Member Article

Jo Hand bounces back after SSI disaster forces company liquidation

Teesside entrepreneur Jo Hand, whose recruitment business was forced into liquidation by the closure of the SSI steelworks in Redcar, is launching a new company which begins trading today.

Determined to help as many former steelworks employees into jobs as possible, Jo is bouncing back with a new enterprise - Jo Hand Recruitment and Consultancy.

Jo revealed: “The closure of SSI has been devastating for Teesside and in particular their employees and families. The company owed us more than £500k so we had no alternative but to go into liquidation which saw a number of our contractors lose their jobs.

“I am a proud to be part of the Teesside business community who has worked damned hard to build up a successful company over the past 10 years so it was no easy decision.

“There was no alternative but the support I have had has been overwhelming which is why I am able to start afresh. All our clients have come with us and indeed some have even given us extended contracts to get back up and running and continue to be profitable.”

“We want to help as many of those made redundant as a result of SSI’s closure into work as we can – so far we have placed 25 into a variety of engineering, contract cleaning and administrative roles.”

She continued: “Up until the troubles at SSI things were looking much more positive not just for our business but the local economy in general,” said Jo.

“I have decided to come out fighting, rebuild the business from a strong base, continue to employ my staff and as many contractors as possible and of course to continue helping our clients fill their vacancies with excellent candidates.

“My philosophy is not just about the sales, it is about looking after people by giving the best service so that if they need to come to an employment agency again, they will come back to us.

“The fact that every client who worked with us previously has shown us so much support is testament to that and I am determined to repay their faith in us by continuing to exceed their expectations.”