewarding and promoting environmental best practice around the world.

Morclean Ltd, based in Staveley won not one, but two awards at the glittering presentation where other like-minded companies, councils and communities attended to receive recognition.

Morclean, specialists in a wide range of industrial cleaning equipment, had two products up for an honour in this year’s awards including the popular WashPad vehicle wash system and the LowFlow pressure cleaning system. Both of the systems left the award ceremony with an accolade and received a silver award each.

Peter Morley, Managing Director at Morclean, said:-

“The aim here at Morclean is to always develop products that are more friendly for the environment and promote these the best way possible. This will be the 4^th Green Apple Award we will have received and we always enjoy the recognition presented to companies that work to help the environment.

“We wish to thank everyone involved in the Green Apples Awards and look forward to continuing to develop and launch products that the environmentally-minded love.”

Local design company and Chesterfield Champion, Jumble Creative Design, have recently been announced as finalists in the Derbyshire Times Business Awards.

The Chatsworth Road based designers are entered in the Innovation Category following their expansion in to wide-format and vinyl printing.

This new print and cut technology enables Jumble to offer a wide range of products including posters, pop up displays and banners, window graphics, vehicle graphics, signage, cut vinyl, packaging labels and stickers.

Jumble has also undertaken training to learn new skills, as part of their innovative approach to design, offering clients services to partner with these product including the application of window and vehicle graphics, sign making and mounting wide format graphics to board and other substrates.

With an innovative focus, Jumble are attracting the attention of other innovative local businesses, having recently worked with local food producer, and Food and Drink Awards winner, Teresa Lambarelli to re-brand her packaging.

Andrew Everitt, Owner of Jumble Creative Design, said:-

“Like us, Teresa is always looking for ways to improve her offer, regularly developing and creating new tastes. We were able to create a new look design, a quick turanound and offer a flexible approach to quantity depending on stock levels.

“We are always looking for creative and innovative ways to meet the customer needs.”

Their focus on innovation has allowed Jumble to grow bigger year on year. Projects they have recently worked on include designing print and commemorative beer labels for the Chesterfield Food and Drink Awards and producing vinyl graphics for Chesterfield Theatres.

East Midlands Chamber has announced Geoff Poyzer as its President for 2016/17.

He received the chains of office from outgoing President Jean Mountain at the Chamber’s annual general meeting this morning.

Geoff is Managing Director for the Highways Division at North Midland Construction PLC, a national contractor with a turnover in excess of £225m, and has expertise in managing large construction projects at director level.

A Fellow of the Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation, Member of the Institution of Civil Engineers and a Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) from Nottingham Trent University, Geoff has been employed by NMC, located in north Nottinghamshire, for over 28 years.

He has been a member of the Chamber Board since October 2008.

Geoff, a married father of two grown-up children, who lives in Nottingham with his wife Jacqueline, said:-

“It is an honour and privilege to be elected President of the biggest business-representative body in the Midlands and one of the largest Chambers of Commerce in the country.

“I would like to extend my personal thanks to Jean Mountain, my predecessor, for choosing me as her deputy for the past year and for all her hard work during her 12 months in office.

“I promise to uphold the dignity of this office and to be the best ambassador that I can be for the Chamber, for the region and for business generally.”

He said he had four areas on which he wants to focus during his year in office – Brexit, the difference between management and leadership, helping business to keep pace with the rapidly changing world of technology and promoting the ‘great’ East Midlands as a great place to live and work– all areas where the Chamber is already active.

“I make no apology for slipping ‘great’ in there. I was born and bred in this region and truly believe it to be great.”

Geoff also intends to back devolution, by supporting the Midlands Engine for Growth and Midlands Connect, and locally-focused education systems.

Robert Mayo, Development Director for the Welbeck Estate, where his role is to bring about the transformation of one of the most significant groups of listed buildings in the East Midlands, has been elected Vice-President for 2017.

He is a graduate in Art History from the University of Nottingham and has a Master’s degree in Conservation Studies.

Board changes announced at the AGM include the appointment of Steve Midgeley and Hari Punchihewa as Directors and the retirement of Past-President Liz Fothergill, who was this year made High Sheriff of Derbyshire, and Richard Horsley, Managing Director at QED Public Relations.

Steve is the founder and Managing Director of Chamber member Fairgrove Homes and Hari is Deputy Chief Executive and Finance Director at the University of Derby. Both were co-opted to the Board in August.

Directors David Merifield, Ian Greenaway and Richard Wilkins have been re-elected unopposed to the Board.

The Spireites are delighted to announce SBK Computers as their new IT partner.

SBK Computers, who are based in Chesterfield, have been engaged to maintain the IT system at the Proact Stadium.

Chris Turner, Chesterfield FC Chief Executive, said:-

“I am delighted to award SBK Computers with the contract to look after the total IT system for the stadium, including The HUB, which is operated by the Community Trust.

“We have been working very closely with Steve Coe and his team for a while now and Steve is also a keen supporter and valued sponsor of the club.”

Ashley Carson, Chesterfield FC Director and Company Secretary, added:-

“I have been very impressed with the technical expertise of the staff at SBK and we are looking forward to working more closely with them.

“IT is a crucial part of our business and it is vital that we have a solid, reliable company we can rely on. There have been many errors in the past with the IT in the stadium and it is reassuring that we can now place our trust in Steve and his team.”

