Category: Local Business News

Member News – Ethiopia coffee trip helps Leo (24) go for career and tackle anxiety

SABC Secretary
Leo Hector learning about coffee production in an Ethiopian forest.

A 24-year-old Fife coffee professional in training overcame issues with anxiety to organise his first solo foreign trip – to learn about coffee in Ethiopia and work towards a career as a green coffee buyer.

 

Leo Hector, from Ladybank, landed a job at social enterprise We Are Zest Café in St Andrews after impressing on an eight-week post-college work experience placement during which he gained more control over his anxiety. The self-funding ethical café provides training and paid work for people with additional support needs to help them learn valuable work skills and maintain or achieve employment.

Leo developed a passion for coffee after learning more about it from owner Lisa Cathro, who’s a member of St Andrews Business Club.  After he set himself a career goal to become a green coffee buyer, Lisa suggested he go to Ethiopia to learn further on one of the coffee tours organised by her friend Joost Leopold, a Speciality Coffee Association trainer and coffee expert.

‘Very beneficial’

So, in September, Leo set about organising the 10-day trip after he got the backing of his parents. The group set off on October 27 and after, arriving in Addis Ababa, they spent a day visiting coffee related places including the Ethiopian coffee exchange (ECX) – the Government market place where coffee is traded nationally and internationally.

They later visited a centre where the beans are graded, a storage facility, plantations and got to pick coffee cherries. Leo even got a pat on the shoulder from a farmer – which means he picked well! The group also visited Mankira forest, the location where the first coffee tree was found, and sampled different varieties. Leo and the group also learned about the financial side of buying and exporting.

“For someone who wants to be in this industry, the trip was very beneficial,” says Leo. “This trip has given me more understanding of coffee processing and lots more on the economics of coffee trading.

“I’m going to continue developing my coffee knowledge and gaining more experience, so I can find a job where I can increase my portfolio and get a foothold in the industry.

Grateful

“I’m so grateful to Lisa for giving me that opportunity! Lisa is someone who will help to get you where you want to be. She’s made me believe in myself and my capabilities to go forward in life and for that I’m truly thankful.”

“Putting the coffee aside, I learned that I can’t take anything for granted because we can get what we want when we want it but Ethiopian people can’t. Seeing it first-hand has changed my outlook on life – not to take things for granted and to appreciate everything I have.

“One of the highlights for me was visiting a wild coffee plantation which grows in the cloud forests in Kaffa. It was stunning and just listening to the owner talk so enthusiastically about how coffee should be grown and how people should respect the coffee more was inspiring.”

Lisa Cathro says: “The whole Zest team are really proud of Leo for pursuing his goals and pushing himself to keep learning and developing. I have no doubt Leo will get to where he wants to be career-wise and we’re happy to have played a part in his journey.”

Joost Leopold said: “Leo shared a great interest in the coffee trade. Maybe one day in future he will be a green coffee buyer. Leo showed lots of enthusiasm during the trip and it was obvious that this experience was a crucial step for him.”

For more about We Are Zest, go to http://wearezest.co.uk 

North-East Fife 2019 – business influences to be revealed

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Gordon Mole, Chief Officer, Business and Employability, Fife Council (left) and Professor Brad MacKay, Vice-Principal, International, Strategy and External Relations, University of St Andrews, will speak at St Andrews Business Club on January 16.

People doing business in North-East Fife can hear about the likely effects on the economy of North-East Fife of major factors such as Brexit and The Tay Cities Deal at a St Andrews Business Club event on January 16.

 

In the event, to be held at the Old Course Hotel from 5.30pm, Gordon Mole, Chief Officer, Business and Employability, at Fife Council and Professor Brad MacKay, Vice-Principal, International, Strategy and External Relations at University of St Andrews, will talk about what they believe 2019 will and may hold for St Andrews and North-East Fife which will affect businesses and for which they need to have a plan.

Gordon Mole is responsible for employability, economic development, economic policy, town centres and tourism and is the council’s business lead for Brexit. He has worked on economic development and employment initiatives for major construction programmes including London’s Shard of Glass, Heathrow Terminal 5 and Tate Modern, and as Employment and Brokerage Manager for Crossrail.

Prof MacKay is Professor of Strategy in the University of St Andrews School of Management and was appointed Vice-Principal, International Strategy and External Relations, in August 2017.

Prof MacKay’s responsibilities include oversight of the development of the university’s institutional strategy (2018-2023) for the post-Brexit era and development and management of practices and policies related to strategic relationships national and international including membership on a range of government and sector-wide committees and delegations

Anyone wishing to learn about this important business topic, as well as network, is asked to book via Eventbrite.

