AN ENTREPRENEUR who helped a former North East soldier build his own business has been recognised for his efforts.
Mark Bryce has been named the Journal’s Supporter of the Year in the If We Can, You Can Challenge for helping Matt Atkinson grow his Blyth-based document management company Cleardata.
After serving 10 years in the British Army, Atkinson was faced with the challenge of looking for a civilian job.
Despite being advised to follow a career in personal security and protection, he wanted to find his own way. As a qualified IT services analyst, he got a job with IT services firm Computacenter, and left 10 years later to become head of information services at Newcastle software giant Sage.
After working as a freelance consultant he joined Cleardata six months ago as director of the solutions division to develop a range of paperless solutions and services, and plans to grow the business quickly.
Bryce, owner of Gateshead-based office equipment firm United Carlton, was nominated by Atkinson.
Bryce said: “I met Matt a few years ago while he was between jobs and instantly recognised that he had the perfect personality and attributes to make a great entrepreneur.
“I encouraged him to think about being his own boss and even introduced him to my twin brother, David, who was thinking about expanding his business ClearData. Soon after Matt had invested in ClearData and is now a director in the business.”
“It’s important for emerging entrepreneurs to have support and the best way is to be able to bounce ideas with another experienced entrepreneur. That way they can avoid some of the mistakes that can be made early on.”
After its fourth successful year, the If We Can, You Can Challenge continues to present this special tribute to acknowledge those who support entrepreneurs as they aim to build successful businesses across the region.
Among the nominations were inspirational family members, key figures from the region’s support organisations and fellow entrepreneurs who provided advice and support when the going got tough.
Atkinson said: “I am so happy that Mark won the supporter’s award. He has been done a great deal of work helping businesses in the past and I think this is the first time he has been officially recognised.
“Without his advice, I would not be where I am today. He has helped push me in the right direction and helped me achieve my goals a lot quicker.”
