Serving the Teesside Business Community | 11
MY BUSINESS MANTRA IS…
ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE.
The advice I’d give to business start-ups
is… I don’t think I’m qualified to give that
kind of advice because I’ve never set up my
own business. But I have set up my own
departments within businesses, and what
I would say is anything is achievable with
blood, sweat and tears.
The biggest character on the Tees
business scene is… it’s got to be Steve
Cochrane, and I’m seriously not just saying
that because he’s my boss! He’s a legend,
and a big character. I’ve been all over the
world with him and people know him. I’ve
been walking down the street in places like
London and Florence, and someone always
shouts ‘Hi, Steve!’. He’s known everywhere.
The individual who is my tip for the top
among Tees businesses is… I’d rather not
comment on that one. I’ve tailored many
well-known businesspeople over the years
– Steve Gibson, the Powell brothers – and I
wouldn’t want to single anyone out.
Teesside’s a great place for business
because… it’s expanding all of the time.
Middlesbrough Council is spending a lot of
money on regeneration and you can see it
happening all around us, which is fantastic
to see. Teesside University is growing year-
on-year, we’ve seen the development of
Baker Street and the Orange Pip Market, it’s
becoming a really buoyant place.
My biggest frustration about Teesside
is… the slowness in which things happen.
We’ve seen a lot of great redevelopments
in recent years and there’s a lot of exciting
plans as part of the Invest in Middlesbrough
Prospectus, but I think we’d all like to see
these plans come to fruition a little quicker.
My favourite local charity is… Zoe’s Place.
Steve is patron of a few charities and we do
various fundraising events in store, but Zoe’s
Place is my personal favourite for the work
they do.
When I’m not working, I like to spend
my time… holidaying. Even if it’s a long
weekend somewhere. I’m at a time of my
life where I like to enjoy travelling and seeing
different places, and relaxing.
My guilty pleasures are… lager, and I’ve
got that (patting belly) to prove it! I love lager
in any shape or form. I go to the gym but it
never shifts the beer belly.
The best holiday I ever had was… it’s hard
to choose from hundreds, but the best was
probably a Caribbean cruise. I’ve also been to
Vegas five times, I love it, and I like a bit of a
flutter.
Not many people know this about me
but… I’m a massive Northern Soul fan. I
travel the world for it and I have done since
the casino days of 1976. Even now, I go
to Tenerife twice a year for Northern Soul
festivals and I’ve been to one in Benidorm for
the last three years.
In retirement, I’ll spend my time…
definitely not in the garden! It’ll probably be
mostly in the pub or on holiday.