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COVID-19 enterprise restoration programme creates over 50 Lancashire jobs

COVID-19 business recovery programme creates over 50 Lancashire jobs

Photo: The Blackburn Distributions team helped by The Scaleup Resurgence program

Submitted by Joel Durkin

A group of 21 of the fastest growing companies in Lancashire are on the way to create Dozens of new jobs, expand their activities and develop new products and markets after participating in one Lancashire County Council Program to speed up the recovery of the coronavirus.

The companies received tailor-made support to enable them to quickly return to sustained high growth during the three-month full funding period Two Zero Scaleup Resurgence Program.

Companies include well-known Lancashire companies such as Whitworth-based cable manufacturer Slingcoand Blackburn-based Sales Geek, Now expect the total number of employees to increase by more than 50 around 450 employees.

Many also forecast significant increases in sales for the current financial year.

Telecommunications provider based in Rossendale Matrix247 communication group is currently in the process of purchasing a Cloud Computing Company in the Northwest Expansion of cloud communication capabilities after receiving support from the program.

Stephen Pritchard, CEO of Matrix 247

Stephen Pritchard, CEO, said, “The Two Zero Scaleup Resurgence Program has helped us understand what we need to achieve our vision. It has helped us properly prepare our business for sustainable growth.

“Instead of laying the foundation stone for a two-story office building with our traditional support services, we laid the foundation stone for a skyscraper with first-class service packaging.

The company’s sales have grown by around £ 3m to £ 5.5m Also, several new employees are currently being hired to increase the number of employees from 22 to around 30 as the company continues to grow.

Two zeros is a dedicated brand that is funded by Lancashire County Council Helping Lancashire scale-up companies achieve sustainable goals 20 percent annual growth.

The Scaleup Resurgence Program was delivered by Lancashire-based business growth consultancy Think cubes.

It was launched in response to the impact of COVID-19 on the economy in Lancashire and started in July.

The program included expert master classes, peer learning and High performance coaching tailored to key elements of scaling a business to help attendees take the first steps in recovering from coronavirus and help them lay a foundation for continued rapid growth.

Analysis of the business effects of Two Zero Scaleup Resurgence on participating companies revealed significant improvements in strategic planning, supply chains, cash flow and several other areas.

Amin Vepari, Program Manager at Two Zero, Lancashire County Council, said, “Coronavirus has impacted the entire Lancashire economy and slowed the growth of most companies.

“We partnered with the fast-growing Lancashire business community in the early months of the pandemic, and there was a clear demand for a program that would allow them to return to 20 percent growth faster.

“Scaleup Resurgence has helped these companies to be more resilient to business challenges so they can continue to focus on sustainable long-term growth. This in turn will benefit Lancashire’s supply chains and the entire county’s economy. “

Another company that benefited from the program was Blackburn distributions, that manufactures and sells sports and nutritional supplements across the UK.

Ben Blackburn, Managing Director, said, “We wanted to turn the crisis into an opportunity and we felt the best way to do this was to seek support. The program has helped us navigate uncertain times and we have maintained our 20 percent growth. “

Blackburn Distributions has increased its full-time employment from 13 to 21 and invested £ 50,000 in its facilities too Doubling of the production capacity.

Chief engineer, The Burnley-based company is a skills and training provider that develops curricula to help educational institutions work with the engineering industry.

Susan Scurlock MBE, General Manager, said, “Given the changes in the way schools work in recent months, this has been very volatile and we have had to make some changes to our operations.

“In particular, the peer-to-peer aspects of the program helped us understand that all companies face challenges. This enabled us to concentrate in the long term and develop our vision for the future. “

A full list of companies looking to graduate from the program is:

  • Blackburn Distributions – Burnley, Lancashire
  • Brysdales – Chorley, Lancashire
  • EnergyAce home – Chorley, Lancashire
  • Lignification – Chorley, Lancashire
  • Rosetta Brands – Nateby, Lancashire
  • Slater Safety Accessories – Woodplumpton, Preston, Lancashire
  • Slingco-Whitworth, Rossendale, Lancashire
  • B2B IT
  • Creative World – Altham, Accrington, Lancashire
  • Industria Systems UK – Chorley, Lancashire
  • Matrix Platinum – Haslingden, Rossendale, Lancashire
  • Novi.Digital – Lancaster, Lancashire
  • Sales Geek – Blackburn, Lancashire
  • Alison Handling Services – Kirkham, Preston, Lancashire
  • Recruiting Clayton – Preston, Lancashire
  • Electrical Installations – Accrington, Lancashire
  • KeyPlus Security – Hapton, Lancashire
  • Chief Engineer – Burnley, Lancashire
  • The ATACC Group – Leyland, Lancashire
  • The Wellbeing Farm – Blackburn, Darwen, Lancashire

Click here to watch a video Two Zero produced that highlights the success of the program. This includes interviews with several of the companies mentioned above.

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