29/11/2017
City of Wolverhampton Sponsor Micro Business of the Year Category at Express & Star Business Awards 2018
Building business growth in Wolverhampton
Support is available to City of Wolverhampton businesses of all sizes to help them realise their ambitions for growth.
City of Wolverhampton Council, in partnership with the Black Country Growth Hub, has a team of Business Navigators employed to understand business growth and guide companies to relevant support and networks.
The service includes a European Funding business engagement programme that offers Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs) a business review which could lead to a bespoke programme of relevant business support.
Workshop programmes – also delivered through the European programme – cover topics such as product and market diversification; managing people; performance management; business finance; improving chances of tender success; increasing sales through digital marketing; support for innovation; process improvement; and other sector specific workshops. The service also helps with planning, environmental health, business rates, access to finance and supply chain opportunities.
The council recognises how important it is for businesses to be able to recruit a workforce with the right skills. Wolves at Work - introduced earlier this year - is helping companies to match people from the city with vacancies, including apprenticeship positions. The service works closely with businesses and people to first make the match and then support those crucial first months in work.
To find out how the service can help your business contact the Black Country Growth Hub on 01902 321272 or visit bcgrowthhub.com.
Business Success
Kalsun Aluminium, a Wolverhampton business, is being helped with its expansion plans by the city council after securing a £1 million contract to supply specialist noise-reducing windows for the city’s Sunbeam development.
Wolverhampton-born developer Liam Wordley is in the final few months of a £12.5 million, four-year project to convert the historic Sunbeam factory off Penn Road island into a mixture of 117 one to six-bedroom apartments.
Kuldeep Burmi, Kalsun Aluminium managing director, said: “This is one of our biggest contracts and the help we have had from the council’s business support team has helped us progress.
“They have helped us recruit more staff and put in place the right policies and procedures to enable us to win further contracts – I’m very pleased with the help we have received.”
Liam, aged 38, added: “It’s great to see Kuldeep’s business grow alongside the Sunbeam development. I’m always keen to support local businesses and this has given the company confidence to look at bigger contracts.”
Councillor John Reynolds, Cabinet Member for City Economy, said: “The Sunbeam project highlights exactly how regeneration in the city is benefiting local people and businesses.
“To see this historic city centre landmark being brought back to life is fantastic and to know it has helped a Wolverhampton company expand and take on more workers is the icing on the cake.
“It is also hugely satisfying to see the excellent business support structure in the Black Country - accessed through the council and a wide-range of partners and programmes such as the AIM programme – is helping.”
The council is providing business support through ERDF-funded programme AIM (Black Country Advice Investment and Markets), helping with growth potential, inward investment, and market development.
AIM pools the resources of the four Black Country local authorities, University of Wolverhampton, and Black Country Chamber of Commerce, to provide specialist consultancy to SMEs via the Black Country Growth Hub.