Partner Article

Experts join forces across the pond

NORTH East businesses are set to benefit from business expertise from both sides of the Atlantic after an agreement was signed between two organisations to work together and share best practice.

Business & Enterprise North East (BE-NE), which delivers the Business Link service and the Regional International Trade Office in the region, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Small Business California - a business support organisation tasked with assisting California’s 3.2 million small business.

The agreement formally recognises the collaboration between the two organisations and is expected to ensure that businesses in the region, and in the most populated US state, benefit from the most innovative and effective business support available.

Alastair MacColl (pictured), chief executive at Business & Enterprise North East, said the agreements reflects the organisation’s commitment to sharing best practice within the UK and internationally: “The signing of the MOU marks the start of an ongoing relationship between Business & Enterprise North East and Small Business California.

It’s never been more important to develop innovative ways to stimulate the growth of our private sector.

“This exciting new partnership reinforces Business & Enterprise North East’s commitment to making a real difference to the region’s economy, by working with world-leading organisations to help even more businesses of all sizes to start up, succeed and grow.”

Following the signing of the MOU, Business & Enterprise North East and Small Business California will work together to share information and knowledge on key issues affecting businesses such as funding schemes and research findings, to establish ways in which to further improve the support available to businesses.

Hank Ryan, executive director of Small Business California, said: “With so much development in the UK addressing small to medium enterprise carbon reduction strategies and electric vehicle production and adoption, the value of this cooperative relationship for Small Business California is easy to understand.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .