Birmingham entrepreneur backs TheBusinessDesk.com
THEBUSINESSDESK.COM has announced a new tranche of investment from a successful Birmingham entrepreneur just three weeks after launching in the West Midlands.
Mark Hales, who exited AIM-listed Claimar Care last year, has invested an undisclosed six figure sum into the venture that opened its West Midlands service earlier this month under former Birmingham Post editor Marc Reeves.
TheBusinessDesk.com was founded in Leeds by former Yorkshire Post business editor David Parkin in 2007.
TheBusinessDesk.com has offices in Leeds, Manchester and Birmingham and, employing a total of 17 journalists and support staff, is set to turnover £1m this year.
The service now boasts more than 32,000 registered users across its three sites in Yorkshire, the North West and the West Midlands and their journalists send more than 500,000 email bulletins to business readers every month.
“The opportunity to get involved with an established but still young digital business with huge potential and a great brand and market position was too good to miss,” commented Mr Hales.
“TheBusinessDesk.com has a great reputation within the business and professional communities in its existing regions, and has developed quickly to take the lead in delivering and breaking quality regional business news, and this investment will allow us to further evolve the now proven business model.”
Mr Hales sold his stake in £65m turnover AIM listed care business Claimar Care Group plc in 2009 following 10 years building the company. During this time he
took the business from £250,000 turnover through flotation on AIM to become the fourth largest provider in its market employing over 3,000 people and made a total of 30 acquisitions in the process.
“Mark’s experience of growing a small quality business rapidly will be very valuable to us, and he will be a welcome addition to an already very experienced board,” said TheBusinessDesk.com founder David Parkin.
“We have great ambition, and Mark’s backing and expertise will help us move the business forward and take advantage of some of the many opportunities that are opening up for us in an exciting time for regional business media, both in our existing locations but also potentially in new regions,” he added.
Mr Hales will join David Parkin, finance director Colin Glass and chairman Chris Jones on the board of TheBusinessDesk.com.
