NW business briefs: OrmIT Solutions; Boost; YourGene Health; Coffee House Stockport; Bee Network; The City Recruiter

A Lancashire business has won a global cash prize from US tech giant Cisco for demonstrating outstanding innovation.

OrmIT Solutions and its cloud-based WiFi Splash Access was overall winner of Cisco’s Sixth Annual Partner Innovation Challenge, beating competition from businesses worldwide to take the $200,000 prize. The Leyland tech business, which employs six people, will now invest the money in more staff and developing new technologies.

Managing director, Tim Ormrod, who founded OrmIT with wife Helen Ormrod, flew out to Miami to be presented with the award by Alex Pujols, a Cisco vice president, who said this year’s innovation challenge, had shown ‘incredible creativity, expertise and pure passion’.

Splash Access has partnered with Cisco since launching 11 years ago and integrates into the global giant’s Meraki cloud. It provides secure internet access at WiFi hotspots in public places at the same time as collecting data for clients. The business has specialised in the high street retail sector in the UK, with Splash Access used by coffee shop chains and restaurants as well as global brands like CK, Tommy’s and Tiffany and Co. The solution is also used at the United Nations and UNICEF.

In the US, Splash Access is increasingly involved in the education sector, linking up with Cisco Meraki in universities across the country. It gives students a home-away-from-home experience, allowing them secure internet access for all their devices. As an example, it serves 45,000 students at Purdue University in West Lafayette and 20,000 at the Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond.

Ormrod said: “We are passionate about Splash Access as a solution that can meet industry and customer demands across a range of sectors and environments to make a positive impact. In giving us the grand prize, Cisco highlighted our enhanced security and user access as well as our user-friendly portal for private and secure communications. To have our work recognised in such a way is testament to the dedication of our team and our continuous desire to innovate. We look forward to seeing our business grow even further as a result of this prize money.”

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LCC representatives and partners

A business support programme aimed at helping Lancashire businesses start, grow and thrive has unveiled a new range of services, thanks to a fresh £3.9m funding deal. The new funding will ensure that Boost; Lancashire’s Business Growth Hub, continues until March 2025, with a potential extension beyond that.

Led by Lancashire County Council, Boost, which celebrates its 10th anniversary in 2023, has supported more than 14,000 businesses since its launch in 2013, creating in excess of 3,500 jobs. The Growth Hub is aiming to support around 1,000 more businesses, in addition to helping 125 new businesses start and create 1,000+ jobs.

The £3.9m Boost programme is made up of contributions from Lancashire County Council (£1.2m), UK Shared Prosperity Fund allocations from 10 partner local authorities, and the Department of Business & Trade (£2.7m). The partner local authorities are Blackburn with Darwen Council, Burnley Council, Chorley Council, Fylde Council, Hyndburn Borough Council, Pendle Borough Council, Preston City Council, South Ribble Borough Council, West Lancashire Borough Council and Wyre Council.

The Boost support offering will include a new Business Support Helpdesk, which offers advice and guidance to anyone thinking of starting a business in Lancashire, as well as businesses already trading in the county. The Helpdesk will provide business owners with guidance on available local, national and sector business support. Boost has also revealed a new Flying Start programme, delivered by Lancashire-based Selnet, and has appointed national business support provider, the Growth Company, to deliver a Growth Catalyst programme, and a Scale to Thrive programme.

County Councillor Aidy Riggott, cabinet member for economic development and growth, Lancashire County Council, said: “It’s been 10 years of impact for Boost and we are firmly setting the dial towards the future with a comprehensive range of services and programmes to help more entrepreneurs and leaders start, grow and thrive, especially those that have not received support from Boost.”

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Lyn Rees

Manchester-based Yourgene Health, part of the Anglo-French Novacyt group of companies, has installed the first non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) workflow in Morocco based on the IONA test at the Centre de Biologie Riad (Laboriad).

By offering this service locally, Laboriad can broaden its offering and provide pregnant women fast, reliable results that reduce the need for invasive tests and the associated stress and anxiety for expectant parents.

Yourgene’s IONA test, offered under the name COSY test by Laboriad, is an advanced prenatal screening test to estimate the risk that a fetus may be affected with trisomy 21 (Down’s syndrome), trisomy 18 (Edwards’ syndrome) or trisomy 13 (Patau’s syndrome). The test can also be used to determine the sex of the fetus. The analysis is performed on a maternal blood sample, using next-generation sequencing technology, with test results available in three days.

Blood samples taken in Morocco are typically sent to countries such as France and Germany for NIPT. Laboriad’s addition of the IONA test to its laboratory workflow allows the company to become a local supplier of NIPT in Morocco, and surrounding regions, broadening access to non-invasive testing in these areas. Laboriad is able to deliver results quickly and reduce the number of failures due to low fetal fraction, which might otherwise occur following shipping delays.

Lyn Rees, executive director, Yourgene Health, said: “Yourgene is committed to delivering best-in-class NIPT solutions and continues to be a leading player in the global NIPT market and a trusted provider. We are very proud, once again, to be contributing to patient care where it is needed and to be the first to bring NIPT to Morocco through our partnership with pioneering companies, like Laboriad, who are at the forefront of clinical testing in the region.”

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The Coffee House is coming to Stockport this month, located in the former Clintons store in the square of Merseyway Shopping Centre – it’s 18th outlet across the North West.

The Coffee House was started in 2011, in the small Cheshire village of Lymm, by two brothers, Chris and Stephen, who set out to change the way people eat, drink and relax in their local communities. Each of their stores feature a signature interior design, with exclusive wall murals that pay homage to each location. The Stockport store will have a bespoke wooden counter, handmade by the brothers’ father, industrial-style furnishings, ambient lighting and seating for up to 80 people, to create a modern and relaxing environment.

Victoria Nichol, centre manager at Merseyway Shopping Centre, said: “There have been so many exciting new openings across Stockport town centre and we’re thrilled The Coffee House has chosen Merseyway as its latest location. Bringing a new lunch and coffee spot into our town, we’re confident The Coffee House will be popular amongst our shoppers.”

In a Warrington-based central production facility, the business produces its speciality coffee in a state of the art roastery, creating a medium roasted and well-rounded blend. As well as coffee, the business also has a variety of teas, hot chocolates, milkshakes and iced drinks, as well as food, from breakfast muffins, toasties, paninis and wraps, to sandwiches, salads, and a range of homemade cakes and pastries.

Chris Shelmerdine, from The Coffee House, said the business had aspired to open a store in Stockport for some time, adding: “We can’t wait to open our doors to the community very soon and offer a really nice environment for people to relax and spend time with friends and family.”

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Lancashire Fusiliers tram

Serving and former members of the military can travel for free on Metrolink and Bee Network bus services on both days of Remembrance this weekend.

Transport for Greater Manchester’s (TfGM’s) offer will be available on Armistice Day on Saturday, November 11, and Remembrance Sunday on Sunday, November 12, as a gesture of thanks to war veterans and those currently serving in the Armed Forces.

In addition, the Lancashire Fusiliers tram will display poppy wreaths in its drivers’ cabs on both days in tribute to military heroes past and present. All tram services will pause at 11am on Saturday and Sunday to observe a two-minute silence in line with commemorative events across the country. Members of the Armed Forces already get free off-peak travel on Metrolink as part of TfGM’s commitment to the Armed Forces Covenant.

Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, said: “I’m proud that in 2014, GMCA became the first combined authority to sign the Armed Forces Covenant as part of our commitment to ensuring that no member of the military is placed at a disadvantage as a result of their service. Members of the Regular and Reserve Armed Forces already have access to free transport on Metrolink as part of the Covenant and I’m pleased to confirm that this offer is extended to veterans and cadets on both tram and franchised bus services this weekend.”

Free travel is available on Metrolink and Bee Network Buses, to any serving personnel in uniform, or with proof of a military ID card, veterans wearing medals or veterans’ badge, and cadets in uniform attending remembrance services over the weekend.

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Kyle Wilding

Manchester-based recruitment firm, The City Recruiter, has broadened its horizons by venturing into the US, with plans to recruit additional personnel and position itself as a global player with offices in Washington and Florida, leading to the recruitment of four new staff.

With the successful launch of its American operations, the Manchester-based recruiter said it is well-positioned to play a vital role in connecting talented individuals on a global scale.

Heading up the firm’s US division is Kyle Wilding, who is recruiting for both private sector and government roles. His main focus is on positions that require security clearance and some of the roles the firm is recruiting for include cybersecurity analysts, cybersecurity engineers, system administrators and incident management teams.

Mr Wilding said: “Expanding into the American market is a bold, strategic move that reflects our commitment to reaching a broader audience and providing our services to a diverse range of clients. The market is renowned for its dynamic and diverse business landscape. Our decision to enter this market aligns with our vision to tap into new opportunities and contribute to the global economy.”

Company director, Nick Ryan, said: “Our entry into the US market marks an exciting chapter in our journey. We are committed to serving the talent needs of this dynamic market. As we expand our horizons, we eagerly look forward to the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead, and to a future where The City Recruiter becomes synonymous with excellence in the recruitment industry, both in the UK and the US.”