news – Blueprint Media

I’m staying AAA, but I’m being driven towards the AAAA By Dr Sheila O’Neill

Blueprint Media — Tue, 16 Jul 2019 14:34:32 +0000

We wrote this piece for Dr Sheila O’Neill, chief executive at Glasgow Medical Rooms, www.glasgowmedicalrooms.com. As a result, she appeared on the front cover of the April 2017 issue of Scottish Business Women magazine. Jargon busting pieces always go down well with reporters who like to keep copy as readable as possible. Read and enjoy our writer, Ron Clark’s, creativity.

Picture details: Sheila O’Neill

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I’m staying AAA, but I’m being driven towards the AAAA By Dr Sheila O’Neill

Jargon gets a bad press but, let’s face it, we all use acronyms and short cuts to find the most efficient routes of communication with other professionals in our field. It may sound like gobbledegook to outsiders, but it makes sense to us.

Until, that is, you change professional horses – and, of necessity, terminology – mid-career and suddenly you can find yourself in a snafu*, or if things get really complicated, perhaps they will even be fubar.**

That is the unenviable position I find myself in after setting up this summer as one of Scotland’s newest independent general practitioners and one of only two private GP practices in Glasgow city centre.

My previous life – and, believe me, it feels a lifetime ago – was entirely spent with the NHS as a partner in an inner-city practice in Glasgow. We had our shorthand and our codes, many of which it might be advisable to draw a veil over here.

But now I am a businesswoman, and while I am quickly getting up to speed (should that be UTS?) with KPIs, RoI, SaaS, SEO and all the rest, there is a terrible potential for total confusion with the old medical terms.

For instance, there is not a single sharp-suited MBA out there who is not comfortable with CRM as customer relationship management. But for me, it is still Crown-to-Rump Measurement, the standard technique for sizing up a new-born baby.

Similarly, though I know that a problem in the CPU refers to the central processing unit in my technology set-up, it still sets my heart racing because my first thought is that it’s the Cardio-Pulmonary Unit.

And I do feel awful about my PR company, which has smoothed many of my un-businesslike edges, but whenever anyone mentions PR, I still think – forgive me – of Per-Rectum.

The list goes on. ABC will always be Airways, Breathing, Circulation to me, but more than one sales person has pointed out that it is actually their mantra – Always Be Closing. Who knew?

ERP may mean enterprise resource planning to most of the business community, but I don’t think it’s unreasonable if my mind skips naturally to Endoscopic Retrograde cholangio-Pancreatography.

Never mind. I’ll just have to work on my MI – that’s management intelligence, not myocardial infarction. I shall remain AAA (that’s Alive, Alert, Aggressive, not Abdominal

Aortic Aneurysm) and perhaps I’ll even sign up to the AAAA (Association against Acronym Abuse).

Personally, I think it may be ABCD (Above and Beyond the Call of Duty) but I’m sure I’ll have it right by COB.

* – situation normal, all fouled up

** – fouled up beyond all recognition

Dr Sheila O’Neill is the founder of Glasgow Medical Rooms.

DM Hall boosts its focus on the North with appointment of Caithness-based residential surveyor Lesley Coghill

Blueprint Media — Fri, 12 Jul 2019 16:00:32 +0000

Summary:

The importance of a story about hiring new staff, especially in strategic locations, can never be underestimated. Lesley Coghill’s appointment was a straight forward appointment story to reinforce the reach of DM Hall’s www.dmhall.co.uk residential property services in the far north of Scotland. A list of coverage achieved can be found at foot of the page.

Picture details – Lesley Coghill

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PRESS RELEASE

Date: July 2019

DM Hall boosts its focus on the North with appointment of Caithness-based residential surveyor Lesley Coghill

DM Hall, one of Scotland’s leading independent firms of chartered surveyors, has boosted its expertise in the country’s most northerly mainland region with the appointment of a highly experienced Thurso-based professional who will share her residential property expertise with clients in Caithness, north Sutherland and the island of Orkney.

