Staffordshire Chambers host joint speaker breakfast
Burton & District, Cannock Chase and Lichfield & Tamworth divisions of the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce welcomed senior inward investment manager Simon Kirk last Wednesday at a joint speaker breakfast event.
Simon Kirk of 'Make-It Stoke and Staffordshire ', gave a detailed update on the plans ahead for investment projects across the county.
Simon took the 30+ delegates present at Chasetown Football Club, through the work Staffordshire County Council and stakeholders from across the county are doing to promote wider investment opportunities, helping to support localised redevelopment projects and the message of working together to promote the county.
He said: “There is a real spirit in Staffordshire for the area being a place where business can grow.
“As the 10th highest performing county in the UK for foreign direct investment our partner organisations will continue to work to elevate the story of Staffordshire.
“By marketing the place, launching our quality of life offering in Staffordshire, called 'A Place to Call Home', ahead of the UKREiiF Conference in May, we look forward to further building the reputation of Staffordshire across the globe. ”
The event was sponsored by Staffordshire University, runyourfleet and Stoke and Staffordshire Skills Hub.
Lichfield and Tamworth vice president and careers director of Chase Terrace Academy, Julie Poppleton said: “The strapline 'The spirit of Staffordshire ' is something which strongly resonated with myself .
“I am and have always been a proud resident and homeowner within Staffordshire, as are many generations of my family. My working life has been as an employee within many different businesses across Staffordshire including my mother who started her own business in Staffordshire.
“I now have the pleasure of serving my local hometown and community in Burntwood, Staffordshire where I work with young people, their families, wider partners and our local business community.
“Careers education, enterprise, skills and employability is something which we are passionate about at Chase Terrace Academy. We strive to raise awareness of opportunities within Staffordshire including accessing Further and Higher Education, Apprenticeships, Graduate opportunities and startups as Entrepreneurs.
“Therefore the data and statistics for Staffordshire 's successes for the high volumes of new startups, scaling up, new developments and employment opportunities and the levels of innovation was really insightful.
Cannock Chase Chamber president and managing director at The Marketing People Digital David Mitchell said: “The rural element and brand positioning of Cannock Chase is key to our business community, however it was also good to hear, building on the current links with HS2 and the M6 Toll, that further new projects will enable us to be rural but stay connected.
“In the future, transport infrastructure will continue to be important to our business community but it doesn 't mean we need to destroy those rural surroundings to stay connected. ”
Richard Wileman, Burton & District executive committee member and Principal of Select Car Leasing Burton-On-Trent said: “Burton is a wonderful place to live, work and do business and it is fantastic to be partnering with our fellow Chamber of Commerce divisions to hear about opportunities across the county in the coming years. ”
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Pictured from left to right: Diane Kierstenson from runyourfleet, Simon Kirk from Make-It Stoke and Staffordshire, Cannock Chamber Of Commerce president David Mitchell, Steve Whitmarsh from runyourfleet, Joanna Lees from runyourfleet, Phil O 'neil from Staffordshire university, vice president of Lichfield & Tamworth Chamber of Commerce Julie Poppleton and Richard Wileman, principal of Select Car Leasing of Burton-On-Trent.