"The Greatest"

© Christina Jansen

Probably one of the most haunting and touching pictures you'll see this year.  The unmistakeable profile of Muhammad Ali at the Olympic Stadium - reflected in a portrait by Lola Nicol.

Lola, who lives in Brora, Sutherland, is a recently-supported PTYBS business and was commissioned to produce a piece to commemorate "The Greatest's" 70th Birthday.  The painting is part of a major exhibition being held at the Smokehouse Gallery in London.

Link to Lola's website: 

Link to PTYBS/PSYBT:

Report: Socio-Economic Impact of Dounreay Decommissioning

For statistics fans, HIE have released a survey of the economy in Caithness & North Sutherland (mainly Caithness) based on the effects of  the Dounreay redevelopment.

"The study - "The Socio-economic Impacts of Dounreay Decommissioning" - was commissioned by Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) and Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd (DSRL) from Grangeston Economics as a follow-up to a previous study from 2006. It examined economic data as well as surveying Dounreay workers, contractors and local supply-chain companies...."

Link to HIE Website and Report Download

Sutherland Show 2012

We'll be setting up the Business Gateway stand at the Sutherland Agricultural Show this coming Saturday - 21st July. That's me and Marianne Ross, the Business Gateway Employment Adviser.  If you're at the Show, come and have a chat.

Elphin Music Festival

 This coming Saturday (14th July) sees the Elphin Music Festival being held in and around the Elphin Community Hall.  There's an incredible amount of entertainment  - culminating in a performance by The Naked Strangers and other great acts.

For more info. about the Festival, follow this Link

Armadale Salmon on Film

Armadale Salmon (Link) on Sutherland's North Coast are the subject of a recent documentary film produced by New Moon Films

"Armadale Salmon Fishing is a family firm based in Bettyhill, a small village on the north coast of Scotland. Owner James Mackay has built up the fishery over the past 25 years and the company is now entering its third generation of the family..."

To see a clip from the film, follow this link: Video

SCDI Business Excellence Awards

We've been asked to pass on the details of this year's SCDI Business Excellence Awards being held in Inverness on 14 September 2012:

"...The SCDI Highlands and Islands Business Excellence Awards provide a unique platform to showcase the achievements of the region's organisations and celebrate excellence in a wide range of sectors. The event is a highlight in the Highland Business calendar attended by over 340 guests drawn from across the business and economic community.

We are delighted to announce that Andrew Dixon, Chief Executive of Creative Scotland, will be the guest speaker at this year’s Highlands & Islands Annual Dinner & Business Excellence Awards. ....with after dinner entertainment provided by Hugh Dennis, and the evening hosted by the BBC broadcaster Sally Magnusson, the evening promises to be one to remember. 

Entries are currently being sought for the following award categories:

Benromach Award for Excellence in International Business This award will be presented to the organisation, based in the Highlands and Islands, which can best demonstrate a track-record of outstanding achievement in the global marketplace.  

The Crown Estate One to Watch Award for Excellence in a Marine Business This award will be presented to the small marine business, based in the Highlands and Islands, which can best demonstrate emerging growth potential and innovation. This should be supported by evidence of business performance, environmental care and sustainability and may also include local community involvement.  

Global Energy Award for Excellence in People Development This award will be presented to the organisation, based in the Highlands and Islands, which can best demonstrate its commitment to developing the skills of its employees. 

Highlands and Islands Enterprise Award for Excellence in Research and Innovation This award will be presented to the organisation, based in the Highlands and Islands, which can best demonstrate the application of Research and/or Innovation to improve their competitiveness.  

ScotRail Award for Excellence in Business Service & Engagement This award will be presented to the business, in the Highlands and Islands, which has had the greatest impact on other businesses or their sector through innovative service or engagement. 

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency Award for Excellence in Environmental Sustainability This award will be presented to the business or organisation, based in the Highlands and Islands, which can best demonstrate its commitment and overall approach to improving its environmental performance and resource efficiency.

SCDI Highlands & Islands Chairman's Award for Oustanding Business Achievement This award will be presented to the company, based in the Highlands and Islands, which best demonstrates having made a significant positive contribution to the regional economy...."

All the event details can be found here: Link

Business Gateway - Specialist Teams

In Business Gateway Highland & Moray we've just formed a few specialist teams from within our ranks looking at key sectors to the Highland econonomy.  I'm on the "Creative Industries" and (unsurprisingly, some might say) the "Food & Drink" teams.

The aim is not to substitute for any of our hard-working partner organisations but just to find a way of finding out what's going on in each of these sectors, identify the key players and then passing this information on to our colleagues and clients. Similarly, each team can pass on details of Business Gateway activities to the relevant suppoprt agencies; hopefully avoiding duplication and gaps.

The Creative Industries group had brief meeting yesterday and we were pleased to welcome Gordon Brown of "Brown's Gallery" who gave us some pointers about existing support provision, his own concerns and his work with North Highland Connections.

If anyone out there connected with the Creative Industries (or Food & Drink sector) wants to make any comments about how Business Gateway can help or just wants to keep us posted on any events and activities, please don't hesitate to contact me.

Business Gateway Music - Fiona J MacKenzie

Fiona J MacKenzie has just released her brilliant album "Archipelago" and is touring to promote it.  The tour includes Kenya, New Mexico, the Scottish Parliament  - and Lochinver Village Hall on 21 August 2012.  For more details and a quick listen to the album, visit Fiona's website.

EBG 2012 - Slovakia

So we're safely back from Slovakia after a fantastic European Business Game centred in Čadca; enjoying the hospitality of the local school, its staff and students.

Out Team:  Gabby, Freya, Gemma, Kari and Elise at the Final...

This year's EBG featured teams from Italy, Czech Republic, Croatia, Faroe Islands, France, England, Slovakia and, of course, Scotland.  The Overall winner was the Faroese Team " Grasstastic" but the Fortrose company "ScanIn Life" was a  very worthy runner-up.
 
A programme of visits and activities included a tour of the amazing KIA Slovakia site (for a taste of what we saw follow this link) and places of cultural significance including Strečno Castle (below)

The Team at The Castle

The completely incorruptible judges..

Thanks to our hosts for making this event so memorable...

For more information about EBG in Scotland, contact Kenny MacInnes, our National Project Coordinator.