Renfrewshire chamber of commerce Archives

For the month of January we are offering a 25% off discount to new members who join the Chamber.

Kick start 2019 by joining Renfrewshire’s largest business network and take advantage of the benefits of membership.

Networking
We run various events throughout the year. Our monthly networking lunches held at local hotels are attended by 50-70 delegates from businesses based in Renfrewshire and the surrounding areas. New members receive a free place at one of these lunches on joining.
Other events include: a New Members Event, Pitch and Roll Networking, HR Forum, our annual B2B Event in May and Business awards… the ROCCO’s.

Business Mentoring

Free business mentoring in an area or skill you are looking to develop for a period of one year.

Marketing
Members can tap in to our marketing channels for free. Please send us any press releases or editorial to be featured on our website. Anything featured on our website will also be sent out to members in our eNews – sent every 2-3weeks. Our quarterly publication, Business Matters, is circulated to members and is distributed to business centres, coffee shops, council offices and hotels in the Renfrewshire. New members receive a free quarter page of editorial.

Free Chamber HR, Health & Safety, Legal & Tax Services
These services give you unlimited access to no less than five business advice lines and website which features over 750 free downloadable template documents. You are also protected by £1,000,000 of legal expenses insurance which includes employment cover and tax enquiry cover.

Contact Jill Carrino for more information on how your business can benefit from Chamber Membership – 0141 847 5450 jcarrino@renfrewshirechamber.com

10/01/2019/by Brian McGuire

November 27th

27/11/2018/by Brian McGuire

A sell-out crowd of 500 people witnessed 17 Awards presented at Rocco 2018 on Friday 16th November at the Normandy Hotel Renfrew. Renfrewshire’s principal business event now in its 15th year was sponsored by Paisley.is, the new destination brand for Paisley and Renfrewshire. Chamber President Tom Johnston welcomed the audience warmly and showcased the chamber’s achievements in the last year.

Cabinet Secretary for Finance Derek Mackay MSP spoke as a special guest and emphasised the economic success and future investments coming to the area, acknowledging the vital contribution of the Chamber to the local economy.

Deputy Council Leader Jim Paterson gave the main sponsor address and highlighted the opportunities showcased via the Paisley.is destination website, considered the place to find out all that is happening in Paisley and Renfrewshire. The audience were given paisley.is branding toolkits and encouraged to use the new brand on their own media channels to help promote Renfrewshire to the world.

The ROCCO raffle raised a record-breaking £11,000 with individual pledges of £1000 each from intu Braehead and the Normandy Hotel for local charities and good causes with main beneficiaries St Vincent’s Hospice and Paisley YMCA’s digital fabrication project.

The outstanding entertainment was provided by talented emerging artists from Scottish Opera; Mezzo-soprano Bethan Langford, pianist Erika Gundesen and soprano Lucy Anderson. General Director Alex Reedijk emphasised the importance of young people building on three sell-out shows of Pagliacci in the summer at Paisley Opera House. He noted the support of the community in bringing these performances to life. Rocco favourite Fred MacAulay hosted and was enthralled by all three performers. The Rocco audience were in awe of the talented artists who received thunderous applause. The Rocco Twitter Wall proved a great hit with all the guests and saw #2018Rocco trending on the night reaching almost 300,000 accounts and 1.1 million impressions…

ROCCO Award for Excellence in Customer Services – sponsored by the Scottish Leather Group:
Winner – Polly Rose Ltd

ROCCO Award for Developing the Young Workforce West – sponsored by Developing the Young Workforce (West):
Winner NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde – Workforce Employability Team

ROCCO Award for Innovation & Technology – sponsored by Creation IP:
Winner – Terumo Aortic

ROCCO Award for Excellence in Manufacturing – Sponsored by University of the West of Scotland:
Winner – Rolls-Royce Plc

ROCCO Award for International Trade – sponsored by Glasgow Airport:
Winner – Bridge of Weir Leather Company Ltd

ROCCO Award for Invest in Renfrewshire – sponsored by Invest in Renfrewshire / Renfrewshire Council:
Winner – Carli’s Kindergarten Ltd

ROCCO Award for Most Promising New Business – sponsored by Business Gateway:
Winner – Shore Wraps Ltd

ROCCO Award for Renfrewshire’s Favourite Business – sponsored by the Paisley Daily Express:

Winner – Pandamonium Playcentre

ROCCO Award for Excellence in Tourism – sponsored by Paisley.is:

