KIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWSThe business NEWSpaper for Kir k lees30, November, 2010

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CHARLES HINCHLIFFE CLARE QUARTERMAINEReflecting on a life on the farm

Fu l l i n te r v i ew - Page 3Women in bus iness

Co lumn - Page 5

FTSE 100-117 .75

5550.95An EXAMINER publication

Brand onthe runA VEHICLE hire firmhas a brand new imagethanks to the work of aHuddersfield agency.ManifestCommunications,based at New NorthRoad, has provided anew look for NorthgateVehicle Hire, the UK’slargest vehicle hirecompany.Northgate has movedfrom a network of 20local, individual brandsto one national brand –Northgate Vehicle Hire– operating as 12business areas withmore than 60 sitescovering the UK andIreland.

CanadacontractRAVENSTHORPEcompany Chem ResistLtd has added Canadato its list of exportmarkets.The firm, which makesand suppliesthermoplastic storagetanks and processequipment, has landeda five-figure contractwith chemical companyClearTech.

Growing companyis in good health!A FIT-OUT company formed lessthan a year ago has landed a hat-trickof contracts for work at HuddersfieldRoyal Infirmary.

Lockwood-based CPI Contractswas successful in tendering for thecontracts for one of the wards at theLindley hosp i ta l and for i t sout-patients’ and endoscopy depart-ments.

Work on the endoscopy unit, whichbegan at the end of April and finishedin September, included fitting thelightweight structural steel walls andinstalling interior partitions.

Towards the end of that contract,CPI was handed the task of installinginternal partitions, flooring and fixedjoinery on ward 21 on the top floor ofthe infirmary.

Now it has begun work at theout-patients’ department on a con-tract which is due for completion onChristmas Eve.

CPI Contracts was launched lastDecember by quantity surveyor GrantPinder and business partner JasonCarolan, who has more than 20 yearsexperience in construction, latterly asa site manager.

Mr Pinder said the company

planned to focus its efforts on winningpublic sector work, especially healthand education.

“There are concerns about publicsector spending cuts, but we are estab-lishing a track record with our work atthe infirmary which we believe willgive us an edge when tenders areplaced,” he said.

“Working at the infirmary was quitea demanding job.

“Materials and equipment had tobe brought on and off site before 8amand after 5pm and security was para-mount.

“We also had to work to stricttimetables to minimise disruption forstaff and patients.”

Mr Pinder said the company wasnow tendering for further work acrossYorkshire in a bid to get the new yearoff to a flying start.

CPI Contracts is already expand-ing.

The business has moved from astart-up unit at the Ray Street Enter-prise Centre in Huddersfield to largeraccommodation at Lockwood’s Gate-way Enterprise Centre, where it hasmore space for offices and storage.

Kitchen firm achieves 100% recycling rateA DEWSBURY-based company has hit a100% recycling rate.

Social housing kitchen manufacturerRixonway Kitchens has implemented anew waste management contract to ensureevery last scrap of its waste is nowrecycled.

Rixonway has moved all its waste man-agement requirements to Leeds PaperRecycling, allowing it to confidently claimthat no waste from the plant goes tolandfill.

Wood waste is recycled into biomasswith larger pieces being sent to bereworked back into chipboard.

Rixonway has also become the largestorganisation in the UK to install the

Ecogate System dust control system, whichhas been developed to support large wood-working manufacturers like Rixonway.

Traditional dust extraction systems runconstantly across the whole plant, even if amachine is not in use.

The intelligent Ecogate System monitorswhen a machine is not in use, shuttingdown that particular extraction unit, sav-ing the electricity needed to run the unitand heat the factory as less hot air isremoved.

Rixonway operations director NickGreenall said the Ecogate System wasexpected to save about 23% of the site’selectricity usage, significantly reducing itscarbon footprint.

“We expect to see a return on theEcogate System investment within twoyears and a substantial annual savingthereafter,” said Mr Greenall.

“All these initiatives led Rixonway toreceive 100% in its environmental creden-tials in a recent tender application, aposition of which we are tremendouslyproud.”

Formed in 1978, Yorkshire-based Rix-onway Kitchens is the only UK kitchenmanufacturer working solely in affordableand social housing.

It makes 12,000 units a week andemploys more than 400 people at its UKheadquarters and manufacturing site inDewsbury.

■ WASTE NOT: NickGreenall, Rixonwayoperations director

■ FIT FOR THE JOB: Grant Pinder, of CPI Contracts, with the fittingsinstalld by the company at Huddersfield Royal Infirmary’s endoscopy unit

KIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWS national Page 2

SHARE PRICESLocal shares

FTSE closed at

5550.95Down 117.75

HEIGHTENED fearsabout Europe’ssovereign debt crisis ledto a fresh plunge for theFTSE 100 index.

The Footsie closedmore than 117pts downat 5550.95 yesterday asinvestors fretted aboutthe economies ofPortugal and Spain –despite the fianlisation ofireland’s £72bn rescuepackage at the weekend.

SHAREHOLDERS of British Airwaysand Spanish carrier Iberia havevoted in favour of a £5bn merger.

The green light from the share-holders means the creation of a newparent company for the two carriers– International Airlines Group.

The name BA will no longer beamong those listed on the LondonStock Market, with IAG taking itsplace when the deal is finally com-pleted about January 21.

However, both airlines will keeptheir individual identities, with IAG’shead office being in London and thenew company’s annual meetingsbeing held in Madrid.

The merged airline will have 408

aircraft carrying about 57m passen-gers a year.

Between them the two carriershave more than 57,000 staff and flyto more than 250 destinations.

One of the key benefits of themerger to BA is the access it willnow get to South America.

At present BA flies to only threeSouth American destinations – Riode Janeiro and Sao Paulo in Braziland Buenos Aires in Argentina.

Iberia also flies to these threecities, but also operates to eightother South American destinations.

In return, Iberia will gain from BA’smore extensive North Americanoperations.

THE owner of wallpaperbrands Sanderson andHarlequin reportedrecord autumn sales andprofits as morehouseholds look toimprove their homes.

Walker Greenbank,which also owns fabricand wallpaper brandsMorris & Co and Zoffany,said pre-tax profits for theyear to January, 2011,will be ahead of marketforecasts following thestrong season.

The group, which sellsits brands in John Lewisamong other stores, saidmid-market productssuch as Sanderson’sVintage wallpapercollection launched thisyear, were particularlysuccessful.

