News

IT’S been a year of sustained successes for Cornerstone Business Solutions and now the firm is looking ahead to 2012 with even more ambitious plans for the future.

The Stockton-based company, a leading supplier of IT business critical systems, provides network upgrades, start-up packages and advice on streamlining for established businesses.

It was only founded three and a half years ago but in the past twelve months the firm has grown by 65pc – 15pc more than predicted – tipping its turnover towards the £1m mark.

A new online shop was launched in August saving new start-up businesses money thanks to a selection of software and IT ‘bundles’ on offer. The site – www.cheap-accounting-software.co.uk – also offers Sage software at 35pc less than it would cost from Sage direct.
Cornerstone’s workforce has increased steadily throughout the year and now stands at 12 – with another two staff members starting in the last couple of months.

Paul Harland, IT technician, and Dave Crofts, software analyst, are settling into the growing team and further recruitment is planned for the New Year as the firm seeks more engineers to help meet growth demand. The business will also be searching for a dedicated account manager for its expanding client base.

The success and growth meant a need for bigger premises and last summer the firm left its small shared office space and moved to the prestigious MAP House at Preston Farm Industrial Estate.

Managing director Chris Petty, who was crowned the 2011 Face of Entrepreneurship for Middlesbrough in the Entrepreneur’s Forum, says: “We’re delighted with the progress and to be able to report we have grown 15pc more than predicted,” said Mr Petty.

“We always knew we had the right offering and high levels of customer service to give business what they need and we just want to keep building and building on our success. New contracts are in the pipeline already for 2012 so we are already starting our next recruitment drive. We are confident our growing team will achieve great success next year.

Cornertone’s strategy is to help businesses with hardware, up-to-date software or implement a more integrated way of working. It supplies the expertise, advice and that vital back-up and aftercare.

“It’s been a fantastic year and in 2012 we look set to pick up the pace even further,” he said.

The firm’s enviable client list includes Butterwick Hospice, The Map Group UK, Camerons Brewery and Middlesbrough Football Club. It also partners with global technology brands such as IBM, HP, Microsoft, Cisco, Sage and BT – to provide robust and reliable support for business critical systems.

Cornerstone Business Solutions Ltd now has its own advice column featured in the Evening Gazettes Business Section

Cornerstone are very proud to have an advice column in the Evening Gazettes Business Section.

This column features on a bi weekly basis and gives information on I.T. & Telecom subjects with some useful tips to help you get the best out of your technology.

Cornerstone are thrilled to become a Corporate Partner.

Cornerstone have become a Butterwick Corporate partner and have chose Butterwick as their main charity to support.

Chris Bibby was presented the Butterwick Corporate Plaque at an exiting event held at Wynyard Hall. Upto now Cornerstone have taken a table at one of the charitys black tie events at Rockcliffe Hall and have also entered a team into the charity golf day at Rockcliffe Hall.

We are looking to help out at many more events and are in discussion with Butterwick on a few of our own fund raising events

Cornerstone were recently chosen to look after all of the Hopsices IT requirements around the North East

STOCKTON-based Cornerstone Business Solutions has added two new members of staff to its growing team and is already in search of further talent.

STOCKTON-based Cornerstone Business Solutions has added two new members of staff to its growing team and is already in search of further talent.

The company – which was founded by Chris Petty in June 2008 – has predicted a 50pc increase in last year’s turnover which will see the firm hit the £1m mark. Developments in the firm, which has more than double in size and has won scores of industry awards, could see the current workforce of 10 double in the very near future.

Darren Hall, 34, from Redcar, joins the firm as IT technician bringing with him more than 12 years experience. Apprentice Hayley McCleary, who is 16 and from Thornaby, has joined the team as business administrator. The firm is now actively seeking another sales person and an engineer.

“I am delighted to be working with such a progressive company like Cornerstone, it’s a great move and I hope to add value to the business,” said Mr Hall.

Through a number of strategic partnerships and sub-contracting deals – details of which cannot be disclosed at this stage – Cornerstone’s turnover is set to grow to a staggering £3.5m in the next two and a half years and will see the company’s client spread go UK wide.

Mr Petty, who was crowned the 2011 Face of Entrepreneurship for Middleborough in the Entrepreneur’s Forum – If We Can You Can campaign – was determined to create a company which specialises in helping other businesses work smarter.

Cornerstone – which has recently moved from small, shared office premises to the prestigious MAP House at Preston Farm Industrial Estate, now employs 10 staff and boasts an enviable client list including Virgin Vie, The Map Group UK, Coors and Middlesbrough Football Club.

The company partners with global technology brands such as IBM, Lenovo, Microsoft, Cisco, Mitel and BT – to provide robust and reliable support for business critical systems.

For more information about CBS and the benefit it can provide to businesses please visit www.cornerstonebs.co.uk or call 0845 2232400.

Wow more award success Cornerstone were shortlisted for three awards at the North East Business awards, these were Service, Small Business and Newcomer of the Year.

Wow more award success

Cornerstone were shortlisted for three awards at the North East Business awards, these were Service, Small Business & newcomer of the Year.

The night went very well with Cornerstone taking first place for the Service Award again another service award for the hard work thats been put in to change the service in the I.T./Telecoms industry. Cornerstone then went on to come runners up on the other two awards.

Cornerstone Business Solutions have won two awards at the Best New Business Awards.

