AN ECONOMIC regeneration guru has warned that a shortage of skilled labour has become a “growing time-bomb” for Wrexham.
Paul Hildreth, who has advised national and international organisations on the development of cities, regions and local economies, was one of the keynote speakers at a meeting of Wrexham Business Professionals (WBP).
The influential group is made up of highly skilled firms of accountants, solicitors and other businesses working together to raise the profile of the professional and business expertise that exists in the region and beyond.
Mr Hildreth works with the Bartlett School of Planning at the University of London and is also a Visiting Policy Fellow of the SURF urban policy think-tank at Salford University.
He has just completed a major piece of research on how Wrexham fits into in the economic picture of North East Wales and Chancellor George Osborne’s proposed Northern Powerhouse.
And he gave an audience of around 100 at the Ramada Plaza meeting, which had the theme Powering Regional Prosperity, an insight into what this has revealed.
Describing how he had conducted in-depth interviews with 58 companies in a variety of sectors across Wrexham, he said that one of the main messages from them was about a shortage of skilled workers.
He said: “My research showed that a strength of the area is that it is very much connected to its markets but that one of the key disadvantages is the shortage of skills.
“This is a big problem because while Wrexham companies hold on to staff very well, their average age is going up and up.
“This means they are being faced with a situation where a lot of people are retiring and they are not generating enough skilled people to take over.”
He added: “This skills shortage is a fundamental issue for the companies I spoke to and is a growing time-bomb.
“I know that both Glyndwr University and Coleg Cambria are currently doing lots of work on...
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Patchwork launch world's first dairy-free chicken parfait
A paté entrepreneur who has launched the world’s first dairy-free chicken liver parfait will spread the secret of his success to members of an influential business group..
Rufus Carter, commercial director of Ruthin-based Patchwork Paté, is one of the keynote speakers at the next meeting of Wrexham Business Professionals (WBP) at the Ramada Plaza on May 12.
The group is made up of highly skilled professional firms of solicitors, accountants and other businesses working together to raise the profile of expertise and enterprise that exists in the region and beyond.
The topic for discussion at their May meeting will be Powering Regional Prosperity – Food Glorious Food.
Rufus, 46, has unveiled Patchwork’s latest product, a chicken liver parfait made from margarine rather than the traditional butter which means it’s completely dairy free and, he believes, both a UK and world first.
He explained: “We’d been approached by a chain of restaurants to come up with a chicken liver parfait that was silky smooth,” recalled Rufus.
“We’d usually add butter but we tried with some margarine instead.
“I remember saying to one of my colleagues that we’d just come up with the first ever dairy-free chicken liver parfait and, in fact, that’s exactly what we’d done.
“It was so good that we decided to market it and following a couple of months of development, we have just launched this fantastic new product.
“We showed it at the Food & Drink Expo at the NEC in Birmingham which is one of the biggest trade event of its kind in the world, and the parfait will then go on sale to the public during the first week of May.”
Rufus’s mother, Margaret Carter, a talented home cook who found herself divorced with three children to look after. and Jenny Whitham, founded patchwork Pate in 1982.
With a start-up cost of just £9, they began selling her home-made pâtés to pubs in...
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WALES’S Finance Minister told an influential audience of business leaders that Wrexham is now the commercial capital of North East Wales.
Jane Hutt was one of two Welsh Government Ministers who were keynote speakers at the latest meeting of Wrexham Business Professionals (WBP).
The group is made up of highly skilled professional firms of solicitors, accountants and other businesses working together to raise the profile of expertise that exists in the region and beyond.
Natural Resources Minister Carl Sargeant, also addressing more than 100 WBP members and guests at the Ramada Plaza, said economic development in “flying” Wrexham and Flintshire were the envy of the south of Wales.
WBP Chair Gill Kreft urged the Ministers to develop a regional strategy which was deliverable and business friendly and one that encouraged businesses of any size to prosper.
She said: "It goes without saying that we understand Government policy and funding must be prioritised for the good of the country as a whole .