Walker Greenbankchief executive JohnSach said homeownerswere investing more indecoration as they opt tostay in and entertainguests rather than dineout at restaurants.

SKY News has announced plans forits first foreign language service in amove that will see it broadcast inArabic across the Middle East andnorth Africa.

The free-to-watch channel will berun as a joint-venture between satel-lite broadcaster BSkyB and AbuDhabi Media Investment Corp,owned by Sheikh Mansour Bin ZayedAl Nahyan – who is best-known in theUK for buying Manchester City foot-ball club.

The service, which will start broad-casting from 2012, will be based inAbu Dhabi but will have offices inLondon and Washington DC.

The service will be set up under theguidance of Sky News’ former head ofinternational news Adrian Wellsbefore a permanent director of news isappointed.

Sky News became Europe’s first24-hour news channel when itlaunched in 1989.

It now broadcasts to 145m peoplein 36 countries in Europe, and is alsowatched in Asia and Africa.

Its latest move, which it describedas “a significant step” into a“dynamic marketplace” will see SkyNews compete head-to-head withArabic stations including Al Jazeera.

Go-ahead for airlines merger Middle East move for Sky

BP sells Argentineinterests for £4.5bn

It’s goodon paper

Footsietumbles

NORTH AMERICANAmerican Express £27.16 -0.02Gannett 819.99 -8.04Hess Corp £44.05 -0.81Microsoft 1612.99 -10.29Motors Liquidation 48.22Wal-Mart Stores £34.50 -0.05

AEROSPACE & DEFENCEAvon Rbbr 202 +2BAE Systems 3337/8 -61/4Rolls-Royce Gp 608 -81/2

AIMBrady Plc 621/2 +11/2Dawson Intl 11/2Man Brnze 631/2

AUTOMOBILES & PARTSG K N 1881/4 -53/8

BANKSBarclays 263 +31/8HSBC 6513/8 +1/4Lloyds Banking Gp 601/2 -11/4Ryl Scotland 381/2 -1/8Stan Chart 17491/2 -8

BEVERAGESDiageo 1150 -29SABMiller £201/2 -5/8

CHEMICALSCroda 1433 -27Elementis 98 1141/4 -13/8Johnsn Mat 1814 -58

CONSTRUCTION & MATERIALSBalfour Beatty 2725/8 -63/4Costain 196 -14

ELECTRICITY

Drax Gp 3601/8 -105/8Intl Power 4097/8 -67/8Scottish & SthrnEnergy

1121 -27

ELECTRONIC & ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENTLaird 1535/8 -1

EQUITY INVESTMENT INSTRUMENTSAlliance Trust 3521/8 -25/8

FIXED LINE TELECOM SERVICESBT Grp 169 -51/4Cable & WirelessComm

447/8 -11/8

Cable & WirelessWwide

62 -13/4

Colt Group 122 -41/2KCOM 523/4 +13/4Talktalk Telecom 1527/8 -21/8

FOOD & DRUG RETAILERSMorrison W 2725/8 -51/4Sainsbury 360 -71/8Tesco 4215/8 -83/8

FOOD PRODUCERSAB Food 1067 -16Nth Foods 59 +13/4Tate Lyle 5111/2 -61/2Unilever 1795 -42Uniq 63/4 -1/4

GAS, WATER & MULTIUTILITIESCentrica 311 -5National Grid 567 -9Pennon Grp 6311/2 -71/2Severn 1438 -30United Utils 596 -12

GENERAL FINANCIAL3i Group 3021/4 -51/8

ICAP 4733/4 -21/4London StockExch 777 -1Man Group 2603/4 -9Provident Financial 834 -131/2Schroders 1630 -46Schroders NV 1291 -34

GENERAL INDUSTRIALSCooksn Grp 552 -181/2REXAM 3053/4 -61/4Smiths Grp 1159 -16

GENERAL RETAILERSAshley L 161/2 +1/4Carphone Whse 377 +3/4Dixons Retail 257/8 -1/4Home Retail 2013/4 -31/2Inchcape 3301/8 -73/4Kingfisher 2371/2 -71/8M & S 3773/8 -81/8Mothercare 5771/2 +81/2Next £201/8 -5/8WH Smith 4731/2 -13/4

HEALTH CARE EQUIPMENT & SERVICESSmith Nph 5861/2 -8

HOUSEHOLD GOODSAga Rangemaster 74 -51/2Barrat Dev 71 -33/8Persimmon 3451/8 -141/2Reckitt Benckiser £341/4 -3/4Taylor Wimpey 241/4 -1/2

INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERINGCharter 692 -8I M I 862 -12

INDUSTRIAL METALSFerrexpo 3561/4 -127/8

INDUSTRIAL TRANSPORTATION

BBA Aviation 195 -11/2Forth Ports 1311 -12

LIFE INSURANCEAviva 359 -103/4Lgl & Gen 94 -17/8Old Mutual 1211/2 -51/2Prudential 5681/2 -81/2Resolution 2195/8 -51/2Standard Life 209 -47/8

MEDIABSkyB 719 -11/2Chrysalis 158 -1/2D Mail Tst 520 -29ITV 671/8 -3/4Johnston Press 101/2 -1/2Pearson 9311/2 -211/2Reed Elsevier 516 -91/2STV Group 923/4Trinity Mirror 701/2 -1/2Utd Business 6151/2 -181/2UTV 127 -8WPP 7121/2 -121/2Yell Group 121/4

MININGAnglo American £281/4 -7/8Antofagasta 1299 -26BHP Billiton £225/8 -1/2Eurasian NaturalRes

8831/2 -26

Fresnillo 1406 -36Kazakhmys 1395 -35Lonmin 1683 -35Rio Tinto £403/8 -13/8VEDANTARESOURCES

£201/8 -5/8

Xstrata 12941/2 -371/2

MOBILE TELECOM SERVICES

Inmarsat 653 -231/2Vodafone Group 1591/4 -6

NONLIFE INSURANCEAdmiral Grp 1541 -35RSA Insurance Gp 1201/4 -5/8

OIL & GAS PRODUCERSBG 11681/2 -381/2BP 4281/4 -73/4Cairn Energy 3775/8 -173/8Royal Dutch Shell A 19451/2 -44Royal Dutch Shell B 1919 -441/2Total £311/4 -1/2Tullow Oil 1151 -31