A full list of this season’s events can be found at http://bit.ly/StABCEvents.

Member News – Directors become owners at West Port Print & Design

SABC Secretary
Retiring founder Terry Scanlon (left) is presented with his Auchterlonies vouchers by Stephen and Claire Simpson.

St Andrews businessman Terry Scanlon is handing over his ink roller to swap printing for more putting and poolsides in the sun after 35 years running West Port Print & Design and 54 years in the print trade.

 

Terry (69) started the business in 1983 with just two staff and one small, single-colour press after learning his trade over 18 years with the University of St Andrews Printing Department.

Over the years West Port’s reputation for quality fuelled its growth and in 1997 it bought its first full-colour press and was one of the first to offer a ‘while-you-wait’ colour copy service. Since then the business has expanded to a staff of 12 and continues to advance through embracing the latest technologies for its clients, many of which are prestigious locally-based brands such as the R&A, St Andrews Links Trust and the Old Course and Fairmont hotels.

For customers the story is ‘business as usual’ because the new owners are existing directors Stephen and Claire Simpson. Stephen, a Member of St Andrews Business Club, joined the firm in 1997 and became a director in 2008. He and Claire aim to continue the firm’s growth.

Expanding

While they’re expanding its services, Terry plans to be hitting the fairways and travelling to Portugal with his wife Catherine (who used to help out in the shop on Saturday mornings) more often, where he enjoys golf, cycling and eating fresh fish by the sea. His retirement gift? What else but Auchterlonies vouchers!

Speaking about hanging up his printer’s apron, Terry said: “It has been a blast for 54 years. The changes in technology have been unbelievable!

“I must thank all my staff for their hard work and my customers for their loyal support over the years. I hope they’ll support Stephen and Claire just as much.”

Stephen Simpson said: “Terry’s legacy in building West Port Print & Design to the high standing it now enjoys now has to be acknowledged as a phenomenal achievement. Claire and I have a very hard act to follow, but we’re keen to build on the reputation we’re inheriting.”

For more information about West Port Print & Design, go to its website at www.westportprint.co.uk

Festive Social – V&A Dundee

SABC Secretary
Members of St Andrews Business Club and their Guests are shown around the building by one of the tour guides.

Thanks to Members and Guests for attending the Club’s 2018 Festive Social at V&A Dundee – the No.1 choice of Members in the Summer Member Survey.

 

It topped off a record year for the Club perfectly – with a new record attendance for an event!

Best wishes for the festive season to all our Members and the wonderful people who make St Andrews and North-East Fife the uniquely amazing place it is.

For more photos, go to the Album on our Facebook page.

Report & Pictures by ASM Media & PR

NEXT EVENT: The Club’s next event is January 16: North-East Fife 2019 when Gordon Mole of Fife Council and Prof Brad MacKay of the University of St Andrews will give their insights into the business environment next year, including the effects of Brexit and the Tay Cities Deal.

INTERNSHIP VACANCY – Marketing Communications Intern

SABC Secretary

St Andrews Business Club is looking to appoint a new Marketing Communications Intern.

While this is not a paid position, any out-of-pocket expenses incurred on Club duties will be reimbursed and the successful candidate will have the opportunity to enjoy the following benefits:

BENEFITS

  • Training from experienced professionals, mainly Alan S. Morrison, President – https://www.linkedin.com/in/alansmorrison/
  • Practical experience of real-life marketing communications with measurable results to add to your CV
  • LinkedIn Recommendations from Committee members – https://standrewsbusinessclub.co.uk/about-us/committee/ – if overall job performance has met an agreed standard
  • Introductions to useful career contacts and potential employers if overall job performance has met an agreed standard
  • Opportunity to network and make useful career and personal connections at Club events, free of charge

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

ESSENTIAL

Facebook

–  Create Facebook Event for each Club event (using approved text and photos supplied by main Comms person/Event speaker contact) – about 10 minutes per event before start of season, which runs September to June.
Some already created will require updating once details decided. Picture will be supplied at right spec to fit perfectly. Intern could create in photo editing software if they’d prefer to have that learning experience.

– Schedule Facebook Business page posts to promote each event – 20 minutes every 3-4 weeks through the season.

– Schedule daily Facebook posts once a week – 1.5 hours per week. Involves curating posts by Club members and speakers as well as creating a weekly #MemberMonday post. Links can be supplied. Tuition and content strategy will be supplied. Opportunity for intern to devise creative original content that drives more engagement.

– Optional – ‘Social listening’ – checking Facebook notifications daily for any comments to the page which require a reply and responding accordingly or flag to Club Comms person. 10 minutes maximum per day.