Lesley Coghill, a mother of two who was born and bred in Caithness, will report into DM Hall’s Inverness office. She is a graduate of Edinburgh’s Heriot Watt University and qualified as a member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) in 2007.

Lesley said: “I’ve only recently joined DM Hall and I’m very much enjoying it. Before I was in professional practice in a self-employed capacity, I worked for a multi-disciplinary firm of Chartered Surveyors and Architects, which had offices in both Orkney and Caithness.

“It’s great to be part of a team again, working towards the expansion of surveying services for the north.”

Graham Forbes, Inverness-based partner of DM Hall, said: “We are very pleased that Lesley has joined us. Her knowledge and experience of the residential housing market in the northernmost part of Scotland and in Orkney is a real plus for our clients.

“We welcome her warmly and trust she will continue to enjoy working with the DM Hall team and imparting to DM Hall clients her first-hand expertise.

“The residential market in Caithness, Orkney and the surrounding area is always active, and though we have always covered the region from our Inverness office, there is no substitute for having a highly experienced local presence.”

ENDS

A version of this story appeared:

Merger of Glasgow printers, Bell & Bain and J Thomson Colour Printers will create formidable new print business

Blueprint Media — Fri, 12 Jul 2019 15:52:16 +0000

Summary:

A heavyweight printing business has been created in Glasgow following the merger of Bell & Bain www.bell-bain.co.uk with J Thomson Colour Printers www.jtcp.co.uk. The headlines focused, rightly, on the statement that all 300 jobs were secure, as well as confirming that the combined annual turnover of the merged group will be £30m.

A tribute to Blueprint Media’s rapid turnaround time, we got the brief for the story at 17.00, just 19 hours before the team at both companies were told of the merger, then drafted, obtained approval and distributed the news release embargoed for noon the next day, just as the teams received their briefings. See list of coverage at foot of page.

Picture details:

From left to right – Stephen Docherty, Bell & Bain; Karen Baillie, Bell & Bain; and Kevin Creechan, J Thomson Colour Printers.

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PRESS RELEASE

Date: July 2019

Merger of Glasgow printers, Bell & Bain and J Thomson Colour Printers will create formidable new print business

A merger which creates a significant new £30m annual turnover business within Scotland’s print industry has been agreed between Glasgow-based printers, Bell & Bain and J Thomson Colour Printers. All jobs at the 300 strong merged group will be protected.

The two merged businesses, which will continue to operate in their respective markets under the guidance of managing directors, Kevin Creechan at J Thomson Colour Printers and Karen Baillie at Bell & Bain, has been created as a result of the sale by Nick Thomson, chairman of J Thomson Colour Printers, of his 100 per cent equity holding in the business to Bell & Bain for an undisclosed sum.

Stephen Docherty, a distinguished print industry executive who took full control of Bell & Bain in 2019, and who will be chairman of the merged business, said: “This exciting transaction offers us the ability to capitalise on our respective strengths to create a major force within the Scottish and UK print industry.

“With our combined resources we will be in a position both to expand our current operations and to invest substantially to create new efficiencies and opportunities for future growth.

“By investing consistently in new technology, as well as in the skills of our merged team, we are very confident about the future for our industry and believe we can make a major impact in the UK print market.”

Nick Thomson, who will continue until the end of the year as a consultant to the merged business, said: “I am delighted that this coming together of two first-class Glasgow-based print companies will create an enhanced business with tremendous potential for growth. It is a meeting of two outstanding businesses which will provide a major boost for our industry in Scotland.”

Founded in 1831 by James Bell and Andrew Bain and based in Thornliebank, Glasgow, Bell & Bain is one of the UK’s premier independent book printers and works with most of the country’s major publishing houses and institutions, including both Oxford and Cambridge universities as well as the Open University.

