Latest updates and stories from Bedfordshire Chamber of Commerce and its Members

Currently celebrating its 40^th year, social enterprise Wenta is a remarkable resource for anybody considering starting a business, already running a business, or looking to grow their business.

Dispensing free, impartial business advice, CPD accredited skills training, templates and toolkits, accompanied by free hot-desking facilities, affordable workspace, sustainability advice and access to specialist early stage growth support and funding, Wenta is the helping hand every new and aspiring small business needs to know about – and through its sponsorship of the SME Bedfordshire Business Awards, it’s determined to get the message ‘out there’.

One supplier, one invoice, one request – not for nothing is this the mantra of Luton-headquartered Aegis Support Services.

The company prides itself on being a one-stop-shop for all manner of services that protect people, buildings, and assets – from security and facilities management to hygiene and training, and much more besides.

It was as a best business practices mentor in the early days of his career at Unilever, and later with Panasonic in Japan and Siemens AG globally, that Unisnacks CEO Hyder gained expertise in the areas that would underpin the start-up success of the company he now leads: food production and distribution, and Eastern food culture.

In 2006, Hyder envisioned Unisnacks to - as he puts it - “bring some excitement into the snack business by putting East Asian food in your corner shops, not just speciality stores. Global foods, locally!”

For Surinder Arora, Founder and Chairman of the Arora Group, the project to upgrade and improve Luton Hoo – the hotel, golf, and spa complex with a stunning 18^th century manor house at its heart – is much more than business as usual.

Driving through the gates for the first time, Surinder felt something that, even with his vast experience in the property and hotel sector, he’d never felt before – an immediate sense that the place was, as he puts it, “very special”. And so he bought it - as seen.

At Leighton Buzzard-based Jam Crackers, the team understands that IT is a critical business tool, and that businesses shouldn’t have to worry about how it works – just that it does.

In fact, the business was named – by CEO Richard Latimer’s brother and co-founder – with exactly this objective in mind: “If your IT’s in a jam, we’ll crack it.”

“Rethink the skies” – this is what Bedford-based Hybrid Air Vehicles vows to do with its innovative multi-function aircraft, Airlander. They plan a future with no jets, no pistons, no kerosene, no exhaust pollution. And not a conventional wing in sight!

Paul Kamlesh’s business Copybox enables offices, schools, and other workplaces in and around Bedfordshire to reliably do what they couldn’t survive without: printing, scanning, and photocopying.

Get home safely – this is the mantra that drives everything HR, health and safety, and wellbeing specialist THSP does.

Dealing mainly with construction industry customers, and the inevitably hazardous environments in that sector, the company understands the importance of compliance “across the piece”- as per SSIP (Safety Systems in Procurement) accreditation for example – in ensuring that people are put first.

For Joe Selmes, Headteacher of Bedfordshire special needs school Weatherfield Academy, it’s all about the “I can” – instilling in his pupils the belief that, done their way, achievement, progress, and excellence are well within their reach.

Bedford-based Stuart Amies, of new Chamber member Kenect Recruitment, has a very clear vision of his role. It is not to shoehorn candidates into positions, but to understand and solve employers’ underlying recruitment problem – something they may not themselves be fully aware of.

With over a decade’s experience in recruitment, initially in the specialist education sector, he runs and manages the entire business - covering Commercial, Industrial, Travel, and Recruitment Consultancy.

With the national labour shortage making it increasingly difficult for Bedfordshire businesses to fill posts with suitable candidates, bringing workers in from abroad can be a pragmatic solution, especially as the UK is seen as an attractive professional destination.

Stephen Blythe, Business Manager at Jaltek Systems Ltd., is proud to be part of the Luton electronics manufacturer that has seen its business double over the last four years, and is targeting further ambitious growth across sectors including Automotive & Electric Vehicles (EV), Clean Energy, Medical, and Defence & Aerospace.

Inclusion 365 owner and Chamber member Victoria Dale helps businesses champion Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI), to improve employee wellbeing and business performance, and to help them become an employer of choice.