OIL EQUIPMENT & SERVICESAMEC 1108 -17

Petrofac 1392 -85Wood Group 4731/4 -73/4

PERSONAL GOODSBurberry Gp 996 -44PHARMACEUTICALS & BIOTECHNOLOGY

Astrazeneca £301/4 -1/2Axis-Shield 2491/2 -51/4GlaxoSmithK XD 36Shire 1522 -45

REAL ESTATEBrit Land 4801/8 -10Captl Shop Cent 4001/8 -7/8DTZ Hldgs 391/2 -1Hamrsn 3943/4 -121/4Land Secs 634 -131/2SEGRO 2791/2 -5

SOFTWARE ETC SERVICESAutonomy Corp 1325 -16Dimension Data 1201/4 +1/2Invensys 3187/8 -73/4Logica 1173/8 -21/4Misys 2911/4 -13/4Sage Group 2581/4 -15/8

SUPPORT SERVICESBunzl 715 -8Capita 659 -11Davis ServiceGroup

3961/8 -31/2

De La Rue 5521/2 +3Electrocomp 262 -51/2Experian 744 -7G4S 2373/4 -21/2Hays 1107/8 -13/8Homeserve 4283/8 -91/4Menzies J 470Rentokil 891/4 -11/4Smiths News 1041/2 +13/4

Wolseley 1720 -61

IT HARDWARE

ARM Hldgs 3907/8 -75/8Psion 98Spirent Comms 1451/2 -13/8

TOBACCO

Br Am Tob £233/8 -5/8Imperial Tobacco 1895 -60

LEISURE & HOTELS

Brit Airways 2611/4 -103/4Carnival £253/4 -5/8Compass Grp 5491/2 -51/2easyJet 4393/8 -35/8Enterprise Inns 107 -17/8FirstGroup 3603/4 -8Go-Ahead Gp 1203 -6Greene King 4521/4 -2Intercontl Htls 1133 -30Ladbrokes 1261/8 +1/4Mitchells & Butlers 3455/8 -77/8Natl Express 2235/8 -11/2PartyGaming 2337/8 +3/4Rank Org 127 -23/8Stagecoach Group 1991/8 -3/4TUI Travel 2143/8 -1/4Whitbread 1697 -46

INDEXFTSE 100 5550.95 -117.75

INDEXFTSE 250 10689.60 -119.83

TOURIST RATES

Tourists going abroad can expectthe following rates for sterling:Australia...................... 1.53 dollarsBangladesh................. 103.71 takaBrazil.............................. 2.41 realsCanada....................... 1.51 dollarsChina ............................. 9.31 yuanCzech Republic ...... 26.74 korunasDenmark....................... 8.34 kroneEuro............................... 1.12 euroHong Kong................ 11.51 dollarsHungary ................... 294.15 forintsIndia.......................... 62.94 rupeesJapan........................... 124.81 yenMexico ....................... 17.36 pesosNew Zealand .............. 1.93 dollarsNorway ......................... 9.12 kronePakistan.................. 126.39 rupeesPhilippines ................. 59.10 pesosSouth Africa................. 10.37 randSouth Korea.............. 1567.00 wonSri Lanka ................ 164.39 rupeesSweden....................... 10.38 kronaSwitzerland.................. 1.49 francsTaiwan ...................... 41.51 dollarsTurkey....................... 2.20 new liraUSA ............................ 1.49 dollars

Carclo 2163/4 +161/4Chapelthorpe 231/2Marshalls 1051/2 -21/2National Grid 567 -9Weir Gp 1703 -53

■ ASSET SALE: BP has added£4.5bn to the sum set aside to helppay for the Gulf of Mexico disaster

OIL giant BP has now sold £12.8m ofassets to help pay for the Gulf ofMexico oil disaster after offloading itsmajority stake in an Argentina-basedcompany.

The group said it had sold its 60%interest in oil and gas firm Pan Amer-ican Energy to Bridas Corporation, acompany half-owned by ChinaNational Offshore Oil Corporation, for£4.5bn.

The sale brings BP closer to its targetto sell up to £19bn of assets by the endof 2011 to help pay the compensationbill for the Deepwater Horizon explo-sion in April – which sparked thelargest offshore oil spill in history.

Before the deal, BP had secured£8.9bn worth of asset sales, by sellinginterests in North America, Egypt,Venezuela, Vietnam and Colombia.

BP group chief executive Bob Dud-ley said the latest agreement “furtherdemonstrates both the high quality andattractiveness of the assets throughoutBP’s global portfolio and also the com-pany’s ability to meet our significantfinancial commitments arising fromthe Gulf of Mexico tragedy”.

BP ultimately expects the cost of theoil spill to be about £25.6bn.

Earlier this month, BP revealed anadditional charge of £4.9bn in additionto a £20bn hit in the second quarter.

The initial charge included a £12.9bncompensation fund and sent BP intothe red for the first time in 18 years.

The explosion on April 20 killed 11workers and caused an estimated 4.9mbarrels of oil to gush into the Gulf - thelargest offshore spill in history.

The well at the Deepwater Horizon

site was permanently sealed onSeptember 17.

BP has now raised about £13.4bn

through asset sales to meet the clean-upcosts, legal fees and damages emergingfrom the tragic event.

Under the most recent agreement,Bridas will pay a deposit of £2.3bn forPAE with the balance due on comple-tion, which is expected next year.

PAE is Argentina’s second-biggestoil producer.

Earlier this month, BP said it hadrecovered from losses in the secondquarter to report a £1.1bn profit in thethird quarter.

The firm has taken additional stepsto move forward from the spill andrebuild trust.

Mr Dudley unveiled a new safety andoperational risk unit, a review of payfocusing on safety-led incentives and areview of third-party contractors.

KIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWS profile Page 3KIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWS profile Page 3

CharlesHinchliffe

HENRYK ZIENTEK

Role: Charles Hinch-liffeAge: 86Family: Widower ofJoan with childrenRobert, Susan andRichardHolidays: SouthAfricaCar: Mercedes-BenzE Class. I have driventhem for over 40yearsFirst job: Butcher-ing for my father. Myfirst wage was 10s 6dBest thing aboutjob: Breeding andfeeding cattle for salein our farm shopWorst thing aboutjob: Nothing. That’swhy I’m still workingat my age!Business tip: Stickto one quality – thebest! There’s alwaysa market for it

Work: Food retailSite: NethertonEmployees: 40Phone: 01484661231Email: info@hinch-liffes.comWebsite:www.hinchliffes.com

Hinchliffe’sFarm Shop

Lifedownon thefarm

WHEN veteran farmerCharles Hinchliffe saw his100-year-old Yorkshire familybusiness – and one of theUK’s first farm shops – go upin smoke this year, he wasdetermined that it would risefrom the ashes.

