Norse Group’s chief operating officer Nick Maddox explains why it’s so important for larger businesses to support SMEs through initiatives such as the Norfolk Business Festival, which runs from April 15-26.
Norfolk has long had a thriving business sector, with a large number of small- and medium-sized enterprises.
The reasons for this success include an entrepreneurial mindset; strong education establishments; supportive local authorities; and a well-established business infrastructure based around a number of large companies in several sectors.
The key to success for Norfolk businesses is to make use of these benefits, and to ensure that opportunities to trade further afield are taken.
We’re proud to support the Norfolk Business Festival. As one of Norfolk’s leading companies, and one of its largest employers, we believe that we have a duty to contribute to the local business community.
In particular, we want to help smaller companies – of which Norfolk has many – to grow,
and this festival will provide a springboard for them to develop.
What sets Norfolk’s business sector apart, and gives us an advantage over many other
parts of the UK, is the diversity of our economy, combined with an entrepreneurial spirit which shows itself in the number of start-ups and small businesses.
The county has huge strengths in retail, tourism, transport, agriculture and financial services. It is also home to the world-class Norwich Research Park, and the UEA, one of the best universities in the country. This thriving business infrastructure, along with exceptional quality of life, helps attract new companies and sustain the diversity of the sector.
Working together, and in particular sharing knowledge and experience, will enable smaller companies to develop their skills and to open up new markets. It is especially important for the larger organisations such as Norse Group to offer their help – and where appropriate, resources – and to create an environment where Norfolk businesses work together to achieve common goals.
Promoting Norfolk and its business sector will assist in meeting the challenges of staff recruitment and retention, skills development, supply chain issues and expansion into new geographical areas and markets.
Norse Group is wholly owned by Norfolk County Council and provides a wide range of services, primarily to the public sector.
These include property (architecture, estate management, consultancy), waste and environmental, highways, school meals and transport, facilities management and building repairs, as well as NorseCare’s residential homes and housing with care schemes.
Norse has developed a pioneering partnership model, creating joint venture companies with local authorities across the UK to deliver frontline and professional property services. This accounts for some 60pc of the group’s turnover; the rest comes from commercial trading, competing in the market for contracts.
Unlike most companies, surpluses are returned to the public purse rather than private shareholders, providing major benefits for the community.
And most of Norse’s trading is outside of its East Anglian heartland, with joint venture partnerships across the UK.
This expansion has led to the creation of high-quality jobs at its head office in Norwich, and profits being returned to Norfolk, supporting the local economy.
The group’s mission is “improving people’s lives” – with a strong focus on achieving net zero, creating social value and helping our people develop.
Norse Group’s blend of business knowhow and public service ethos has been dubbed “ethical commercialism” by the head of a leading thinktank, Jonathan Werran, and it is the cornerstone of our continuing expansion.
Turning the spotlight onto Norfolk’s business sector through the Norfolk Business Festival will undoubtedly benefit our companies and the wider community, promoting the county as a great place to live, work and succeed.
The two-week Norfolk Business Festival runs from April 15-26 and will include free-to-attend events, bringing sectors together and sharing information to help Norfolk to continue to thrive.
The festival is sponsored by Norse, and supported by Norfolk Chambers of Commerce and Norwich BID.
To view the list of events and find out more about getting involved, click here.
For more information on Norse Group, click here.
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