My Yorkshire: Vince Middleton, Newburgh Precision

Rotherham engineering boss Vince Middleton has created a hi-tech method for companies to do business together – and keep business in the Sheffield City Region.

IntraSale, an online business referral platform, has been a decade in the planning for Middleton, chairman of award-winning Newburgh Precision, internationally-renowned manufacturer of engineering components and assemblies, which has a sister company, Newburgh Engineering, based in Bradwell in the Peak district.

He is one of the best-connected businessmen in the region but says he rarely has time to network – or make connections via the thousands of business contacts amassed over the years.

As a result, he developed IntraSale as a secure, members-only
online referral and recommendation tool with the aim of helping businesses flourish.

The online site is operated from Sheffield Business Park.
Where do you live/where are you from?

I live in Ashbourne but have strong South Yorkshire roots. I was educated at All Saints School in Sheffield from the age of 11 and chose to site Newburgh Engineering in Rotherham in 2004 after identifying the Sheffield and Rotherham region as being a place where
people with the skills we needed were plentiful. I’m very proud of our factory there.
What is your favourite place to visit in Yorkshire and why?

That’s easy. The Advanced Manufacturing Park in Rotherham. I’m there most weeks.

There are so many exciting things going on there. I learn new things at every visit. It’s a huge pooling of minds, ideas and visionary people who all want to do things differently and make things better. And my Rotherham company Newburgh Precision, of course.
What is still on your “to do” list in the region?

To succeed in encouraging Sheffield Council to be more pro business and embrace the huge benefits a commercial business has on the wider community and the local economy.

On my personal list, I’m a keen fisherman and need to explore more of the trout rivers in Yorkshire. I need a heads up on where to go, though.
What is the most memorable meal you’ve ever had in Yorkshire?

One of many Master Cutler’s Balls at the Cutlers’ Hall in Sheffield. All have been so exceptional for so many reasons…. The history and the elegance of the building and its magnificent interior, the discussions I’ve enjoyed around the table with like-minded engineers and manufacturers all wanting to make the region better.
What is your most Yorkshire trait?

I’m as resilient and persistent as any Yorkshireman. But the old adage about Yorkshire folk being canny with their money – which I don’t know is true or not, doesn’t apply. I don’t keep an eye on my money and am definitely not one who needs wealth. I really don’t see the point in holding on to it. I’m a very relaxed person; is that a Yorkshire trait too?
Favourite piece of trivia about the region.

I don’t retain trivia. I’m useless at it. I can’t ever remember a joke, either. Though I’m proud of some Yorkshire facts which are most definitely not trivial. One being that Sheffield FC is the oldest football club in the world and the other being that Hallam FC is the oldest ground. The rules of football were born in Sheffield. And that’s not trivial at all.
What is your favourite cultural icon to come out of Yorkshire?

Without a doubt, the Made In Sheffield brand. The invention of stainless steel in Sheffield, and the cutlery-makers and iron and steel specialist put the city on the world map for excellence and ingenuity. And there are many equally talented companies who proudly bear the Made In Sheffield mark today.

But when it comes to an iconic statue, this region doesn’t have one. Gateshead has the Angel of the North. I would dearly love to see the Steel Man sitting and gazing from a Rotherham hillside out over the Sheffield cityscape. I’m one of a group of supporters – engineering companies, manufacturers, entrepreneurs and professionals – who have been rooting for Sheffield sculptor Steve Mehdi’s statue for several years now.

A century ago, an affluent and influential steel manufacturer would have funded it and done it.
First experience of Yorkshire (for non-Yorkshire folk)

Traipsing around Sheffield’s best-loved department store Cole Brothers when I was little with my mum – and wondering what the big red button was in the escalator. I pressed it to find out. It was the emergency stop button. The escalator full of passengers ground to
a halt and thankfully no great harm was done.. That’s a budding engineer for you; always wanting to find out what things do.
Worst experience or thing about Yorkshire?

There seems to be an old belief that all business leaders are out to exploit the workforce – rather a Victorian view in my experience. Times have changed since the 70s and 80s and so have a lot of managerial beliefs and styles.

All people employed in a business or organisation should want it to succeed and prosper, for their own future and that of the region and the generations to come. It needs everyone to work together and agree to common visions and values which everyone can buy into. Working together could make the region exceptional.

What is one thing you’d steal from Derbyshire if you could?

The drive to work when I travel from Ashbourne to Bradwell. The open roads had beautiful countryside either side and the drive is a joy. I now have to go up the M1 to get to Rotherham.
What is the most overrated thing about Yorkshire?

Its belief that it is one place, its own state. It’s a huge county with very distinct regions within it. Yorkshire should embrace local enterprise partnerships which can work together, but are tailored to the unique economical environment and needs of each city.

Also, although Yorkshire people are known for their friendliness, when it comes to promoting each other workwise, we are not good at it.

That’s why I developed IntraSale, a referral and recommendation tool. Members recommend the business people they trust to businesses and professionals who are looking for a job to be carried out by someone reliable and talented.