The notion of “trueYorkshire grit” might havebecome something of acliché, but there’s no betterway to sum up thedetermined personality of86-year-old CharlesHinchliffe.

Charles works seven daysa week to oversee theday-to-day running of hisSunnyside Farm atNetherton.

That might seem morethan enough work for anyoctogenarian – but up untilthis summer, the beef andpoultry farmer was alsoheavily involved in runningthe farm shop which hisfather built up in the 1920sas well as butchery andrestaurant complex.

Then in July this year, theunthinkable happened. A firetore through the farm shopcomplex and burnteverything to the ground.Charles and the family couldonly stand and watch as thefarm, representing the effortsof four generations of theHinchliffe family, went up inflames.

“Many people cried thatday,” says Charles. “I shed afew tears myself, but it’s justone of those things in lifethat you just have to getthrough. I’m so proud ofwhat we’ve achieved and thisgives me the kick to get up inthe morning. We will getthrough it; we have to.”

The tenacious Hinchliffespirit started with Charles’father, Allen. Having servedunscathed in the First WorldWar, he lost a leg falling fromscaffolding while working asa plumber and spent the restof his life with a peg leg.

Despite this, he set up asuccessful butcher’s shop inthe centre of Huddersfield.When slum clearancesthreatened the shop, thefamily moved across theroad to another shop – andthen bought a travelling shopto reach the displacedpopulation.

“We could have startedtrading from a market hall oron the street, but this wasn’tour scene,” says Charles.“Eventually my father andmother moved out of thetown altogether and beganfarming poultry – an easierform of farming for someonewith one leg. In 1929, he setup one of the UK’s first farmshops selling fresh eggs andchickens.”

Eleven-year-old Charles,the eldest of four children,was already showing hints ofhis father’s businessacumen.

“I’ve always been awheeler-dealer,” saysCharles. “From three yearsold I kept bantams and at 11I used to sell sweets to mygrammar school friends outof my school bag.

“I wasn’t allowed to, ofcourse, and they chuckedme out in the end becausethey had to shut up the tuckshop: I sold them at half theprice and practically putthem out of business!

“When my father died in1940, I was only 17, andthere were three otheryounger children to bring up.At that stage, I was alreadyinto growing my own; I had anursery growing tomatoesand vegetables. Everythinghas always been homeproduced and the Hinchliffename has grown up withthat.”

Charles says the businesssimply evolved from there.“Initially, we didn’t know whatto do with the hen manure, sowe purchased some land toput it on and the hen manuregrew a lot of lovely grass sowe bought some beef cattleto eat the grass,” he says. “Ifirst started farming when Iwas 23-years-old – the year Igot married – and we beganselling our meat, chickens,eggs and fresh vegetablesfrom surrounding farms at thefarm shop.

“In 2002, my grandsonSimon opened the on-siterestaurant.”

It seemed only natural thatCharles’ children – Robert,Richard and daughter Susan– would go into the business,and, although his sons havesince moved away, Susanand her husband Les,continue to work alongsideCharles with their own sons –and Charles’ grandsons –Simon and Ben.

“I’m proud that they’ve allgone into the business and

it’s still in the family,” saysCharles. “The Hinchliffe namestands for freshness, qualityand service.”

And it’s that traditional,personal touch that hascontinued to appeal toHinchliffe’s loyal band ofcustomers.

“It’s all about good staff –some of them have been heretheir whole lives, since theystarted working at 15 – andthe family has kept a watchfuleye on what’s going on,” saysCharles.

“This place is personal tome – and it’s personal toeveryone who works here.”

With the business boomingat the beginning of 2010,Charles could never haveimagined that he’d have tostart from scratch all overagain.

But at 9.30am on July 5, asmall fire, started by anelectrical fault in the butcherydepartment, eventuallyengulfed the entire farm,gutting the butchery, farmshop, restaurant, storeroomsand offices and killing morethan 200 chickens.

“Because we had three gastanks on the site, the firebrigade had to focus theirenergies on keeping thesecool,” says Charles. “So wewatched the buildings burnfrom one end to the other –everything was wiped out. Ijust kept asking ‘Why?’ It wasvery hard to take in.”

The Hinchliffes werequick to pick themselvesup. “We’d been throughBSE, salmonella and soon, but this was thehardest time. Everythingwas gone – computers,paperwork, you name it;we had nothing to show foranything,” says Charles.“The main problem wasthat we had a build-up ofcattle ready for slaughterbut we ended up having tosend these to marketinstead of going throughour shops. It was reallyhard when you’d put thework in and reared thesecattle yourself to see themgo off for someone else tosell.

It’s difficult to put intowords how hard it’s been.

“But we kept thinking atleast we’ve got each otherand, straight afterwards,our plan was just to get upand running as soon as wecould. We started offselling eggs and chickensout of a big cattle trailerand then we bought a

travelling butcher’s shop onwheels. I guess if youhaven’t got a sense ofhumour you might as wellnot bother carrying on – itdefinitely helped me getthrough it! You’ve got tolaugh otherwise you’d cry.”

Since August, the familyhave been trading from anenormous permanentmarquee on site, selling awide range offresh-from-the-farmproduce – while sales haverocketed once more.

But what does the futurehold ?

“I have to keep working; Ican’t live off my pension!’laughs Charles. “I’m aworkaholic and if I didn’tenjoy what I did I wouldnever keep doing it. Thefuture is great; it’s got tobe, hasn’t it, with a nameand a business like ours?It’s just a matter of timebefore we get goingproperly again.”