– Optional – Creating and adding content to a Facebook Album for each event – uploading images (supplied unless intern wishes to learn event photography too) as well as linking it to the event report on the Club website. 30 minutes per event.

Twitter

–  Schedule tweets in Hootsuite – https://hootsuite.com – to promote each event using Eventbrite link and photos supplied by main Comms person/Event speaker contact. Intern will create their own free Hootsuite account and relevant permissions will be granted to schedule Club tweets. Training will be provided. 30 minutes per event, every 3-4 weeks during the season.

– Scheduling two tweets to share the link to the Facebook Album and 4 of the photos from it after each event, which finish 9am, 2pm, and 7.30pm. 15 minutes per event every two weeks during the season.

– Schedule a weekly #MemberMonday post – best done a month at a time – 10 minutes for each as involves taking a screengrab of their website and using that as the photo. Also searching for their social accounts to tag – so they get a notification and share it. 4 a month, year-round. Intern would be requested but not required to do this during their holidays.

– Optional – Retweet Members tweets and ones by Local and Fife groups we have friendly links with and have created Twitter Lists for – once a day, 1pm for 10 minutes [N.B. Timing important for maximising views].

– Optional – ‘Social listening’ – checking Twitter notifications daily for any comments which require a reply and responding accordingly or flagging to Club Comms person. Best done in Tweetdeck via web browser (free). Expert tuition on its use will be provided. 10 minutes maximum per day.

Website

  • Editing content on Club’s WordPress site – training will be provided. Maximum of an hour every two weeks.

Attending Committee meetings – one every 2 months in the evening 5.30-7pm.

DESIRED MARKETING TASKS

  • Eventbrite – event creation & management. Training and content will be provided – 30 min per event listing twice in season. 10-12 events per season is target.
  • MailChimp – marketing email creation & scheduling –  two per event during season. Training and content will be provided.
  • Optional – PR – news copywriting, researching using Cision media database, media-spec picture formatting, pitching & coverage checking training for PR undertaken every 2 weeks during season. Scope and time could be agreed with successful candidate.
  • Project – to increase new memberships and membership renewals – time could be agreed with successful candidate.
  •  Attending Club events – to assist with running of each event – roughly one per month. See schedule at https://standrewsbusinessclub.co.uk/events-st-andrews-business-club/

REQUIREMENTS

  • Interest in marketing communications, ideally targeting a career involving or related to this.
  • Facebook – must have own account – Admin permissions for Club page will be granted. No prior knowledge or experience of using a Facebook Business page required – training will be provided, attitude more important.
  • Twitter – some prior experience would be useful, but training will be provided
  • LinkedIn – must have a profile on this platform
  • Fluent written and spoken English
  • Must have access to image editing software
  • Must be able to read and edit documents in Microsoft Word
  • Should be able to access Dropbox for sharing of documents and files.
  • Must be professional and flexible in way tasks are completed and time is managed
  • Desire to learn and be guided by experienced professionals essential

HOURS REQUIRED

See above, but once season launched total typically at least two hours every two weeks. Actual weekly hours will depend on how much successful candidate wants to learn and take responsibility for.

Will be more during period building up to season launch, but hours for that can be agreed with successful candidate.

START DATE & LENGTH OF INTERNSHIP

The start date and length of the internship will be agreed with the successful candidate.

SUPERVISION

The intern will be supervised and trained directly by the Committee member with primary responsibility for Club communications (currently the Vice-President, Alan S. Morrison) but also by other members of the Committee when attending events and Committee meetings.

HOW TO APPLY

Application should be made by email to secretary@standrewsbusinessclub.co.uk with:

  • Subject Line “Marketing Communications Intern Application”
  • CV attached
  • Body text of email describing why candidate is applying and why they would be suitable for the role.

A shortlist of candidates will be selected for brief interview in St Andrews w/b 28/1/19.

CLOSING DATE: Sunday 13/1/19, 23:59

 QUERIES: Any queries about this role should be emailed to the President, Alan S. Morrison, on asm@asmmediaandpr.co.uk

Want to know more about what this internship is like? Here’s a blog by our first Marketing Communications Intern, Comora Love-Mitchell.

SGM + William Dowson, Bank of England

SABC Secretary
William Dowson, Bank of England Agent for Scotland, shared the Bank of England views on the current economic climate, interest rates and the business environment, as well as explaining his role and talking questions at the event held by St Andrews Business Club at The Old Course Hotel. Pic: ASM Media & PR

In our latest business learning event at the Old Course Hotel, William Dowson, Bank of England Agent for Scotland, shared the Bank’s views on the current economic climate, interest rates and the business environment as well as explaining his role and talking questions.

Thanks to him for sharing his time and expertise.

