Smithfield Works’ ‘The Pitch’ Shortlisted Businesses
After a whole host of entries from some brilliant businesses, we have shortlisted five in with a chance to win free city centre hot desking space for 12 months at Smithfield Works, Stoke-On-Trent’s premium workplace, worth over £1000!
The judges, comprising of Stoke-On-Trent Councillor Abi Brown, Staffordshire Chambers of Commerce Head of Projects and Business Support, Tom Nadin and Head of Marketing at Genr8 Developments, Tiffany Chevis met this week to deliberate the entries and have whittled down the shortlist to five key businesses. The shortlist will now pitch to our panel of judges explaining why they should spend a year in the region’s very first purpose-built flexible workspace.
Read on to see why these five fantastic businesses are in with a chance of winning a year’s worth of office space at Smithfield Works as well as a yearlong start-up membership at Staffordshire Chambers!
L&D Turner
L&D Turner, a property development and electrical services company, refurbish and bring back to life run-down, undesirable properties, turning them into high specification, fully refurbished aspirational properties that improve the street scene, street parking, and energy efficiency.
L&D Turner hope to accelerate the growth of their business over the next few years in order to allow a pipeline of projects and provide the ability to be flexible and increase efficiency. One of their goals is to provide well priced, high-quality homes for families, students and workers. This will be achieved through carrying out refurbishments to very high standards, using all-new, electrical/plumbing systems with low maintenance and lower operating costs. One of their long-term ambitions is to carry out similar projects to some of the spectacular and beautiful empty buildings in the city, such as empty banks or characterful warehouses.
The company hopes to win our Pitch competition free hot desking space because they feel that the ability to network with other small, ambitious businesspeople would be a significant advantage L&D Turner.
Staffordshire Sling Library
Staffordshire Sling Library and Babywearing Consultancy began due to its founder, Charlene’s passion for baby carrying and the benefits it brings to babies and caregivers. Her business is a baby carrier library and carrying consultancy providing advice and supporting parents/guardians to find and fit the best baby carrier or sling for them and their little ones.
A well fitted, comfortable carrier can make a world of difference by giving parents back the movement of their hands, whilst their baby is comforted on their chest, helping to soothe the baby and offering the freedom of buggy-free travel. Staffordshire Sling Library offers one to one consultations and baby carrier hire, and Charlene gives many parents the knowledge, support and tools that they need to safely and confidently carry their baby.
Staffordshire Sling Library provides a service that was previously lacking in the area; the NHS and their health visitors recommend using baby carriers, and Charlene provides support for people locally to learn how to safely use them and build up their confidence.
Winning our hot desking space at Smithfield Works would offer the business a more professional appearance rather than working entirely from home, opening a window of opportunity for Charlene’s business by allowing her to offer services to a much larger target audience.
Optical Designs
Optical Designs is a photography business that photograph events from festivals to smaller gathering such as talking session. Optical Designs’ images are often used as promotional material, showing what the city has to offer regarding its local businesses and incredible places.
For the business, winning ‘The Pitch’ would provide them with a professional environment where Sarah, Founder of Optical Designs can separate her personal and work life as she doesn’t have a studio to work from. Smithfield Works would also serve as a way for Sarah to be surrounded by different professionals and would allow freedom to brainstorm in a more free and productive way, helping her to expand her commercial and creative ideas.
OSS Enviro Limited
OSS Enviro Limited provide innovative solutions for the detection and quantification of Methane, allowing their clients to monitor, report and repair any leaking equipment to help the Global drive towards NetZero solutions. They use their Optical Gas imaging devices to detect methane from a safe distance, enabling methane producers (just about every single business) to reduce their impact on the environment. OSS Enviro are a growing business, but with marketing and advertising, they aim to target more companies.
OSS Enviro believe that winning the years’ worth of office space at Smithfield Works would serve as a space for clients and a base for them to sit their planned admin and marketing team.
AV Timing
AV Timing provide registration and event timing services to the sporting industry, helping athletes to achieve things they didn’t think were possible. They also provide services for free events, helping to raise funds for Cancer Research and the Chelsea Burley Trust. The business plans to expand from 80 events in 2022, having gone full time in January, to over 100 in 2023. They also have plans to employ staff in both admin and event services.
AV Timings would utilise the stunning workspace at Smithfield Works to focus their working environment, helping to collaborate with like-minded businesspeople through hotdesking.
We would like to wish all these fantastic businesses the best of luck in the next stage of the competition. Each company is deserving of winning our pitch competition and we commend the hard work that each business does, giving back to the local community and making a real difference.
Keep an eye on our social media for the winner being announced!