Business Diary: What's On

Authored by AbiBram
Posted: Mon, 03/16/2015 - 12:00pm

Keep your business diary up-to-date with these key events:

• Every Friday: The Exeter Business Club, every Friday morning at 7.15am-9am at the Isca Centre, Summer Lane, Whipton. To reserve a place as a guest at one of our meetings please contact secretary@exeterbusinessclub.co.uk or visit www.exeterbusinessclub.co.uk .

• Every month: Firsty Fridays, the first Friday each month at a location in Exeter. Invitation-only meeting for business women to meet and enjoy cocktails. Contact Stephanie Walshe on 01392 421323 or 07977 442267 or e-mail stephanie.walshe@theplumconsultancy...

Bus drivers global leaders in eco-driving

Authored by Mary Youlden
Posted: Mon, 03/16/2015 - 11:52am

Stagecoach bus employees have topped a global eco-driver performance scheme which measures fuel-efficient driving.

More than 4,100 Stagecoach drivers have been awarded Fleet Elite status under the programme managed by GreenRoad, whose telematics system serves professional drivers in the UK, Ireland, Europe, the Middle East, America, Australia and New Zealand.

Of the Stagecoach drivers who reached Fleet Elite standard, 179 were from Stagecoach South West.

Over 1,000 of Stagecoach’s Fleet Elite drivers have achieved the Gold badge for consistently maintaining the...

Creating a competitive edge with charity relationships

Authored by AbiBram
Posted: Mon, 03/16/2015 - 11:46am

By aligning consumer needs with community involvement businesses can build customer loyalty and strengthen their commercial edge, says ALISON UPTON, a fundraiser with Exeter Leukaemia Fund

In a 2013 survey from Forresters, 82% of responders said that when choosing between two companies offering product and services for the same price, their decision would be affected by whether a company engaged with charities and its local community.

Whatever your size, the benefits of supporting a charity as part of your corporate social responsibility include:

• Enhance your...

Feeding ducks bread is bad for their health

Authored by Mary Youlden
Posted: Mon, 03/16/2015 - 11:45am

Every year 6 million loaves of bread are being thrown into canals and rivers in England and Wales - potentially polluting the water and damaging hundreds of thousands of ducks’ homes.

Last year 73% of people in the South West fed the ducks, 82% of them admitting to feeding our feathered friends with bread.

Uneaten soggy bread can cause a build-up of bad nutrients which can lead to greater algae growth, spread disease and encourage pests such as rats.

Today, ahead of the official start of spring and duckling hatching season, the Canal & River Trust is calling on...

Accountants swap books for boots

Authored by Mary Youlden
Posted: Mon, 03/16/2015 - 11:02am

A team of accountants swapped their books for Wellington boots when they paid a visit to their newly-adopted charity.

Exeter-based Sidaways were given a VIP tour of Farms For City Children at Nethercott House, near Iddesleigh.

The firm of chartered accountants is to focus on raising money for Devon-based charity Farms for City Children as part of the company’s 25th anniversary celebrations. The trip was arranged so the business could see where the money it raises will be spent.

Children’s author Michael Morpurgo and his wife Clare founded Farms for City Children in...

Roger Young: How I became Devon's luxury car salesman

Authored by AbiBram
Posted: Mon, 03/16/2015 - 11:01am

He’s the director of a multi-million pound company but that doesn’t stop Roger Young getting his hands dirty. Dressed in an immaculate grey suit and freshly polished shoes, this quiet, shy gentleman seems to come alive under the chassis of a Land Rover Defender 90.

It’s because that’s where his heart lies. Roger Young is one of the South West’s most successful businessmen, selling some of the most expensive vehicles money can buy, but it all started in a workshop on his father’s farm on Bodmin Moor – and he’s never forgotten it.

“A farmer I knew at the time brought an old...

The 'superslugs' are coming!

Authored by Mary Youlden
Posted: Mon, 03/16/2015 - 10:43am

Gardeners should start preparing early for their great slug and snail hunt this year as winter temperatures have provided the perfect conditions for their arch enemies.

According to Wyevale Garden Centres – the UK’s largest garden centre group - last year, gardeners spent £11.6 million in their battle to protect their botanical spaces, battling over 30 species of slugs including a voracious invader discovered on our shores only last year – the Spanish slug (Arion vulgaris).

Slugs like mild and warm winters and Met Office statistics show that average temperatures were...

Fire Sprinkler Week targets businesses

Authored by Mary Youlden
Posted: Mon, 03/16/2015 - 10:37am

Devon & Somerset Fire & Rescue Service is joining with Fire and Rescue Services across the UK in supporting Fire Sprinkler Week 2015, taking place from 16-22 March.

This is the second annual sprinkler awareness campaign undertaken by Fire and Rescue services and this year is focusing on the way that fitting sprinklers can help businesses and education, by reducing the impact of a fire.

Lee Howell, Chief Fire Officer said: “Devon & Somerset fully support this campaign as sprinklers save lives, protect property, promote prosperity and contribute to the community...

Intelligent Optimisations receives 'optimal' grant

Authored by AbiBram
Posted: Mon, 03/16/2015 - 10:13am

A new intelligent digital Plymouth firm has ‘GAIN-ed’ a £250,000 grant to boost its £4million growth package, reports KATE WILLIAMS

High tech Plymouth firm Intelligent Optimisations has raised £4million in its first 18 months to fund its growth. The firm received a £250,000 grant from The Growth Acceleration and Investment Network (GAIN) Growth Fund, which has helped to unlock further investment, supporting the creation of up to 42 new jobs.

Based in the Barbican, Intelligent Optimisations was founded in May 2013 and now employs 31 people, with a major recruitment drive...

Julia Bramble: "Social media is not a dark art"

Authored by AbiBram
Posted: Mon, 03/16/2015 - 9:21am

The use of social media is now a given for any business. Why? Because, with very few exceptions, our customers are having conversations on there and we have a huge opportunity to get involved too.

However, it doesn’t have to be complicated. Social media is just another form of communication, so we can use it however we want - for research, customer service, or positioning, for example, in addition to the more obvious goals of generating leads and enquiries. Successful social media marketing is, however, very different from traditional marketing as we are now generating interest by...

Pages