UKSE West Midlands team get businesses moving with cycle networking programme

The UKSE Staffordshire Networking On Two Wheels meetings incorporate fresh air, fitness and the opportunity to build a network of like-minded contacts.

Organised on the second Tuesday of each month, the events will begin at different locations and cover a range of routes.

The rides are being organised by UKSE’s West Midlands area manager Steve Grice and regional executive Mike Lowe as part of their drive to draw upon their wealth of experience in the financial services sector to engage with a wide network of companies.

The August gathering, held on August 8, began at the base of welding equipment specialists Shindaiwa UK in Four Ashes. As well as Shindaiwa, which sponsored the event, the companies represented included BDO and Q Financial.

The next event will take place on Tuesday, September 12 at 2pm starting in the village of Colwich on the edge of Cannock Chase.

Steve Grice said: “We are delighted to bring together a range of colleagues from the West Midlands business community to network while cycling, which is both a healthy and sociable way to engage with peers. UKSE is set up to encourage economic growth while making a positive impact on wellbeing so the Networking On Two Wheels contributes to our goals.”

Mike Lowe added: “It was great to be joined by contacts from the region’s business community so we look forward to seeing new faces come along to be part of future events.”

Tom Page of Shindaiwa said: “As a keen cyclist this is just the sort of networking event I’m looking for and we were happy to sponsor the coffee and cake stop. It’s great to meet a like-minded group of business people.”

Providing strategic loan and equity packages of up to £1m to generate growth, create local job opportunities and bolster the economy, UKSE’s local team was recently set up to support SMEs across Birmingham, the Black Country, Coventry, Staffordshire and Shropshire.

UKSE is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tata Steel UK with a mission to enable and encourage businesses and the people behind them to create jobs, grow and prosper, within communities affected by current or historic changes in the steel industry and its jobs.

UKSE supports the local economy by making equity investments, ensuring management stays in control of the business and offers a flexible exit policy. Unsecured loans up to £200,000 are also available, often without the need for personal guarantees.

UKSE provides investment in a range of scenarios including business acquisitions, management buy-outs, company expansions or the purchase of new equipment. Since it was established in 1975, UKSE has invested over £110m, supporting 7,650 businesses, stimulating the creation of an estimated 81,000 new jobs. To sign up to the September event go to: www.trybooking.com/uk/events/landing/44730