Business Cornwall

A growing number of entrepreneurial and innovative Cornish businesses are signing up to become the county’s ‘Brand Ambassadors’. To date more than 25 companies – including Business Cornwall – have been selected to use the Cornwall Brand and play a key role in representing Cornish business to the wider world.

With support from Business Link, the future looks bright for Cornish lighting design company GIGB Ltd which completed four projects recently for houses featured on Channel Four’s high profile Grand Designs programme.

For the second year running, the SMART Women Project are holding their pioneering conference, where an astonishing programme, featuring the South West’s finest experts in the fields of women’s enterprise, will meet at Tremough, June 23, for this inspiring one day event.

Local electrical company, TEE Limited, have published a series of free checklists aimed at de-mystifying the many regulations and laws surrounding electrical safety in the workplace or accommodation venue. The checklists come off the back of rising concern over the safety of premises and the confusion that many businesses suffer in trying to establish their obligations under the eyes of the law.

Fast expanding Cornwall law firm, Foot Anstey Hancock Caffin, have appointed seven new partners as part of their strategy to recognise the achievements of lawyers offering the best legal advice to businesses, organisations and individuals. The seven new partners are David Ellis, James Heath, Kelvin Farmaner, Gavin Poole, David Stone, Patricia Wass and Philip Wolfgang.

The second annual St Mellion Business Needs and Support Exhibition is due to take place on Wednesday May 21st. Organisers hope the event, which will run from 10am to 5pm at St Mellion International Golf Club, will surpass the popularity of last year’s inaugural exhibition which attracted hundreds. Like last year it is due to be opened by Carleen Kelemen, Director of the Partnership Office for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.

Cornwall College Business (CCB) is giving local businesses the opportunity to discover how they can grow by attracting skilled people to their company at a free event this summer. The event, ‘Attracting young Cornish talent: An opportunity for your business’ is being held on Friday 13th June and is being hosted by Cornwall College Business (CCB).

Cornwall Business Awards 2008: Full Winners List

An organic baby clothing company from the Lizard Peninsula has tonight been crowned Cornwall’s Business of the Year, as the Cornwall Business Awards shone the spotlight on success stories throughout the county. Frugi, which employs nine people at St Martin, sells its unique clothes online, as well as through stockists in 28 countries worldwide. It has taken just four years from start-up to achieve the honour at a ceremony where it also received “Business Innovation of the Year” for its groundbreaking eco-friendly packaging, and founder Lucy Jewson was named “Entrepreneur of the Year”.

Today (Friday May 9th) is Europe Day. In Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly this is being marked by the inaugural Cornwall Works WISE (Welfare to Work, Innovation, Skills and Employment) awards.

Press Release Over 25 businesses gathered at London’s leading business venue, One Aldwych to hear Professor Alan Livingston of University College Falmouth speak at the ‘I’d Rather Be in Cornwall Club’. The quarterly event, run by Cornwall Pure Business (CPB), the county’s inward investment service, provides those who are interested in relocating their business to Cornwall an opportunity to find out what the county has to offer as a business destination.

A free trial starts today to provide small and medium sized businesses with access to thousands of public sector contract opportunities. From 1 May until 31 July 2008, the www.supply2.gov.uk website will allow new registrants to gain free access to public sector contracts valued under £100,000 for the UK and Northern Ireland. The free trial is part of the Department for Business’ Enterprise Strategy which was released in March, which outlined new measures to increase the amount of government business that is won by small firms.

Press Release Truro based Follett Stock solicitors have become the first commercial sponsor for local charity Carn to Cove. Carn to Cove is Cornwall’s performing arts...

The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has called on local authorities to rethink town centre parking policies ahead of the local elections in England and Wales in May. The UK’s biggest business organisation said that the practice of local authorities using excessive parking charges to raise revenue is killing town centres. Local authorities made £1.6 billion from parking charges and fines in 2005, up from £628 million in 1997.

A Cornish business which recycles end of life electronic equipment for private and business clients has been recognised for its quality standards and environmental management through the award of two ISO certificates. The Electronic Waste Company, based in Redruth, has been granted the 9001/2000 for Quality Management and 14001 for Environmental Management.

Over 80 environmental activists from around Cornwall attended a conference in Bodmin to promote sustainable action in local communities. The conference, which was organised by Cornwall Waste Action and Rezolve Kernow, fielded a variety of speakers who demonstrated that it is possible to take action to improve the environment, even at a local level. Prizes were awarded to six organisations to help develop their projects and a further £300 prize sponsored by SITA will be awarded to a community project.

A change in the management team at major Truro law firm Foot Anstey Hancock Caffin sees John Westwell taking over the role of Managing Partner from Jane Lister on 1st November 2008.

Pool based local printers Active Colour have been honoured to receive environmental accreditation by the FSC making them one of the first suppliers of local paper print in Cornwall to adhere to these world-wide environmental criteria.

Low carbon house designers and builders Cloud Nine has successfully secured a second round of funding, which will see the company launch in May 2008 with a range of high-specification modular eco homes named after famous Cornish places ‘Bude’, ‘Lamorna’ and ‘Zelah’.

As Cornwall Business Week kicks off, businesses based in the county have another reason to be proud. Cornwall is a hotbed of creative businesses, and three of its towns are predicted to be in the top ten creative hotspots of the future, a study by Cornwall Research revealed today.