Steve Coe, Managing Director of SBK Computers, said:-

“We are delighted to have been awarded the contract to support our local football club and the process will now begin to look at all aspects of IT and communications at the stadium.

“We need to determine what can be improved and more importantly, what cost savings can be introduced from the massive overspend when the stadium was built.”

SBK Computers, who have successfully delivered IT Solutions since 1998, have been a dedicated long-term sponsor of the club.

Law firm and Chesterfield Champions, Banner Jones, have further bolstered its established business legal services division with the appointment of Director and Solicitor Cathy Thomas, as well as Associate Solicitor Sam Matkin.

Joining the firm’s Sheffield-based Commercial Property team Cathy brings with her more than 10-years’ experience advising on matters including freehold and long leasehold sales, acquisitions and leasing.

Having studied at Liverpool University before joining Nabarro, and subsequently BRM Law, Cathy has particular expertise in landlord and tenant work, as well as asset management in the shopping centre and industrial estates arena.

Associate Solicitor Sam Matkin has also joined the firm’s growing Business Legal Services division and is based at its Chesterfield headquarters.

The announcement follows recent international recognition for Banner Jones as part of this year’s Legal 500 – the most comprehensive worldwide coverage on recommended law firms broken down by area of specialism – in which its family law and personal injury teams ranked for the fourth consecutive year.

Chris Sellars, Executive Director and Head of Business Legal Services, said that the appointments would ‘further strengthen’ Banner Jones’ award winning legal services team, as well as ensure that the firm was well placed to meet growing demand from a rapidly expanding Sheffield City Region-based business community.

He said:-

“Cathy is a welcome addition to our established commercial property team – bringing with her considerable expertise and experience, and further bolstering our ability to meet increased demand fuelled by an ever expanding business community based within the Sheffield City Region.

“Similarly, the support that Sam will bring to our Chesterfield-based team will be most valued, and we very much look forward to welcoming them both.”

Banner Jones also received regional recognition recently when it was awarded an East Midlands Chamber Business Award for Excellence in Customer Service.

East Midlands Chamber is moving to new offices.

Based in Chesterfield since its launch in the 1860s, the region’s biggest support organisation for business is moving to newer premises on the town’s Dunston Business Park.

Repairs needed to the existing head office on Canal Wharf have rendered it no longer fit for purpose.

An outline planning application has been submitted to Chesterfield Borough Council to redevelop the Canal Wharf site as housing.

The Chamber bought Commerce Centre, the official name of the offices in Canal Wharf, in the mid-1980s.

But the flat-roofed, pre-fabricated construction of most of the site has been costly to maintain and was built long before consideration was given to an organisation’s green credentials, resulting in it being expensive to run.

The decision by the University of Derby to move its nursing college from the two-storey section of Commerce Centre to the refurbished St Helena building on Sheffield Road, closer to the town centre, has also influenced the Chamber’s decision to move.

Scott Knowles, Chief Executive at East Midlands Chamber, said:-

“The current building needs constant air-conditioning in the summer and is almost impossible to heat in the winter, the roof leaks in too many places and last year the nursing college flooded in heavy rain.

“Asbestos was used in the construction of the pre-fabricated parts so no repairs can be made simply or cheaply.

“The floor area of Commerce Centre is about 80,000sq ft, which is more than the Chamber needs, and the sprawling, labyrinthine layout is not conducive to good business practice.

“For many years we had the University of Derby as an assured tenant in the two-storey wing of the offices but they moved this year to the refurbished St Helena building.

“Without the income from the university, the cost of running the centre is going to spiral out of control. The monthly heating and lighting bill in the winter is already thousands of pounds, which is silly money.

“It has been estimated that we would need to spend about £400,000 to make all the necessary repairs and improvements to Commerce Centre, but even that wouldn’t give us the ‘green’ credentials we are encouraging other businesses to adopt nor the accommodations we need.

“There comes a time when you have to say ‘enough is enough’, and that time is now.”

The Chamber is buying St Andrew’s House, Millennium Way, off Dunston Road, Chesterfield, a modern three-storey office building that can be easily adapted to meet the changing needs of a 21st Century business.

In addition to open-plan general offices, St Andrew’s House has a number of smaller rooms, adjustable training suites, a boardroom and a catering centre. But unlike Commerce Centre, all the additional rooms can be accessed without walking through the Chamber’s main office.

The site has about 60 car parking spaces, modern car park lighting and closed-circuit TV security. The Chamber plans to occupy the first two floors and to let out the third floor.

Councillor John Burrows, Leader of Chesterfield Borough Council and Cabinet Member for Regeneration, said:-

“It is really good news that the East Midlands Chamber is moving to better premises in the town.

“The fact it is staying in Chesterfield rather than moving to another town or city shows that it views Chesterfield as a good place to do business and from which to support local members in the business community.

“We look forward to continuing our on-going work with the East Midlands Chamber and I’m sure businesses in Chesterfield will also welcome still having such support and guidance on their doorstep.”

Peter Swallow, Chair of Destination Chesterfield, said:-

“We’re delighted that East Midlands Chamber is keeping Chesterfield as its head office. It plays an active and key role in the business community here.

“The accessibility of its services in the town gives us an edge over neighbouring towns and cities, which further strengthens Chesterfield’s offering for businesses that choose to set up or relocate.”

If everything goes according to plan, the Chamber will move to St Andrew’s House towards the end of February 2017.