J Thomson Colour Printers, Scotland’s market leading print provider, is based in the city’s Tradeston district and was established in 1952. It provides a full printing service to a range of large and small business across Scotland and throughout the rest of the UK.

ENDS

A version of this story appeared:

Productivity shortfall being addressed as Elite Training sees turnover leap by 50 per cent to £3.6m from £2.4m

Blueprint Media — Fri, 12 Jul 2019 15:42:44 +0000

Summary:

The media often gets a hard time for reporting only negative stories, but the business pages are usually happier to report success stories. One business to watch is Elite Training www.elitetc.co.uk where turnover grew by 50 per cent in the last year. Its outstanding achievement, secured as a result of winning more work from existing customers, demonstrates that telling the business community about your success is important for your business. As well as reassuring existing customers and highlighting Elite’s appeal to prospective customers, it raises also the morale of the Elite team who get then to tell their networks that they are playing their part in helping to build a highly successful company.

Picture attached: Stephen Docherty, managing director at Elite Training.

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PRESS RELEASE

Date: June 2019

Productivity shortfall being addressed as Elite Training sees turnover leap by 50 per cent to £3.6m from £2.4m

Glasgow-based Elite Training and Consultancy has seen a remarkable 50 per cent increase in turnover to £3.6m from £2.4m in the year to 31 March 2019.

And according to Elite’s managing director, Stephen Docherty, the uplift has arisen not so much from winning new customers, as from securing more training and consultancy projects from existing customers seeking to improve their skills and productivity.

“The training we have undertaken for our clients has been effective in addressing skills and productivity issues and our existing clients have decided to draw down more from our extensive bank of training and development modules”, he said.

Elite was founded in 2006 by Stephen who has a track record in IT development with companies including JP Morgan Chase. The company specialises in understanding its clients’ needs and creating bespoke solutions rather than offering off the shelf courses. It employs a mix of full time and associate staff who provide training to a range of high-profile private and public sector businesses.

He said: “We deliver project management, IT (technical and end user) and soft skills training across the UK but predominantly in Scotland. In recent years we have moved into consultancy so that, for instance, if a client is rolling out a new IT system, we would develop materials, training and a project plan as well as providing administrative support. We deal with projects of all sizes.

“Our main business is conducted with mid-to-large companies and organisations, which are more inclined to invest in training and tend to have cohesive learning development plans. In terms of contracts, we have more with public than private organisations but, as regards turnover, it’s about 50-50.

“There is widespread concern throughout the economy about disappointing rates of productivity, skill gaps and skill shortages, but like others in the training sector, our role is to help address these issues and to propose, then deliver, approaches leading to tangible productivity and skills improvements.

“Our turnover increase indicates that, when training is made available from the right provider, companies and organisations are willing to pay a sensible price to secure the productivity improvements that follow.”

ENDS

A version of this story appeared:

Document Data Group and Ivory Solutions sign merger agreement to form new force in Scotland’s document management sector

Blueprint Media — Fri, 12 Jul 2019 15:27:42 +0000

Summary:

A fast-growing business in a dynamic industry merging with a smaller competitor tends to attract attention from business, local and trade media. As a result, Document Data Group www.documentdatagroup.com, a specialist in print and document management solutions, will now have a wider footprint across Scotland as a result of its merger with Ayrshire-based Ivory Solutions. As well as appearing in the websites – see list of coverage at foot of page – local newspapers, including the East Kilbride News and the Ayrshire Post ran the story both online and in their print editions.

Picture details:

From left to right: David Forsyth, Document Data Group, and Ian Ivory, Ivory Solutions Ltd.

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PRESS RELEASE

Date: June 2019

Document Data Group and Ivory Solutions sign merger agreement to form new force in Scotland’sdocument management sector

Leading Scottish print and document management companies, Document Data Group and Ivory Solutions Ltd, have merged to forge a major new force in Scotland’s document management sector.

The newly merged business, which unites an extensive range of specialist expertise in print and document management solutions under one roof, will trade as Document Data Group.