Cornerstone were shortlisted for the Service award which they went on to win. The service award means a great deal to Cornerstone as the business is focused on offering the best service by far in the I.T. industry and this award goes to prove we are doing something right.
Cornerstone also scooped the top award for the night out of all of the categories to be named “The Best New Business in the Tees Valley”

What a week it has been on the awards front! We’re so proud to have been shortlisted in the Newcomer of the Year, Service Award and Small Business categories of the North East Business Awards.

We got the call today from the sponsors of the categories to give us the good news and now we’re all excited and looking forward to the Awards Dinner on 25th March at Teesside University. The winning companies from each of the sub-regional heats (not applicable to Best Creative Business and Not-for-profit Organisation of the Year Awards) will go through to the Regional Final of the nebusiness awards which will be held at Hardwick Hall Hotel on Thursday, 29 April 2010.

The regional business award format is now in it’s 10th year. It is a tried and trusted formula that offers a consistent benchmark for judging performance.

Since 2000, over 2,500 different companies in the North East have entered one of the Award categories. That is a fantastic endorsement of the event and shows that the event really means something to the business community. Companies of all shapes and sizes, and in all sectors, get involved.

We at Cornerstone are all very pleased to announce that we have been shortlisted for another award regarding our vision on customer service.

The Best New Business Awards 2009, sponsored by Middlesbrough Council will be held at Middlesbrough Football Club on the 22nd Febrary 2010. We’re particularly happy that the category is the Service Award because when we started Cornerstone Business Solutions it was purely on the basis of offering the best I.T. Support by far in the North East which would be highly focused on customer service, friendly supportive engineers and a commitment to give the customer a true I.T. service rather than an insurance policy.

We must be doing something right for the judges to shortlist us for this award which makes us very proud. We will keep you updated on the progress, lets hope all our hard work pays off.

A TEESSIDE business has done a deal with Sage which has led to the acquisition of a new IT product and has enabled the company to create an additional revenue stream.

Cornerstone Business Solutions (CBS), based in Thornaby, wanted to build on its successful product portfolio by offering clients IT accounts support.

The company, which specialises in helping businesses work smarter, carried out an audit of its own business and realised it could work more efficiently by obtaining access to key Sage accountancy software. This would save the business money and is a service that could be extended further to its clients.

The process of gaining accreditation from Sage, which usually takes three-four months, was simplified as both companies had previously worked together, and resulted in CBS attaining the prestigious Sage Business Partner certification quicker than anticipated.

Chris Petty, managing director at CBS, said: “We pride ourselves on the fact that regardless of the size of businesses that approach us, we have the services and expertise to suit their needs. Nonetheless, after an internal audit we realised there was scope not only for us to work more effectively and save money in the mean time, but also to offer our customers an additional service.

“Following this we carried out research with potential clients and they agreed that Sage accountancy support would benefit them and influence the decision they made in terms of what business support company they wanted to work with. This led us to take steps to become a Sage Business Partner.”

The accreditation is a key milestone for CBS in what has been a hugely successful first 12 months for the business.

Deborah Hails, Business Partner Manager from Sage, said: “As soon as we met Chris and his team we knew they could really add value to their own business, and that of their customers, with our IT software.

“As a newly launched business CBS has achieved an incredible amount of success in such a short space of time. They want to remain leaders in their field and were astute in identifying areas that would create a competitive differentiation for them. We didn’t think twice about supporting them as we knew it would immediately benefit them and us.”

The business, which was launched eight months ago, smashed its 12-month turnover target within the first 12 weeks and is continuing to go from strength-to-strength. Mr Petty said: “We knew we had to create a solid foundation to the business if we were going to make the impact we were keen to achieve.

“We carried out several months of research into the needs of business in this region, spent a lot of resources training staff up to our exacting standards and assessing well-targeted opportunities for developing the business.

“It is these three aspects of our business that we believe set us apart and enable us to continue to grow; that and the fact we are nice people.”

A Local business solutions company with a month-on-month sales growth has announced plans to expand its team by 25pc within the next two months.

Cornerstone Business Solutions (CBS), based in Thornaby, will create three new appointments in its sales, IT and Telephony departments after 6 recent contract wins.

CBS – which specialises in helping businesses make its telephony and IT systems work smarter – has seen an increase in demand in recent months as business try to make themselves as efficient as possible in a bid to save money.

Chris Petty, director of CBS, said: “As a director of a recently launched business I understand the pressures facing businesses within this current climate.

“This empathy, as well as a great product, has enabled my company to attract and support others in the region to work smarter, retain and grow contracts and ultimately save money.

“The plan to expand our team is something we are very excited about and is another key milestone in our company’s first year.”

Since its launch, CBS has increased its client base by 30 pc and is adding an average of £12k per month to its turnover and smashed its 12-month turnover targets within four months of its launch in June 2008.

The company employ 7 staff across 3 departments including sales, service and telephony.

Mr Petty attributes the success of his business down to the ability to tailor CBS’s products to the needs of the industry its clients work in: “We do not believe in the one size fits all approach.

“If businesses are to remain competitive they need to ensure every aspect of their activity is as streamlined and efficient as possible – this changes in every industry and in fact every company.

“We take a tailored approach to all our customers and allocate an account manager to each client who knows everything there is to know about their client’s business. That way we continue to add value every step of the way.”

For more information about CBS and the benefit it can provide to businesses please visit www.cornerstonebs.co.uk or call 0845 223 2400.