GWEBusiness West success (From Swindon Advertiser)

GWEBusiness West success

Just over a year ago, Swindon based Great Western Enterprise Ltd (GWE) merged with Business West (Bristol), retaining its registered office at Emlyn Square in Swindon’s Railway Village.

Nicky Alberry

With the country heading towards recession, far from being a case of bad timing, it turned out to be the perfect moment to establish the new company as a highly influential private economic development organisation.

The last 12 months have seen progress in every element of GWE Business West’s activity. Whether by extending its range of business support services, or becoming more influential through ensuring the ‘voice of business’ is heard in important economic debates, using its partnership links with the public and private sectors. Joint chairman Nicky Alberry said: “GWE was established in 1986 to respond to a major local employment problem in Swindon, following the closure of the railway works. And we became widely recognised as one of the UK’s largest enterprise agencies.

“GWE Business West now employs around 200 people and has a turnover of £15 million. Profit generated from our commercial services pays for our initiative activity, which aims to make Swindon one of the best places to live and work by enabling the local business community to play a part in influencing the way our area is shaped, managed and developed.”

Barry Lingard is the man tasked with forging relationships in Swindon. He said: “This is an opportunity for like minded business people, with an interest in making Swindon a success, to create a critical mass; a natural grouping with shared interests and the clout to influence.”

Alongside this work, GWE Business West provides a comprehensive range of services that help local businesses to grow and adapt. One of the most basic needs for a business is suitable accommodation, and through its workspace division, GWE Business West provides office space, workshop units and virtual offices in and around Swindon.

The knowledge and skills of the people in a company heavily influences business success. GWE Business West Training and Development has now expanded access to its open business courses and be-spoke training solutions to Swindon and Wiltshire.

Under its International Trade area, GWE Business West delivers contracts for UK Trade and Investment (South West), the government’s international business development organisation and the Enterprise Europe Network, a local gateway to a wealth of information and support on doing business in Europe funded by the South West Regional Development Agency and the EU. GWE Business West’s export documentation team has helped companies to ship fish and chips to Russia and to export sand and date palms to the Arab states.

Over the last year GWE Business West has successfully secured several new contracts, including a South West Internationalisation Project contract through UKTI, and another to manage the business support side of a new Enterprise and Innovation Centre in Ludgershall, Wiltshire.

Nicky Alberry said: “We will continue to provide local businesses with a range of appropriate, demand-led support services, adapting our provision to suit the economic conditions.

“We responded quickly to the economic downturn by expanding our services to include specialist credit crunch advice clinics and focused networking events, which proved vital in helping companies to succeed by reinforcing existing business relationships and developing new contacts.

“We are evolving, continuously looking to expand the scope of what we do and how we do it. For example, we now work with businesses in more contemporary ways by making the most of social networking web sites and blogs.”

Going forward, GWE Business West’s priorities will also include engaging in regeneration planning in the South Westl.

How can GWE Business West help your business? Further information is available at www.gwebusinesswest.co.uk