"That said, North East Wales cannot miss the wave of opportunity that presents itself at this time
"We are uniquely placed to maximise the impact of the Northern Powerhouse, Anglesey's Energy Island initiative and the East-West commercial superhighway. It is an opportunity we cannot and must not miss."
Both Ministers spoke on the theme powering regional prosperity and the climate for business in North East Wales, which has been the special focus of WBP since last autumn.
Ms Hutt said: “I am delighted to be in Wrexham which is now the commercial capital of the region.
“This is a real opportunity as your Finance Minister to learn more about the area, which I will be listening and learning about while I am here. I also want to reassure you about how we want to take forward our ambitions for North East Wales.”
The Minister said that while she believed the Welsh Government had made good progress since the height of the recession in 2008,...
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A Leading entrepreneur who left school with no qualifications and went on to develop a global multi million pound company in his spare time will pass on the secrets of his success to an influential audience of Wrexham business bosses next month.
Alan McCall, managing director of Nu Instruments, based on the town's industrial estate, will be one if the keynote speakers at the latest meeting of Wrexham Business Professionals at the Ramada Plaza on Thursday February 4.
He will join two Welsh Government Ministers, Carl Sargeant and Jane Hutt, in addressing the group which includes highly skilled firms of solicitors and accountants working together to raise the profile of expertise that exists in the region and beyond.
Mr McCall will tell members about his early beginnings as a 15-year-old Merchant Navy mechanic and his subsequent career which saw him found Nu Instruments as a sideline while still working as a firefighter.
The company, which last year celebrated its 20th anniversary, currently manufactures a range of highly sophisticated measuring instruments which are snapped up by universities, laboratories and commercial organisations across the world, including the NASA space agency.
The state of the art mass spectrometers made by Nu Instruments are aiding cancer research and one of its machines was used in the United States to determine the origins of a murder victim.
Mr McCall, 58, left school without any qualifications and joined the Merchant Navy at 15 to become a ships engine room mechanic.
After a few years at sea he moved to a shore job as an instrument technician with a defence contractor working on guidance systems for British forces and acquiring qualifications as he went.
He also became a part-time firefighter and loved the life so much that he eventually became a full-timer, based first in the south of England and later in Wrexham.
He recalled: "Although I knew firefighting was the job for me, the money was pretty bad so I started...
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First Minister Carwyn Jones will be urged to improve Wrexham's transport links so it can benefit from being hooked up to the "northern powerhouse".
According to Wrexham Business Professionals, the town should also be given city status to cement its position as the economic hub of North East Wales.
Gill Kreft, the group's chair, said Wrexham would then be better placed to work in tandem with the nearby Deeside Enterprise Zone to power regional prosperity.
She was speaking ahead of their meeting at the Ramada Hotel in Wrexham on October 23 when the First Minister will be the guest of honour.
Among the other keynote speakers will be former Liverpool mayor Gary Millar and David Jones, the principal and chief executive of Coleg Cambria, who is also the chair of Deeside Enterprise Zone.
Gill Kreft said: "Wrexham Business Professionals is made up of highly skilled professional firms of solicitors and accountants working together with business to raise the profile of expertise and enterprise that exists in the region and beyond.
"The First Minister will be briefed about our strategy for North Wales which puts Wrexham centre stage along with Wrexham AM Lesley Griffiths and Wrexham MP Ian Lucas.
"There are challenges but also huge opportunities, as Wrexham is at the heart of the east-west economic corridor between North West Wales and the powerhouses of the North West of England such as Liverpool and Manchester.
"However, the future is bright for Wrexham and as a group of business professionals we will continue to call for Wrexham to be granted city status which we feel is important.
"We also want to see improved transport links so we are better aligned with the cities like Liverpool and Manchester and ride the economic wave generated by the notion of a northern powerhouse.
"We also need more partnership in North East Wales and the case for more synergy with Deeside Enterprise Zone is compelling as part of our overall economic...
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The right to lower corporation tax in Wales would be a major step on the road to prosperity, according to one of the world's top accountants.