Winner – Ingliston Country Club & Hotel

ROCCO Award for Family Business of the Year – sponsored by the Malcolm Group:
Winner – Ingram Brothers Ltd

ROCCO Award for Young Business Person of the Year – sponsored by West College Scotland:
Winner – Andrew McMillan & Ryan McIlravey – FE Live Audio

ROCCO Award for Employer of the Year – sponsored by Rolls-Royce:
Winner -Ingliston Country Club & Hotel

ROCCO Award for Community Champion of the Year – sponsored by Engage Renfrewshire & Royal Bank of Scotland:
Winner – Klas Care C.I.C. Ltd

ROCCO Award for Outstanding Business <5 employees – sponsored by intu Braehead:
Winner – FE Live Audio Ltd

ROCCO Award for Outstanding Business <25 employees – sponsored by Renfrewshire Council:
Winner – Allstaff Ltd

ROCCO Award for Outstanding Business >25 employees – Sponsored by Terumo Aortic:
Winner – Wholesale Domestic Equipment Company Ltd

ROCCO Award for Business Leader of the Year – sponsored by Diageo:

Winner – Jonathan Hinkles – Managing Director, Loganair Ltd

Commenting on the awards, Chamber chief executive Bob Grant said “Rocco 2018 will be remembered as a Rocco record-breaker. The event sold out in record time, we had a record number of awards and raised a record amount for our two Rocco charites.

A massive thank you to all our sponsors, those who donated raffle prizes and a hearty congratulations to all who made the shortlist and our 17 worthy winners.

The success of our 15th Rocco reflects the growth we see in the Renfrewshire economy. Paisley.is proving to be a fantastic selling point for Renfrewshire with our new destination brand already gaining global traction as the go to place for news of activity and investment.

You can view all images on our Facebook page and comments on #2018Rocco. I encourage all Rocco winners to utilise their win across their PR channels. Thank you to the entire Chamber team for all their work before and on the night to ensure our 500 guests had a great time. Special thanks to principle sponsor Paisley.is, Diageo who supplied our drinks reception, Cameron Presentations & Gap TV for all the AV, Mark from Flash Bang Booth, The Printbrokers for the program, Gary from NS Design for the excellent social media coverage and the Normandy Hotel for the superb meal and service.

Finally, thank you to Scottish Opera. It was a privilege to watch performances from three 2018/19 Emerging Artists: mezzo-soprano Bethan Langford, pianist Erika Gundesen and soprano Lucy Anderson. Planning for Rocco 2019 is already underway, and we hope to see you enter and attend next year.”

20/11/2018/by Brian McGuire

Paisley Abbey and Paisley Town Hall lit up in red

Hundreds attended Paisley Abbey for a special service to mark the centenary of the signing of the Armistice, which signalled the end of the First World War.

Minister for Paisley Abbey, Reverend Alan Birss, led a short service of commemoration for those who gave all in service to their country with a poignant reading and prayer.

Renfrewshire’s Provost Lorraine Cameron was joined by a young person and an ex-serviceman to light a candle of remembrance in the Abbey for all those who never returned home.

The service was followed by a concert of music, song and poetry performed by the Starlight Youth Music Theatre, Chamber Choir and the Johnstone Brass Band, as they honoured the Armed Forces who have given so much.

Renfrewshire Provost Lorriane Cameron prepares to light a candle with a young person

Chamber Choir accompanies by Johnstone Brass Band

Clear outlines represented those who are no longer with us (2)

Communties came together from across Renfrewshire to pay their respects to the fallen

Clear outlines represented those who are no longer with us

The Abbey and Paisley Town Hall were also lit up in red to mark the occasion.

All proceeds from a collection on the night will be donated to Poppy Scotland and There But Not There.

Provost Cameron, who also attended the 10:45am service in Paisley, said: “This was a moving, poignant service in remembrance of those who made the ultimate sacrifice to allow us to have the lives we have today.

“We cannot express enough gratitude to our Armed Forces and it’s extremely important that we continue to honour them on Remembrance Sunday, and all year round as well.

“It was fantastic to see the number of people who attended services across Renfrewshire to pay tribute to the fallen, especially this year as we marked 100 years since the end of the First World War.”

Another nine events were held across Renfrewshire on Remembrance Sunday to allow all communities the opportunity to pay their respects to the fallen.

Renfrewshire’s also hosted its annual Children’s Remembrance Service on Friday 9 November at Mossvale and St James Primary School in Paisley, where pupils performed poetry and sang as they showcased their learning about why we celebrate Remembrance Day.

Veterans from the Royal British Legion Scotland (Paisley Comrades Division) were there to give pupils the opportunity to ask questions about their experiences and the work of the Legion, before a two-minute silence was observed at 10am.

For more information on why we mark Remembrance Day every year, visit www.britishlegion.org.uk/remembrance.

12/11/2018/by Brian McGuire

Renfrewshire Council Provost awards 9.3.18

Who are your local heroes?

Renfrewshire’s inspiring local heroes are set to be rewarded as nominations for the Provost’s Community Awards open for 2019.

Renfrewshire Council Provost awards 9.3.18

Extraordinary employees, superlative sportspeople and compassionate carers are being sought as the awards recognise the people who make Renfrewshire a better place to live, work and visit.

There are five categories available to nominate in, including a revamped award for employees to recognise those stars in the workplace, and these are:

Community Volunteer (sponsored by Glasgow Airport Ltd)
Community Group (sponsored by the Piazza Shopping Centre)
Sporting Achievement (sponsored by ACRE Industrial)
Employee of the Year (sponsored by UNISON Renfrewshire)
Carers Award (sponsored by former Provost Nancy Allison)
Arts and Culture award (sponsored by Renfrewshire Council)

Renfrewshire’s Provost Lorraine Cameron said: “As the Provost, I meet hundreds of inspiring people and groups every year and it never ceases to amaze me that there is so much fantastic work going on throughout Renfrewshire.

Renfrewshire Council Provost awards 9.3.18

“These awards are an opportunity to pay tribute to the unsung heroes of the area who go the extra mile without looking for a reward and give them the recognition that they deserve.

“I can’t wait to read the nominations so don’t miss out on the chance to nominate and start sending them in now.”

Renfrewshire Council Provost awards 9.3.18

The deadline for entries to all categories is Wednesday 12 December.

The Provost will be joined by the award sponsors and other local elected members to choose the winners who will be invited, along with their nominator, to the awards ceremony on Friday 15 March 2019 and the Lynnhurst Hotel in Johnstone.

For more information, and to submit your nomination, visit www.renfrewshire.gov.uk/provostawards2019, email provostawards@renfrewshire.gov.uk or call 0141 618 7102.

17/10/2018/by Brian McGuire

Know a business that gives great service, welcomes you with a smile or you love going there? Nominate them for Renfrewshire’s favourite business ROCCO Award.

To nominate your favourite business in Renfrewshire please email gavin.mcinally@reachplc.com by 12pm on Thurs 27^th Sept. Please include ROCCO AWARD in the subject header. In the email please include the name of the business you wish to nominate and why in <100 words and include your own name, address and phone number. A shortlist of six will be announced early October with online voting open for 3 weeks after that. The winner will be announced at the ROCCO ceremony on the 16^th Nov at the Normandy Hotel hosted by Fred MacAulay.

More info at www.roccoawards.com #2018Rocco

21/09/2018/by Brian McGuire

The Chamber is delighted to announce that Paisley.is has been confirmed as main sponsor for Rocco 2018.

Louisa Mahon, Renfrewshire Council’s head of marketing, said: “I am delighted the new destination brand Paisley.is will be supporting this year’s ROCCOs event.

“The annual awards are a fantastic showcase of the diversity of businesses operating across Renfrewshire and the creativity and entrepreneurialism that have put Renfrewshire firmly on the map as a business destination of choice.

“We have had great support for Paisley.is from the business community and from the chamber and believe we now have the strongest possible platform to sell the benefits of doing business in Renfrewshire throughout the world.

“What makes our proposition so powerful is the strength and profile of our business community and it is a pleasure to be able to honour the best of the best at the 2018 awards.”

The ROCCO’s now in their 15th year are open for entry and are Renfrewshire’s premier business event.

CEO Bob Grant commented “We are delighted to welcome Paisley.is as main sponsor for Rocco 2018. The ambitious brand highlights our strengths as a commercial location and demonstrates Renfrewshire is open for business. Thank you to all our category sponsors, without their support, the ROCCO’s would not be possible. I encourage businesses & organisations from all sectors to consider entering in 2018. Winning a ROCCO is a great achievement and competition is always fierce. There are 17 categories including two new awards for 2018; Developing the Young Workforce and Excellence in Tourism. You have plenty of time to enter the Rocco’s however please don’t leave it to the last minute. You can enter as many categories as you wish, and if you are planning to attend please book early, the ROCCO’s sell out every year well before the event.”

The ROCCO’s are free to enter for members based anywhere plus non-members that are based in Renfrewshire. The 17 categories this year are:

ROCCO Award for Excellence in Customer Service – sponsored by the Scottish Leather Group
ROCCO Award for Developing the Young Workforce (West) – sponsored by DYW (West)
Excellence in Manufacturing – sponsored by University of the West of Scotland
ROCCO Award for Innovation & Technology – sponsored by Creation IP
ROCCO Award for International Trade – sponsored by Glasgow Airport
ROCCO Award for Invest in Renfrewshire – sponsored by Renfrewshire Council / Invest in Renfrewshire
ROCCO Award for Most Promising New Business – sponsored by Business Gateway
ROCCO Award for Employer of the Year – sponsored by Rolls Royce
ROCCO Award for Family Business of the Year – sponsored by The Malcolm Group
ROCCO Award for Excellence in Tourism – sponsored by Paisley.is
ROCCO Award for Young Business Person of the Year – sponsored by West College Scotland
ROCCO Award for Business Leader of the Year – sponsored by Diageo
ROCCO Award for Community Champion – sponsored by Engage Renfrewshire & The Royal Bank of Scotland
ROCCO Award for Outstanding Performing Business with 5 or less employees – sponsored by intu Braehead
ROCCO Award for Outstanding Performing Business <25 employees – sponsored by Renfrewshire Council
ROCCO Award for Outstanding Performing Business >25 employees – sponsorship available
ROCCO Award for Renfrewshire’s Favourite Business – sponsored by the Paisley Daily Express – to nominate your favourite business please email gavin.mcinally@reachplc by noon on Friday 21st Sept and explain why in 100 words. Please include ROCCO AWARD in the subject header, name of the business, your own name, address and phone number.

The awards are open for entry until the 14th September. Shortlist will be announced end September and the winners announced at our awards ceremony on Friday 16th November at The Normandy Hotel hosted by Fred MacAulay.

On the night a charity raffle will support 2 charities including St Vincent’s Hospice

For more info and to enter / book a table – please visit www.roccoawards.com

The social medial hashtag is #2018Rocco

04/09/2018/by Brian McGuire

Register Now for Renfrewshire Chamber’s annual B2B event “Business Matters in Renfrewshire”

Renfrewshire’s largest free business event returns to Paisley for the 8th consecutive year on Thursday 10th May at the Lagoon, Paisley.

“Business Matters in Renfrewshire –your local B2B event” is organised by Renfrewshire Chamber and is open to all members & non-members, business people, start-ups, senior school pupils and students.

With 50+ exhibitors and 6 seminars running throughout the day the event is sponsored by Paisley.is, the new destination brand for Paisley & Renfrewshire.

Seminar line-up:

10.15-11.00 “Paisley.is: how your business can benefit” with the Paisley.is team & Renfrewshire Council
11.15-12.00 “Anti-Social Media” with NSDesign
12.15-13.00 “Start up in Renfrewshire!” with Business Gateway & Invest in Renfrewshire
13.15-14.00 “How to win business using LinkedIn” with fatBuzz
14.15-15.00 “What you need to know about GDPR” with MacRoberts
15.15-16.00 “Leadership – hoping isn’t good enough” with bfpeople

Commenting on the event chief exec Bob Grant said “Renfrewshire’s largest free business event is an excellent way to engage with the wider business community. There is a varied and interesting line-up of six informative seminars for you to attend throughout the day so please register your free place now. We are expecting 50 + exhibitors and where else do you get the opportunity to network with so many companies in one go? It’s a great use of time and I would encourage you and your colleagues to attend. The free informative seminars are an excellent way to learn new skills and refresh old ones. We look forward to welcoming you on the day.”

For more information and to register your place please visit the Chamber events page at www.renfrewshirechamber.com The event is free to attend (there is a cost to exhibit).

Hashtag for the event is #b2bpaisley

16/04/2018/by Brian McGuire

ENTRY DEADLINE EXTENDED TO THIS FRIDAY 15^TH SEPTEMBER

http://www.renfrewshirechamber.com/the-roccos/award-categories/

We look forward to receiving your entry this year – do let us know if you are looking for any support with entering this year and we will advise as best we can.

Submit your entries electronically directly to here – download forms on our website here

11/09/2017/by Brian McGuire

The 2017 Renfrewshire Employability Awards have celebrated the successes and people making a difference to local businesses.

Employees, entrepreneurs and interns were just some of the top talent recognised at the award ceremony on Wednesday (6 September 2017) hosted by television and radio presenter Bryan Burnett at Paisley Town Hall.

Renfrewshire businesses nominated local people who have been supported through the Employability in Renfrewshire Partnership programmes.

RDC Invest awards 6.9.17 Celebrating Success
Renfrewshire Employability Awards
6.9.17
Paisley Town Hall Top Intern Award Top Intern Award
Debbie Campbell

And after a nail-biting wait, nine winners were announced from the impressive list of finalists.

The award winners are:

Most Promising New Employee: Jamie Drysdale, Power 1 Electrical Contractors Ltd
Most Promising New Entrepreneur: Euan McIntosh, Starkstrom (Scotland) Ltd
Top Intern: Debbie Campbell, I Am Me Scotland
Best Trainee: Homam Sharif, Renfrewshire Council
CV Builder (Youth): Morgan Spence, Johnstone High School
CV Builder (Adult): Laura Connor, Engage Renfrewshire
Apprentice of the Year: Andrew McClorey, Renfrewshire Council
Progression in Work: Laura Currie, Consilium Contracting Ltd
Achiever of the Year: Barbara Brown

RDC Invest awards 6.9.17 Celebrating Success Renfrewshire Employability Awards 6.9.17 Paisley Town Hall

RDC Invest awards 6.9.17 Celebrating Success Renfrewshire Employability Awards 6.9.17 Paisley Town Hall Bryan Burnett

RDC Invest awards 6.9.17 Celebrating Success Renfrewshire Employability Awards 6.9.17 Paisley Town Hall Top Intern Award Top Intern Award Debbie Campbell

RDC Invest awards 6.9.17 Celebrating Success Renfrewshire Employability Awards 6.9.17 Paisley Town Hall

RDC Invest awards 6.9.17 Celebrating Success Renfrewshire Employability Awards 6.9.17 Paisley Town Hall CV Builder Youth Award Morgan Spence

RDC Invest awards 6.9.17 Celebrating Success Renfrewshire Employability Awards 6.9.17 Paisley Town Hall Special Achievement Award Barbara Brown

More than 1,000 local businesses have signed up to support the Invest in Renfrewshire programme which support 1400 people each year, providing direct access to vacancies, work experience, training, personal support and finance.

The programme is now based at the recently refurbished Russell Institute building on Causeyside Street, which is also home to Skills Development Scotland.

The night concluded with three Special Recognition awards for local businesses who have shown outstanding support over the last year, enthusiastically helping people prepare for work, enter work and progress in work.

These awards went to Papamacs Gourmet Kitchen in Johnstone; Gormac Coachworks in Renfrew and Carli’s Kindergarten in Erskine.

Councillor Jim Paterson, Depute Leader of Renfrewshire Council said: “Congratulations to all the winners and to everyone shortlisted for these awards which celebrate success and recognise the talent, enterprise and commitment of Renfrewshire’s people.

“The collective cooperation and commitment of our partners in the business community, education and employability sectors is key to our continued economic success.

“Together, we have taken Renfrewshire’s youth employment from 27th in Scotland to being fourth best. Our job totals are at pre-recession levels; regeneration is gathering pace; unemployment is falling; businesses are growing; and we are developing a reputation as a place of enterprise, creativity and drive.

“Paisley’s bid to become UK City of Culture 2021 is already changing how we are seen and how others see us. The Glasgow City Region City Deal’s £274m investment in Renfrewshire will put us right at the heart of a powerhouse regional economy. We will seize this momentum by continuing to support business growth and create jobs. We will work tirelessly to help people find work and succeed in a modern economy.”

Sandra Black, Renfrewshire Council Chief Executive said: “I too want to congratulate all our finalists and partners who have shown what is possible and inspire our continued success.

“These awards celebrate the enterprise, talent and commitment to excellence that characterise Renfrewshire’s businesses and their employees. From the winners and everyone shortlisted we can see that these qualities are having an immense and positive effect on our people and our future.

“Renfrewshire has always had a strong, creative, hardworking and entrepreneurial culture. We also have a strong sense of community and fairness. Through local partnership working, we have made great strides in developing our economy, tackling poverty, regenerating our towns and empowering our communities.”

Find out more about employability programmes in Renfrewshire at: www.investinrenfrewshire.com

07/09/2017/by Brian McGuire