'Can do' mentality makes Eliot Park a great place to do business

Eliot Park Innovation Centre is principally, as its name implies, a place of industry: a home for hard graft from people working away to power small businesses and, thereby, the economy locally and beyond.

The business centre, owned and run by Warwickshire County Council in Barling Way, Nuneaton, is full to capacity at the moment, housing 37 companies engaged in the business of making firstly a living and then, of course, a profit.

That's a serious business.

But it doesn't mean that Eliot Park is a dour or joyless environment.

There is a really positive vibe about the place - a tangible can-do mentality among both tenants and the four-strong staff team led by manager Duncan Haldane.

"I really do enjoy the variety of the role," said Duncan. "We have the whole gamut of businesses here - from a taxi company to aircraft software development, from healthcare design and build to automotive development, even nationwide six-a-side soccer leagues.

"We have great tenants, really talented, hard-working people full of enterprise and creativity, and it's really rewarding to see them succeed.

"There is never a dull moment because every day, and normally every hour, is different. The spread of companies is so broad that their needs differ and continually change so life is never dull.

"There is a no blame culture within the team. Although we like to think we run things pretty well, we are human and sometimes do make mistakes, so when that happens, we discuss how we can learn from the mistake and implement a solution to reduce the risk of a repeat. Remembering that few people go out of their way to deliberately make errors, we just get on with it, as a team. The only real mistake would be to keep making the same mistake.”

Duncan has managed Eliot Park, which opened in 2005, since 2008. Having always lived in Warwickshire and West Midlands, he knows the patch well and, with experience of running a business, he understands the needs and pressures it entails.

In fact, he is essentially still running a business. Eliot Park is owned by Warwickshire County Council, a local authority, but cannot be a drain on council resources. It operates tightly along business lines, rigorously monitored, with a healthy customer-base expected and a profit demanded.

"It is run very much as a business," Duncan said. "That always comes with a few worries but if you are consistent, offer good value and, most importantly, listen to your customers  then there's no need to worry because people will recognise and appreciate the added value.

"It's the same with any business - if you focus on customer care and treat customers as you would like to be treated yourself, together with delivering  the services they want, you will make money. It's a ‘win win’ situation.

"As manager here, it's my responsibility to deliver full value for the residents of Warwickshire, some of whose money went into setting up the centre, and to our tenants to whom we want to give the best possible service. We run our budgets very tightly and spend the centre's money as if it were our own.

"I remember, not long after I started working here, we had some contractors in and I could tell that they were thinking 'ah - local authority, we can charge what we like.'

"When I told them ‘you will need a sharp pencil to be competitive and offer good value to be successful’ you could see the colour drain from their faces. I think there was a time when local authorities were perceived as a bit of a soft touch - but that's no longer the case."

That ethos applies at all of Warwickshire County Council's business centres - Eliot Park, Centenary, Hammond,  Bermuda, Church Lawford, Pool Road, Smallbrook and Sir Frank Whittle.

Eight business centres which Warwickshire County Council, through the likes of Duncan and his colleagues, are busy running  to help small businesses become established, grow, prosper, provide employment opportunities and ultimately contribute to the economic growth of Warwickshire.

"We are proud of the service that we offer and the team works very hard to deliver it," Duncan said. "We are not here to interfere, and some of our tenants need minimal help, but most do take advantage of the broad range of business support available, from access to finance to manufacturing best practice and using social media to effectively promote your business and lots more.

"Basically, we are here to help when required - a user-friendly landlord offering non-onerous and very flexible business terms."

 * For more information about Eliot Park Innovation Centre and all of Warwickshire County Council's business centres, visit https://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/businesscentres.