Fastest 50

Dec 7 2007

ENTREPRENEURIAL spirit is alive and flourishing here in our region.

And the Fastest 50 celebrates and showcases the very best of the dynamic North-east economy.

Companies that make it on to the listing have plenty to shout about.

They are taking great strides in a whole range of different sectors and making their mark not just in the region and the UK but across the world.

These are the region’s pace-setters who represent the driving force behind the progress of the region.

The Fastest 50 is compiled by northern law firm Ward Hadaway and was first launched in 1998.

For the last decade it has acted as a key business barometer, charting changes in the make-up of the region’s economy.

This year more than a quarter of list is made up of firms from the Tees Valley.

Local stars include Garlands Call Centres - ranked at number 13.

The company employs about 3,500 staff across sites in Middlesbrough, Stockton and Hartlepool.

It is also creating a new contact centre in South Shields which could create up to 1,000 jobs.

Whessoe Total Automation of Darlington is ranked at 14.

Specialising in marine industry and instrumentation solutions, this company has more than 30 years’ experience in the field and operates a worldwide network of agents from its base in the Tees Valley.

Hartlepool’s Camerons Brewery has been brewing beer since 1865 and has been going from strength to strength since it was bought out by the current owners in 2002.

Brands include Strongarm and Castle Eden Ale and the company also runs a chain of tenanted pubs.

This year it takes the number 16 spot.

Companies on the list are selected from the table of the fastest growing profit-making, private, regional companies, based on a combination of sales growth and profit.

Information is compiled by researchers at Durham Business School using data which is publicly available from Companies House.

Growth is assessed on a percentage increase based on the difference between sales turnover and profit before tax figures filed for the last three years.

A weighting is applied to the growth figures. To qualify, companies must be trading entities and have turnover in excess of £1m in the last three years of filed accounts, which are up to date as at July 31, 2007.

Private limited companies which are subsidiaries of listed companies do not qualify.

Subsidiaries of foreign-controlled companies are accepted if they have headquarters or a decision-making function in the region.

To view the fastest 50 list, vist www.nebusiness.co.uk