■ TAKING STOCK: Farmer, Charlie Hinchliffe of Hinchliffe'sFarm and Farm Shop, Netherton

KIRKLEES BUSINESSlocal Page 4

Blacksmithstrikes a blowA TOUGH economic climate isencouraging more firms to look atenhancing their image, accordingto a Huddersfield design agencyboss.Neil Smith (pictured), ofLepton-based Blacksmith DesignConsultancy, said his companywas attracting firms keen tocounter the effects of the recessionand boost business performanceby improving their brandingstrategies.Blacksmith Design, formed in 1991,had secured several account winsfrom Yorkshire based businesseslooking to improve their marketingand internet presence – at a timewhen many companies werestruggling to find work andincrease revenue.Mr Smith said his company’ssuccess lay in demystifying theinternet and demonstrating howimproved branding and positioningcould provide a competitive edge indifficult times.“Despite the disquieting talks ofspending cuts and VAT rises, thereare always companies looking tohone their marketing strategy,branding and online activity,” hesaid.“Increasingly we find that we arefocusing on helping ambitiouslocal companies to devisestrategies which use branding andthe internet to improve businessperformance. Our transparentapproach and commitment todemystifying the web has recentlyresulted in several client wins.”Recent account wins forBlacksmith include Samson FireProtection, Scunthorpe’s JohnLeggott College, kitchen andbathroom designer Milligan andJessop, interim financial directorbusiness FDYL, Swiss chaletoperation Chalet Charr and bottledwater brand Ice Valley.Said Mr Smith: “Although we are ina recession, businesses canprotect themselves and help toboost sales by fine-tuning theirbranding and reassessing theironline strategy.“The work we have just completedfor Milligan and Jessop is a fineexample of this. Since redesigningtheir branding and website, thecompany has seen its averageorder value increase and enquiriesfrom their website have exploded,such is the power of professionaldesign.”

Company boxingclever in CanadaA KIRKLEES company has added anew country to its list of exportmarkets.

Ravensthorpe-based Chem ResistLtd has already clocked up tens ofthousands of air miles to securecontracts in Algeria, Australia,Egypt, Russia and the Middle East inrecent times.

Now the world leader in the designand construction of thermoplasticstorage tanks and process equipmenthas secured a deal in Canada.

ClearTech, a leading distributor ofchemicals, chemical feed equipmentand laboratory products acrossCanada has ordered an acid dilutionsystem from Chem Resist with anestimated value of some £50,000.

Chem Resist chairman SeamusQuinn said a recent overhaul of thecompany’s website – with a balancedmix of technical and product inform-ation coupled with testimonials fromhappy customers across the UK –was catching the attention of poten-tial customers overseas.

Said Mr Quinn: “Obviously, the

value of sterling at present is helpingus in the export markets – but thepersonal touch is very important,too. All enquirers receive a callthanking them for their interest withan offer to visit them if required.

“There’s nothing like a personalcall to get across the technicalknow-how we have at Chem Res-ist!”

Plans are well advanced to growthe company’s export markets which– building on an already healthydomestic order book – will see ChemResist further developing its reputa-tion as a global brand within itsspecialist market sector.

Chem Resist was established morethan 40 years ago and has suppliedchemical storage tanks and installa-tions for many of the UK’s leadingcompanies, including Glaxosmith-kline, Kodak, Corus, Agfa andThames Water.

Demand for its products led to thefirm doubling its manufacturingcapacity in 2008.

■ GLOBAL AMBITIONS: Seamus Quinn, chairman of Chem Resist Ltd,flags up sales across the world

Making the cutA LEISURE company with operations inHuddersfield has been recognised forits safety record.The British Safety Council Sword ofHonour for 2010 has been presented toThe Rank Group, which includes MeccaBingo at Folly Hall.The prestigious prize is only open tocompanies which have alreadyachieved the British Safety Council5-Star grading.Only 40 Swords are awarded worldwideevery year. The Sword of Honour waspresented at a ceremony in London.

Insight into IrelandA BUSINESS transformationcompany can’t be accused oflying down on the job.

Insight with Passion, based atHolywell Green, has completeda project with Dublin-basedmattress manufacturer Kaymedwhich will see its productbecome the “backstage bed” foruse by rock stars and otherperformers at Manchester’sMEN Arena.

IwP handled the UK launchof Kaymed’s new K3Gel mat-tress, which uses a network ofgel cubes to relieve pressurepoints and provide improvedcomfort for the sleeper.

Kaymed, which has beenestablished for more than a cen-tury, has gained a reputation forbeing a forerunner in theindustry and for innovativemattress technology.

IwP – led by partners KateHardcas t l e and RichardGomersall – carried out a fullbrand communication cam-paign for Kaymed and securedvital meetings to help the com-pany build strategic partner-ships. It also had talks withcharities to create lasting rela-tionships with Kaymed.

Also working in Ireland, IwPhas carried out work for iconicdepartment store Clerys.

The contract was won follow-ing Kate and Richard’s present-ation on “Retail Theatre” at theindustry’s fifth world congressin London. Clerys – which isregarded by many as the “Heartof Dublin” – approached Kateand Richard to help implementplans to rejuvenate the store.

S a i d R i c h a rd : “ To b e

approached by such a legendarydepartment store as Clerys –and know that our concept ofRetail Theatre can be of somehelp – is such an honour. Thestore is loved by everyone inDublin and being a part ofrejuvenating such a well-lovedbrand is fantastic.”

■ IRISH AYES: Conor Stapleton (left), of Kaymed, with (fromleft) Jenny Tomlinson, Kate Hardcastle and Richard Gomersall, ofInsight with Passion and a section of the K3Gel mattress

CREATIVE MARKETINGSOLUTIONS

01484 483194 info@qtcreative.co.ukwww.qtcreative.co.uk

KIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWS local Page 5

MARKETINGMATTERSClare Quartermaine

Clare Quartermaine is director of QT Creative

Taking thegreen wayA COMPANY supplyingcompressed air productsis taking a leading role topromote environmentalawareness among firms.Thorite, which hasoperations at Barge Streetin Huddersfield, hassigned a 12-monthagreement to help theBetter BusinessEnvironment Forum get itsmessage across.The BBEF helps localcompanies find ways tocut waste, conserve rawmaterials, reduce energyuse and greenhouse gasemissions, comply withlegislation and promotesustainable development.Thorite managing directorStephen Wright said: “Formany manufacturers,compressed airrepresents the second orthird highest utility cost intheir plant.“About 10% of energyconsumed by industry isused to generatecompressed air, yet manylocal companies stillstruggle with outdated,inefficient and energywasting compressorsystems and skimp onmaintenance programmeswhich can allow leakageto represent as much as40% of the total air systemdemand.”Mr Wright said Thoritecould save firms up to£7,000 pounds a year inenergy costs by installingthe latest energy efficientcompressors andpipework, carrying outultrasonic surveys to findleaks and ensuringcompanies comply with allcurrent regulations.He added: “I look forwardto our association with theBBEF enabling more localcompanies to realise howsimple it can be to saveenergy and money byworking with supplierswho have a proven trackrecord in achieving thesetwin goals which are sovital to ensure futuresuccess.”