Ivory Solutions Ltd is an Ayrshire-based family-run business whose Director, Ian Ivory has 40 years of experience as an independent provider of managed print and IT services for commercial and professional organisations.

Since completing its own MBO in January 2012, East Kilbride headquartered Document Data Group has seen significant organic growth, becoming a solution-driven company assisting companies with print management, paperless office, workflow and encrypted storage solutions as well as improving office processes for SME and larger SME businesses.

David Forsyth, Founder and Managing Director of Document Data Group, said: “The merger creates huge opportunity to promote our successful software solutions portfolio into the Ivory customer base. That, combined with improved service and support software, makes it a win-win situation for all concerned, most importantly our customers.”

Ian Ivory said: “After thorough and lengthy discussions, Document Data Group is the only company I would have considered working with. Its commitment to customer service and continued investment in the latest document and print management technology are second to none in the industry. I very much look forward to working with them.”

On 31 May 2019 Document Data Group won the accolade of Lanarkshire Best Business (11-50 employees) at the Lanarkshire Business Excellence Awards.

ENDS

A version of this story appeared:

Lettings arm of Newton Property Management bought-out by founder’s nephew, Riccardo Giovanacci

Blueprint Media — Fri, 12 Jul 2019 14:52:19 +0000

Summary:

Management buyouts are perhaps not as frequent as they once were but are usually interesting enough to attract media attention. The hook for this MBO was that it concerned a moderately well-known Glasgow family business and benefited from a strong image which highlighted the engagement of three generations in the property sector. It was important too that the story appeared in print and online not only in local media as a means of informing existing and prospective clients but also in targeted property and business titles – see list of coverage at foot of page.

Picture details:

From left to right: Riccardo Giovanacci, William O’Neill, and Stephen O’Neill.

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PRESS RELEASE:

Date: April 2019

Lettings arm of Newton Property Management bought-out by founder’s nephew, Riccardo Giovanacci

The family-owned lettings business of long-established, Glasgow-headquartered Newton Property Management has been bought out by management executive, Riccardo Giovanacci.

The business, which manages over 500 units on behalf of around 350 landlords in Glasgow and outlying areas and as far afield as Edinburgh, employs five full-time and two part time employees. All of them will transfer over to the new company which will operate from its current premises in Glasgow’s Port Dundas Road. The new company will continue to trade as Newton Lettings.

Joint Managing Director, Stephen O’Neill, who is Mr Giovanacci’s uncle, started the Newton business in 2001, after successfully selling-off his first letting business, O’Neill Property.

Riccardo’s grandfather, William O’Neill, had worked in the industry since the 1950’s, running one of Glasgow’s first estate agents in the city’s West End.

Mr Giovanacci, a property professional who started his career with Newton 13 years ago then held senior positions in estate agencies in London and Glasgow before returning to the company, said: “I am delighted that we have been able to reach a win-win agreement with the shareholders of Newton Property Management.

“My priority is to reassure our landlord clients that the same high-quality service they have enjoyed in the past will continue. I anticipate that by increasing use of technology we will be able to build on this solid base over the coming months and years.

“It is also my firm intention to expand and develop the lettings business throughout Scotland. There is a vibrant market out there for rented property and I see that only increasing in future. We want to have our new Edinburgh office up and running within the next two years.”

Stephen O’Neill said: “When Riccardo returned to Newton, it was clear he was very talented and ambitious. This led to a conversation on his acquisition of the lettings business. I am very pleased that we have concluded the transaction and that the company, its employees and clients are now under his highly capable management.”

Joint Managing Director, Derek MacDonald said, “Riccardo will continue to trade as Newton by agreement. We would not have granted permission for this unless we were convinced that Riccardo can not only maintain standards, but enhance the Newton reputation and brand.

“I wish Riccardo great success in future and I am convinced that he will go on to make Newton Lettings an even more formidable presence in Scotland’s property lettings sector.”

ENDS

A version of this story appeared: