Bradford cnetre opens 'hot-desk' unit (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)
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Bradford cnetre opens 'hot-desk' unit
8:40am Thursday 21st May 2009 in Search By Chris Holland
Pictured (from left) are Mushtaque Ali, of Hardsoft Computers, Amy Driver, GRID business development leader, Lisa Bohanna-Tang, of Yorkshire Money Advice, and John Elcock, of GRID
New workspaces and ‘hot-desks’ for small businesses have been opened at the Carlisle Business Centre in Manningham.
The move follows investment by Bradford Kickstart, the Council’s enterprise support programme.
GRID@CBC has relocated from premises above the club shop at Bradford City FC, from where it has served the Manningham and Girlington areas for two years.
The new location provides the 300 businesses which are members of the GRID with ample car parking, a café and meeting facilities..
A second centre, GRID@Park Lane, is located near Manchester Road, West Bowling, and serves Bradford South.
The centres offer new and growing business owners with the flexibility to use them as little or as much as they wish whilst gaining a business address, along with networking and skills development.
Many GRID members buy products and services from each other, so the centres also open up trading prospects.
Robert Campbell, enterprise programme manager, who leads the Kickstart team, said: “Assisting new and existing businesses via Bradford’s two GRID centres is in line with Kickstart’s integrated approach to providing, with our partners, intensive enterprise support in the district’s communities.”
Jenny Pupius, chief executive of Action for Business, which owns and manages Carlisle Business Centre, said: “As a social enterprise committed to making Manningham a better place to live and work, we are pleased to be managing the new GRID, which has a significant role in developing enterprise and economic activity in the area.
“More than 50 organisations are based at the centre, around half of them small businesses.
“Having the GRID here will strengthen our support to both new and existing businesses and give its members access to a wide range of facilities they will need to help them develop.”
Speakers at the launch of the new centre included Shareen Akhtar and Robena Sharif, whose new business R&S Immigration Law Specialists, is based at the centre, and Christine Garthwaite, a partner in accountancy and book-keeping firm Harmonize & Co, which is based at the GRID business centre in West Bowling.
A new team has been appointed to run the GRID@CBC, as the former team at Valley Parade recently took up new posts.
John Elcock brings 30 years of business experience to his new job as GRID host. Amy Driver has joined after four years in newspaper advertising sales in Keighley and Skipton.
Mr Elcock was encouraged to apply for the role by Jobs@, the Bradford Council service to employers and jobseekers. He ran his own construction industry supply business for four years and was sales director of another company for ten years.