Manifest drivesbranding project

ecession

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anding and positioninge edge in

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r and bottled

e in

ease and enquiries

■ BRAND ON THE ROAD: Northgate Vehicle Hire has a new brandimage thanks to the efforts of Manifest Communications

A woman’s work is never done!

A VEHICLE hire firm is drivingahead after a full-scale rebrandingcarried out by a Huddersfieldagency.

Manifest Communications, basedat New North Road, was commis-sioned to provide a new look forNorthgate Vehicle Hire, the UK’slargest vehicle hire company.

Northgate has moved from a net-work of 20 local, individual brandsto one national brand – NorthgateVehicle Hire – operating as 12 busi-ness areas with more than 60 sitescovering the UK and Ireland.

A large part of the company’s60,000-strong fleet of mainly lightcommercial vehicles now carries theNorthgate Vehicle Hire branding,giving the company maximumimpact nationwide. The rest of thefleet is typically branded bylong-term hirers with their own cor-porate livery.

Manifest has rebranded Northg-ate Vehicle Hire from top to bottom– with new signs across all 60 sites,new livery on thousands of vehiclesand the development and launch ofa single website with online bookingfacilities.

Northgate Vehicle Hire decided tore-brand in order to build on itsreputation and gain further valuefrom its industry-leading position.

Carly Gould, head of marketingat Northgate, said: “Northgatedecided it was time to move fromoperating several brands to onenational brand, with a single power-ful identity, to increase awareness ofthe size of the organisation.

“The Northgate brand is hugelyinfluential and we needed to makesure our existing customers knewthis while also using the rebrand as ameans of attracting new business.”

Manifest was responsible for abrand refresh of the Northgate iden-tity, seeing a transition from 12regional brands to one powerfulbrand, with one logo and one brandmessage.

The Manifest team created all ofthe marketing collateral – from liter-ature to signage, work wear to sta-tionery and brand guidelines tovehicle livery.

The results – hailed by Northgateas “phenomenally successful” –were rolled out this year.

Now Manifest has since beenengaged to carry out further devel-opments to the company’s Norflex,Sale and Rentback and VehicleMonitoring packages.

Nev Ridley, joint managing dir-ector at Manifest Communications,said: “We have developed both cre-ative and multi-media campaignsfor Northgate over the last fewyears, but this re-brand is the largestproject to-date.

“Its roll-out was significant, but itcouldn’t have gone better and rarelyis there a day when one of ourmembers of staff doesn’t see aNorthgate van on the road.

“We’re currently working on sev-eral other creative projects forNorthgate and look forward tomaintaining our successful relation-ship.”

THIS month I thought I’dwrite about something I

know a lot about – being awoman who runs a business.

Is it easy? Is the business worldstill a man’s world? Are women asgood as men at running a busi-ness?

Although I am known for being afeminist, I promise you this won’t bea feminist rant, but I stronglybelieve that there is a plethora ofinnovation, imagination and cre-ativity among women entrepreneursin our society that is not alwaysseen.

I read recently that 8.4% of ourfemale workforce is self-employed, afigure that is steadily growing. Butwhy?

Having run a successful market-ing and design agency for 11 years, Ihave plenty of experience on being abusiness woman and juggling familylife with business demands and Ihave had to make changes.

Every high powered careerwoman I speak to, whether herpartner’s the main bread winner ornot, is still the one who is expectedto do the majority of school runs,take time off to cover illness - not tomention the pay gap.

Whilst the sexual revolution did

many good things for the careerwomen’s cause, many would say itjust doubled our work load – maybewe can’t actually have it all!

I think that it probably takeslonger for women to be taken seri-ously than their male counterparts.

At 34, I am now more than cap-able of holding my own, of makingthe difficult and ruthless decisionsthat business sometimes demands.But it has been, at times, a bumpyride and challenging to my innernature.

As a culture, we recognise busi-ness success in masculine ways –making as much money as possible,employing people and being braveenough to take risks.

Women, on the whole, wantsomething different.

They want a quality lifestyle, a

sense of achievement and meaningin their work, enjoyment and con-fidence in their work values.

But isn’t this the way things seemto be going in general – irrespectiveof gender?

Are we starting to see a change inthe way business is conducted?

Perhaps the banks who are theepitome of “risk taking, ruthless-ness and greed” have paved the wayfor change.

At the end of the day, why doesthere always have to be a victimwhere big business and profit isconcerned? Whether that’s the manon the street or a child working in asweat shop.

I see the rise of a new wave ofconducting business – where hugeprofits aren’t the only mark of suc-cess, but customer service, values,

hard work and quality are moreattractive.

The challenges that women aregiven has resulted in an amazingamount of innovation, often in theform of developing micro-busi-nesses and the creative forms ofmarketing these that I have seen.

They know their stuff and theywork hard and many larger busi-nesses would do well to observetheir business models – especially inlight of the recent recession.

KIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWS property Page 6

Flooring firmtop for quality

■ FLOOR SHOW: David Andrews (left) and Roger Varley (second right),both of Rackham Housefloors, with Philip Curry (second left) and MartynReed, both of the British Board of Agrément

Tougher times for construction

■ WARNING: Andrew Walker

A DEWSBURY company has flooredthe competition by gaining an envir-onmental award.

Directors at Rackham Housefloorswere presented with the ISO 14001certificate in a ceremony at the com-pany’s Mill Street East premises fol-lowing a rigorous assessment by theBritish Board of Agrément.

Rackham, which also has sites inGloucestershire and Lincolnshire,makes and supplies pre-stressed con-crete floor beams and associatedproducts to the house buildingindustry nationwide.

The company decided to go for ISO14001 in response to increasingdemand from customers and pro-spective clients for suppliers to havean independently certified environ-mental management system – therebyenabling builders to claim additionalcredits under the Code for SustainableHomes when building new houses.

Rackham achieved ISO 14001 Cer-tification for all its sites at the begin-ning of October.

Martyn Reed, operations directorfor the BBA, said: “The implementa-tion of an ISO14001 environmentalsystem requires good managementcontrol and a genuine care for theenvironment.

“The BBA is proud to be associatedwith this achievement and I congratu-late the management and staff ofRackham Housefloors.”

