Breakfast Event Promotes Business Growth

50 businesses registered to attend the event, held at Preston Park Museum & Conference Rooms, which gave businesses from Stockton and the wider Tees Valley the opportunity to look at the funding and support schemes available to them, and to speak to growth advisors for Tees Valley Business Compass.

These new funding and support schemes that companies can access through Tees Valley Business Compass are for innovation projects, improving broadband speeds, improving energy efficiency & implementing low carbon technologies and business growth projects.

Tees Valley Business Compass is the local growth hub and will support thousands of businesses, using an investment of more than £9.5 million from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) secured by Tees Valley Combined Authority.

Shak Asghar, a Growth Consultant at Tees Valley Business Compass, said: “We have had a great response from Stockton businesses and were pleased to see so many people at the event. This is an exciting time for businesses in Tees Valley and we’re keen to make sure as many of them as possible know about the support available.

“We are able to help businesses within the Stockton, Darlington, Middlesbrough, Hartlepool, and Redcar & Cleveland areas, which have strong growth ambitions and meet the ERDF funding criteria. From help to develop a business plan or accessing cutting-edge research facilities, to grants towards improved broadband infrastructure and energy efficiency projects, our team is there to point businesses in the right direction.”

The Leader of Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council and Tees Valley Combined Authority Cabinet Member, Councillor Bob Cook, said: “It was great to see strong interest from Stockton businesses at the launch and I hope they found it both informative and supportive of their growth ambitions. This is a great example of how we are working closely with partners such as Tees Valley Business Compass to offer support to business across the borough.”