Member Article

Councillor welcomes six new customers at SBIC

Councillor Patrick McAuley, Executive Member for Thriving Economy at Stockport Council, has joined the management team at Stockport Business & Innovation Centre (SBIC) in Reddish to mark the letting of six new units.

He welcomed the new customers to the thriving SBIC community, which now boasts around 60 businesses.

The centre, managed by Oxford Innovation and owned by Stockport Council, provides flexible office space for start–up and young businesses. It has established itself as a great place to build a business under-pinned by free, onsite business support and mentoring.

Since January this year, the six new units (totalling 1,650 sq ft) have been gradually occupied by a wide range of companies including:- TCP Therapy (play therapists for young children); 23 Degrees Business Solutions; MyBuzz technologies (mobile app development); AAI Global (Logistics); Wordsworks (Copywriting) and Air Flow Cooling (Air Conditioning Design).

SBIC provides a modern-day office environment, but also gives a nod to Stockport and the mill’s proud industrial past with exposed brick, iron girders and smart stainless steel finishes throughout.

Councillor McAuley said that the Innovation centre is a special combination of space and support to meet specific young business needs: “It is an excellent example of how to nurture Stockport’s entrepreneurs of the future. The latest investment by the Council to create six new units, and the speed with which they have been let, is testament to that.

“In these tough economic times, our congratulations go to everyone involved.”

Centre Manager John Booth, from Oxford Innovation, commented: “We are delighted with the rate of progress, which reflects the hard work of the on-site team, expertise of Oxford Innovation and ongoing support from Stockport Council.

“We are looking forward to growing the brilliant community here in the Centre, creating employment and attracting even more, bright, go-ahead individuals with a passion for their businesses.”

Other companies taking space since November include:- Simply Technical Recruitment, Commtrack (specialists in two-way radio communication systems) Protelhealth (suppliers of technology for independent living) David Phillips Furniture, Befenor Construction, IPED UK (Institute for Professional and Executive Development), The Speech and Language Store and WAU Design.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Sue Souter .