David Andrews, Rackham’s sales

director, said: “The ISO 14001 accred-itation is already proving beneficialand we are also beginning to seeadditional sales generated as a res-ult.”

Technical director Roger Varleysaid: “The whole certification processhas proved to be a positive experiencefor Rackham Housefloors Ltd and ithas significantly raised environmental

awareness throughout the company”.Rackham chairman and managing

director Paul Moore said: “We aresure that both the environment andthe company will be reaping the bene-fits for years to come.

“Al l Rackham House f loorsproducts are BBA approved, ensuringthat all our products meet rigorousquality and performance standards.

New owner for pubA PUB near Huddersfield hasbeen sold for an undisclosedsum.Property agency Christie + Cohad sought £185,000 for thefreehold of The Oddfellows(above) at Shelley.The two-storey detachedproperty features anL-shaped, open-plan baraccommodating about 50 witha games area andthree-bedroom owner’s

accommodation on the firstfloor.The site also has a good-sizedrear car park.Christie + Co acted on behalfof a national corporate clientand sold the Oddfellows to aLeeds-based private propertydeveloper.After refurbishing theproperty, the new owner willre-open the pub with newtenants in place.

YORKSHIRE construction compan-ies could be facing another tough year– as almost half of insolvency expertsbelieve the sector will bear the bruntof the public sector cutbacks in2011.

A survey by insolvency trade bodyR3 suggests that construction is thesector facing the biggest challenges in2011 – followed by wholesale andretail, health and social work.

The survey forecast a big reductionin spending on education and socialhousing which would not be mitig-ated by a corresponding increase inprivate sector contracts. It said theshortfall would leave the constructionindustry in a vulnerable position.

Given that the sector accounts forthe greatest number of trading-relatedbankruptcies, there is also a worrythat a large number of failures in thisindustry will lead to an increase inrelated personal insolvencies.

Andrew Walker, chairman of R3 inYorkshire, said: “Previous R3research found that a third of smallbusinesses rely on public sector con-tracts, so our members expect thefall-out of the public sector cuts to

have a significant impact on theprivate sector in 2011.

“In view of upcoming cutbacks,businesses relying on public sectorcontracts should attempt to diversifytheir income stream towards abroader customer base.”

The research also showed thatalmost a third of insolvency expertsthink that a squeeze of the Time toPay facility would be the most harm-ful potential development.

A modest rise in interest rates wasalso a major concern, according to23% of insolvency practitioners.

“Our members have seen howinvaluable the Time to Pay schemehas been to businesses,” said MrWalker.

“We believe that it is important thatit remains available as a breathingspace for viable businesses, but that itis not used as an alternative creditfacility for ‘zombie companies’.”

Mr Walker said: “The rise in VATwill make spending more expensive,serving a further blow to strugglingbusinesses, such as retailers and res-taurateurs, that rely on consumerspend.

“ As a percentage, the hotel andrestaurant industry suffered mostduring the recession and many vul-nerable businesses will find them-selves either shouldering the extra taxburden or suffering a further fall inconsumer demand by passing the taxon.

“In fact, our members expect theretail sector will witness the greatestnumber of insolvencies next year.”

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KIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWS

Property ripefor right buyerA VACANT former carehome in Liversedge is one ofthe lots under the hammer atan auction next month.

The site at StrawberryBank, off Halifax Road, isbeing offered on the instruc-tions of the administrator at aguide price of £170,000 plusand will feature in the auctionrun by Eddisons on December9 in Leeds.

When operating as a carehome the property accom-modated 24 registered occu-pants.

Tony Webber, of Eddisons,said the site had potential forredevelopment, adding: “Theproperty is in a predominantlyresidential location offeringgood access to the motorwaynetwork.

“The property could besuitable for conversion intoflats or split into terracedhouses.

“Alternatively it could bedemolished and the siteredeveloped, all of which aresubject to the appropriateconsents.”

Meanwhile, a parcel ofdevelopment land in Lock-wood Scar is also up for sale.

The LPA receivers haveinstructed Eddisons to sell thehalf-acre site at the formerSovereign Business Centrewhich has a guide price of£70,000 plus.

The site has the benefit ofplanning consent for 28 apart-ments, along with alternative

planning consent for a resid-ential nursing home.

In Cleckheaton a vacantformer club and premiseswhich was previously mar-keted at £295,000 has beensignificantly reduced and car-ries a guide price of £150 to180,000.

The property on Bath Roadhas a gross floor area of2,849sq ft and is described asbeing suitable for a large resid-ential dwelling, residentialconversion or other uses sub-ject to consents.

Among the residential lotsis a vacant newly builtthree-bedroom town house on

Red Doles Road, Hudders-field.

The guide price of £75,000plus compares favourably tovarious similar propertieswhich sold recently on thesame development for pricesin excess of £80,000.

A total of 79 lots are sched-uled to come under the ham-mer at the final Eddisonstwo-day auction of the year,which takes place at 2.30pmon December 7 at The Fair-ways Lodge and Leisure Club,Prestwich, Manchester, and atnoon on December 9 at LeedsUnited Football Club, EllandRoad, Leeds.

■ CLUB ROOM: A former club premises at Bath Street,Cleckheaton, is up for auction with Eddisons with a guideprice of £150,000 to £180,000

RICS names new boardTHE Royal Institution ofChartered Surveyors hasappointed a new Yorkshireand Humber regionalboard.The board will beresponsible for addressingproperty issues andconcerns in the region byacting as a voice formembers.The new Yorkshire andHumber regional boardcomprises charteredsurveyors in the regionwho hold key positions inland, property,construction, projectmanagement, planning andinfrastructure across boththe private and publicsectors.Regional chairman ColinHarrop, said: “The regionalboard has the goal ofgiving a strategic steer toRICS activity in the regionand making sure that theinstitution delivers tosurveyors in the region, aswell as other professionalsand the public asstakeholders.

“We have some greatpeople supporting RICSactivity. I have no doubtthat we’ll make sure thatthe high quality regionalactivity goes from strengthto strength.”There are 6,000 RICSmembers in the Yorkshire

and Humber region andalmost 100,000 worldwidein 146 countries. Charteredsurveyors work across awide variety of sectors,from property, land andquantity surveyors to artsand antiques auctioneers.

■ ON BOARD: The new RICS Yorkshire regional board of(from left) Kevin Wood, Andy Dransfield, Alex McCallion,Chris Gomersall, Colin Harrop, Rob Hiundle, Jennifer Welch,Peter Swift and Martin Conlon

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KIRKLEES BUSINESS NEWS Movers and shakers Page 8

Time forquestionsMEMBERS of thenewly-formed HuddersfieldTown Enterprise Academy willbe set some challengingquestions at their nextmeeting.

One of the club’s mainpartners – and one ofHuddersfield’s most successfulcompanies – takes centrestage when the academy holdsits second meeting onTuesday, December 14, in theFantastic Media Suite at theGalpharm Stadium.

John Chamberlain, ofLinthwaite-basedpharmaceuticals companyThornton and Ross will delivera presentation on the leadinginternational business andpose three challenges to theaudience!

The event follows thesuccess of the academy’sinaugural meeting in October,when a capacity 130 delegateslistened to speakers fromcommerce, education andindustry.

Details of the Decembermeeting, which is sponsoredby Chadwick Lawrence andGrant Thornton, will appear onTown’s commercial website atwww.htafccommercial.com indue course.

However, existing membersof the HTEA via LinkedIn willget the first opportunity to takeup places.

Erick Mackay

CITG LtdA TECHNOLOGY company hasstrengthened its seniormanagement team with theappointment of Erick Mackay asmarketing director.

Mr Mackay (pictured) joinsConcorde Informatics TechnologyGroup Ltd following a successionof appointments of seniormanagers from local rival IT firmServo.

Parent company ConcordeExcel Holdings Ltd recently announced a rebrandof its subsidiary businesses to mark 25 years ofbusiness success – uniting them under the newname Concorde Informatics Technology GroupLtd.

Mr Mackay joins CITG after 10 years withServo, formerly known as ICM Computer Groupplc and part of the multi-million turnover PhoenixIT Group. He joined ICM after selling his ownbusiness to the company and was responsible forrebranding several companies and brands intoICM.

Mr Mackay also worked with CITG chiefexecutive Colin Meakin, who was ICM’s groupsales and marketing director at the time.

Mr Mackay also teams up withe former ICMcolleagues including CITG chairman BarryRoberts and CITG chief operating officer NeilRoberts.

Richard Bass

Orchard EnergyENERGY management consultancy OrchardEnergy has appointed Richard Bass to overseeits expanding finance team.

Mr Bass joins Orchard following a period ofrapid growth at the company, which has led to theopening of six new UK offices this year in additionto its established centres in Brighouse andBradford.

Mr Bass has extensive experience in the not forprofit sector, handling governance, audits andinspections by major regulatory bodies.

Orchard managing director Gareth Hendersonsaid this experience would benefit clients in boththe business energy and charity and trustdivisions of the firm.

Said Mr Henderson: “Orchard works with alarge number of museums and trusts, includingHarewood, Jorvik and York Minster, to help themcomply with industry regulations and controlenergy costs, which are often one of their biggestoverheads.”

Broker earns recognition

■ STAR TURN: Philip Hellawell (centre) receives his award for five years' service on theboard of the National Association of Commercial Finance Brokers from chief executiveAdam Tyler and singing group The Leading Ladies

Cian O’Carroll

LSHNATIONAL commercial propertyconsultancy Lambert SmithHampton has strengthened itsbusiness rates consultancy teamin West Yorkshire with theappointment of Cian O’Carroll asa senior surveyor.

Mr O’Carroll (pictured) joins theteam from Colliers International,where he spent six years advisingon rating matters for many different classes ofproperty – from offices, industrial and retail units,to pubs, nightclubs, advertising rights and funeralhomes. He also has extensive experience inrepresenting clients in complex valuationtribunals.

Richard Wackett, national head of businessrates consultancy at LSH, said: “In the last 12months alone we have saved our clients over£40m nationally in excessive rates bills.

“The experience that Cian brings to LSH’sbusiness rates consultancy team, particularly inrelation to valuation tribunals, is invaluable andwill enable us to provide first class advice to evenmore businesses across Yorkshire.”

It’s all changefor Elland firm!PARTNERS and staff at an Elland account-ancy firm are bidding goodbye to two of theirnumber – and welcoming two new faces.

Paul Davison and Kelly Marsden, of PeelWalker Chartered Accountants, are depart-ing for New Zealand to realise theirlong-time dream of travelling around theworld.

Paul, who lives at Brighouse, has workedas an accountant at Peel Walker for morethan 12 years while Kelly, of Clayton West,has spent more than six years in the taxdepartment.

In their place, the partners are welcomingnew recruits Kathryn Hampshire and Lind-sey Kershaw. Kathryn, of Netherton, hasworked both in practice and in industry inWest Yorkshire for the past 20 years whileLindsey, who lives at Lindley, has worked asa member of the tax department in a Hud-dersfield firm for more than 20 years.

Paul Nutton, of Peel Walker, said: “Wesend our best wishes to Paul and Kelly.Kathryn and Lindsey both bring with them awealth of experience and have already settledin well with the rest of the team.”

■ CHANGING ROOM: Pictured at Peel Walker's Elland offices are (from left)Sharon Cousen, Lindsey Kershaw, Paul Davison, Kathryn Hampshire, Paul Nuttonand Kelly Marsh

A BRIGHOUSE businessman has beenrecognised for his work with a nationalorganisation.

Philip Hellawell, managing director ofConnect Business Finance Ltd, waspresented with a trophy to mark his fiveyears’ voluntary service on the board ofdirectors at the National Association ofCommercial Finance Brokers.

The presentation was made byassociation chief executive Adam Tyler at itsgala dinner attended by 400 guests at theBirmingham Metropole Hilton.

Mr Hellawell spent the last two years asnational chairman of the association –helping to ensure the organisation achieveda surplus over the past four years in theface of a severe recession while continuingto run his own business .

Mr Hellawell said: “If you do a voluntaryjob like this for less than two years, you arenot being fair to the organisation. And if youdo more than five years you are not beingfair to yourself.

“I believe you should make yourcontribution and move over to let someoneelse have a crack at it.”

Mr Tyler said: “Philip has admirablysteered our professional trade body throughsome of the most difficult times in its history– as finance director for three years andchairman for two – and leaves us with areally strong base to build for the future.”

The NACFB was set up in 1992 tocounter fraud in the commercial mortgagemarket, to establish a code of conduct forbrokers and to further education andtraining for its members.