Mr Dowson became Agent for Scotland in 2010. He joined the Bank in 1995 and was a Senior Manager in the Bank’s Foreign Exchange Division before joining the Agency Network.

He has held a range of analyst and management positions in the Banking, Financial Stability and Markets areas at the Bank.

William has a BSc in Business Studies and an MSc in Finance, both from the University of London.

NEXT EVENT: The Club’s next event is December 12: Members & Guests-only Festive Social at V&A Dundee.

Business Breakfast – Effective negotiation skills

SABC Secretary
Andrew B. Brown gave a well-attended workshop in effective negotiation skills in the event held by St Andrews Business Club at The Old Course Hotel.

In our latest business learning event, Chief Inspector (retired) Andrew B. Brown gave a workshop in effective negotiation skills.

 

An internationally-renowned negotiator with specialist knowledge and experience in dealing with kidnap for ransom and hostage/crisis incidents, Andrew’s interactive mini-workshop deconstructed the negotiation process to allow participants to understand active listening skills and how, when they are skillfully applied empathically, they can give strength to persuasion that ultimately influences behavioural change and successful negotiation.

For more information about this subject, you can visit Andrew’s LinkedIn page.

For more photos, go to the Album on our Facebook page.

 NEXT EVENT: The Club’s next event is November 21 – when William Dowson, Agent for Scotland at the Bank of England, will talk about the economy.

Ask The Minister – Lord Ian Duncan

SABC Secretary
Lord Ian Duncan, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Scotland, talked about and took questions on policies affecting business, including Brexit and the Tay Cities Deal, at the joint event held by Fife Chamber of Commerce and St Andrews Business Club at The Old Course Hotel.

Lord Ian Duncan, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Scotland, talked candidly and entertainingly about and took questions on policies affecting business, including Brexit, Trade, the Tay Cities Deal, and Industrial Policy in a joint event with Fife Chamber of Commerce.

 

Thanks to Lord Duncan for sharing his time and views with our Members in this very useful and enjoyable event.

Thanks to Members who attended.

Report & Pictures by ASM Media & PR

For more photos, go to the Album on our Facebook page.

NEXT EVENT: The Club’s next event is a Business Breakfast on November 7, when respected international negotiator Andrew B. Brown, will run a workshop on negotiation skills. This will be a joint event with Fife Women in Business.

Internationally-renowned negotiator to give St Andrews workshop

SABC Secretary
Internationally-renowned negotiator Andrew B. Brown is giving a workshop on effective negotiation to St Andrews Business Club.

An internationally-renowned negotiator who teaches advanced negotiation tactics to law enforcement agencies including the NYPD and the FBI will give a breakfast workshop in St Andrews on November 7.

In the fourth event of St Andrews Business Club’s season, to be held at the Old Course Hotel from 7.30am, retired police negotiator Chief Inspector Andrew B. Brown will deconstruct the negotiation process to allow participants to understand active listening skills and how, when they are skilfully applied empathically, they can give strength to persuasion that ultimately influences behavioural change and successful negotiation.

A negotiator with specialist knowledge and experience in dealing with kidnap for ransom and hostage/crisis incidents, Andrew has been an expert witness to judicial inquiries on the response to hostage taking, including the Lindt Café siege in Sydney in 2014.

Advanced negotiation

A Fellow of the Chartered Management and Security Institutes, he’s developed advanced negotiation and crisis leadership skills for major corporations, public policy and world-class sports coaches.

A Fulbright Alumnus, Andrew continues to teach advanced negotiation tactics to many law enforcement agencies including the NYPD, USMS and the FBI. He is currently the Chief Security Officer of an International NGO specialising in advocacy, accompaniment and education of refugees.

Anyone wanting to learn about this important business topic for business, as well as network, is asked to book via Eventbrite.

A full list of this season’s events can be found at http://bit.ly/StABCEvents.

Full details of all the club’s events, most of which are now open to non-members, go here .

2018 St Andrews Enterprise Week Keynote Event

SABC Secretary

In the 2018 University of St Andrews Enterprise Week Keynote Event, Chris van der Kuyl, Chairman & Co-Founder of 4JStudios and digital entrepreneur, Lizzie Brough, Co-Founder & CXO, Kindaba, Jen Munro, Founder & Managing Director, ISSOS International, and Sam Trett, Founder & Owner, LoCa Bev – Minus 33 shared their entrepreneurial journeys, lessons learned and advice for anyone considering their own venture.

Thanks to them, the Enterprise Week Committee and everyone who attended for making this such a great event.

For photos of the night, go to the Album on our Facebook page.

NEXT EVENT: The Club’s next event is October 25 – ‘Ask the Minister’, when Lord Ian Duncan will talk about and answer questions on policies affecting business.