That was the message from Brian McEnery, the incoming global president of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), to a group of Wrexham's most influential business people.
Mr McEnery, from Limerick in Ireland, also gave rare insight into the Irish banking crisis and the part he played in helping the country to resolve it.
He was guest speaker at the annual Christmas gathering of Wrexham Business Professionals (WBP) at the Ramada Plaza.
WBP, which is celebrating its sixth anniversary, is a group of highly skilled firms of solicitors, accountants and other businesses working together to raise the profile of the professional and business expertise that exists in the region and beyond.
The glittering seasonal event, which attracted about 150 key figures from the local business community, heard details of what he called Ireland's financial "rollercoaster journey" from Mr McEnery.
According to Mr McEnery, Wales could learn a great deal from the Irish experience.
He said: "The way to attract business is by introducing innovative measures like low corporation tax and tax relief, allied to fast track business-friendly planning reforms to promote investment.
"I am certain North Wales could benefit by following the example of the Irish Phoenix which has seen a six per cent growth in our economy over the past year."
Mr McEnery is one of Ireland's leading business restructuring practitioners and from next year will head up the ACCA which has 178,000 members worldwide and staffed offices in 181 countries.
In the aftermath of the banking crisis he was appointed to the board of Ireland's National Asset Management Agency (NAMA) and is also non-executive chairman of Ireland's health and social care regulator, the Health Information & Quality Authority (HIQA).
Speaking about his role in the "bad bank", he said: "From 2001 the Irish economy was growing...
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NEW rules allowing people more flexibility in how they take their private pension pots are a “ticking timebomb” for some.
That was the warning from top pension adviser Richard Costain to over 50 members of Wrexham Business Professionals (WBP) when he addressed their latest technical event at the town's Ramada Plaza Hotel.
WBP is a group of highly skilled professional firms of solicitors and accountants working together to raise the profile of expertise that exists in the region and beyond.
They have regular updates on various technical issues concerning their firms from visiting experts.
Mr Costain, of Newlyn Financial Management Ltd, has been working in the financial industry for over 30 years and regularly advises professionals on the intricacies of the pension system.
Along with Medwyn Edwards, of Hadlow Edwards Wealth Management Ltd, he had been invited by WBP to give an explanation on changes to the pension system introduced by Chancellor George Osborne last April which are the most radical in almost a century.
The two experts explained that now, for the first time, people have a choice of how to take their pension nest-eggs – either in the form of a traditional annuity which pays them an income for the rest of their life, a lump sum payment or a drawdown where amounts can be withdrawn as they are needed, just like a bank account.
But Mr Costain, who gained experience with Barclays Bank and Prudential Assurance before becoming an Independent Financial Adviser (IFA) in 1990, warned over one aspect of the pension changes which he predicted could affect a number of people later in life.
He said: “This is my own personal view and I’m not giving it on behalf of my company but there is a ticking timebomb where people who are going into care later in their lives are concerned.
“Before these changes they would have had an annuity to help them pay for their care fees but if they...
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Conjuring the same marketing tactics as the magic of Disney could put Wales on the world map as a top tourism destination - with the added bonus of having real castles.
That was the message of Ken Skates, the Deputy Minister for Culture, Sport and Tourism, when he addressed a meeting of an influential group of business leaders in Wrexham.
Mr Skates, who is also the AM for Clwyd South, was the keynote speaker at a meeting of the Wrexham Business Professionals at the town's Ramada Plaza Hotel.
The group of is made up of highly skilled professional firms of solicitors and accountants working together to raise the profile of expertise that exists in the region and beyond.
Members at the packed meeting also heard from Manon Antoniazzi, Director of Tourism, Sport and Heritage for the Welsh Government, how Wales is bidding to attract more visitors from countries such as Germany and the USA.
According to Mr Skates, tourism in Wales had just hit a new high, with latest figures showing the country had attracted a record-breaking 10 million visitors in the past year – the best performance since the present recording system was set up in 2006.
It was vital to build on this success story and he suggested Wales could look at the approach used by the Disney global entertainment giant when it came to marketing its top attractions.
He said: “If there’s one company that is superb at selling its ideas and selling its brand it is the Disney Corporation.
“When you visit their theme parks you are presented with very distinct worlds, for instance the Magic Kingdom, Epcot and the Hollywood Studios.
“The image of each of them is as a safe place, a place for fairy tales and place for dreams, and I think we could look at Disney’s marketing principles when we’re thinking about Welsh branding and promoting what Wales does best to the world.
“However, I’m not saying...
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Top businessmen call for Wrexham to become North Wales regional capital
A campaign has been launched to secure official recognition for Wrexham as the regional capital of North Wales.
The call came from a trio of top local businessmen at a meeting of the influential group, Wrexham Business Professionals, that's made up of the town's accountants and solicitors
Around 80 key figures from area’s business and financial community came together in the Catrin Finch Centre at Glyndwr University for the latest meeting of the group.
Amongst guests were the patriarchs of two of Wales’ top bakeries, both based in Wrexham – Alan Jones, chairman of the Village Bakery and Philip Gerrard Jones, chairman of Gerrards Bakery.
They pointed out that Wrexham is the largest town in North Wales by some distance and is home to the biggest industrial estate in Wales and the second biggest in the UK.
The successful duo also referred to a Royal Mail survey showing that the LL11 postcode, which covers a large part of Wrexham county borough, has been named in the top 10 most desirable places to live in Wales.
The study, undertaken for Royal Mail by the Centre for Economic and Business Research, calculated the most desirable areas by looking at factors like good schools, access to green spaces, good employment prospects, the availability of affordable housing and average commuting times.
Taking some of the top spots were Bradley, Brymbo, Brynteg, Bwlchgwyn, Coedpoeth, Cymau, Ffrith, Gwersyllt, Gwynfryn, Llandegla, Minera, Rhosrobin, Stansty and Tanyfron.
Alan Jones, whose family firm has three bakeries in the Wrexham area and was named as Wales’s fastest growing in 2013 and Wales' fastest growing manufacturer last year, isn't surprised by the findings of the survey.
He said: “Over the past few years companies such as mine have seen some amazing growth and the new access road to Wrexham Industrial Estate has given us an even greater advantage. We also have so many other important...
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Team from Prestatyn High School win place in UK final
A group of business-savvy students from Denbighshire beat off stiff competition from nine other teams to challenge for a UK title.
The team of six from Prestatyn High school won the North Wales regional heat of the national business and accounting competition organised by chartered accountancy body ICAEW.
They will now go forward to represent North Wales in the UK final in Birmingham in June.
The event at Coleg Cambria's campus in Northop, Flintshire, was supported by the college and Wrexham Business Professionals, made up of local accountants and solicitors.
The aim is to bring schools, colleges, students and employers together to develop key employability skills in young people, and improve awareness of a career in chartered accountancy.
Assuming the role of ICAEW chartered accountants, the students had two hours to analyse a business situation, before presenting their ideas to a panel of top business professionals.
Lord Barry Jones and his wife Lady Janet Jones presented the awards to Prestatyn High and the runner up, which was one of the two teams from Coleg Cambria taking part.
The Prestatyn team included Ben Armstrong and Callum Jones, both 18, along with Lewis Blackshaw, Grace Larter, Elizabeth Miller and Erin Oliver, all 17.
Elizabeth Miller said: “We all really enjoyed the competition. It was fun and I think we all learnt a great deal about team work and how to work under real pressure when time is against you.”
Erin Oliver added: “I’m absolutely thrilled to have won. I actually want to be a chartered accountant once I have completed a maths degree.
“I have to admit I was a bit shocked when it was announced we had won, I wasn’t expecting it as the competition was so tough and the standard so high.”
Melanie Christie, ICAEW Regional Director North West, said: “We were really impressed with the team’s performance and shrewd thinking.
"These budding business advisers...
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