Welcome to South Yorkshire Investment Fund

Note from Tony Goulbourn - Chief Executive of South Yorkshire Investment Fund Ltd
Since achieving the £10m funding landmark towards the end of 2004, South Yorkshire Investment Fund has already achieved another milestone at the start of 2005 when the amount of funding invested passed the far from unlucky £13 million mark. Our investments – both as equity linked deals or straightforward loans – aim to back growing businesses and support job creation by supporting successful companies. We are also seeking to nurture and encourage new businesses which are springing up across the region..............................

Welcome...
Welcome to the latest edition of Profile which details our continuing progress at South Yorkshire Investment Fund. This issue details how the Fund has continued to thrive and support local companies in South Yorkshire. And, as you can see from the article opposite, we have recently passed a significant milestone in the Fund’s development............................

Fund passes the £10m mark in support of business
South Yorkshire Investment Fund achieved another milestone when the amount of funding for companies in the region passed the £10m mark.Reaching the £10m landmark is a major milestone for SYIF and also reflects a significant shift in the nature of business in the region since the Fund was set up in 2001 to bridge the funding gap which often stifles business growth............................

Hydra Mining at the cutting edge thanks to Fund
The Fund completed its 100th Small Business Fund loan by supporting a Rotherham-based company that has developed a world-first cutting system that is set to revolutionise coal mining around the world. The £100,000 loan to Hydra Mining Tools International Ltd., which was formed from a management buy-out in 2000, will enable the firm to launch and market a new cutting system after ten years of development..........................

Business Link: An Intermediaries View
Business Link South Yorkshire, working closely with SYIF, helped Barnsley-based Bartec Auto ID get ready for its break into the US Market. Business Adviser Roger Gilbert comments. Business Link South Yorkshire set up a special business support programme called Invest for Growth2 (IFG2) to offer advice and funding to ambitious, dynamic businesses with innovative project ideas in high growth industry sectors...........................

Hotel gets face lift with SYIF support
The Regent Hotel, a Doncaster landmark, has been given a new look following support from the Fund. SYIF provided a £40,000 Small Business loan to Regent Hotel (Doncaster) Ltd to enable hotelier Mike Longworth to complete a three-year £1m refurbishment scheme of the hotel which stands on Regent Square............................

IT Installations gets wired for further growth
A Sheffield-based company that has installed cabling systems for state of the art communications technology at Buckingham Palace and 10 Downing Street is continuing to grow with the help of a £75,000 loan from the Fund. Formed in 1995, IT Installations Ltd provides design, management and installations of structured cabling system, including fibre optics, to a range of markets and is a pioneer of Smart Home Technology..............................

Johnson Engineering set to create five new jobs
Entrepreneur Ian Mcintosh is seeking to further expand his Sheffield engineering company with the support of the Fund. Johnson Engineering Ltd has already significantly expanded the range of products and services it offers since Mr. McIntosh acquired the business 12 months ago.................................

Booler Bio Fuel gets motoring
A local small business made its first major sale just weeks after winning the support the South Yorkshire Microloan. Booler’s Bio Fuel was set up by Richard Booler to produce bio-fuel which can be used in place of, or as well as, traditional diesel, in most diesel engines. The fuel, made out of vegetable oil, is cleaner and much better for both the engine and the environment..........................

Hefty financial catch for Penrose Angling
Sheffield-based company Penrose Angling Systems Ltd has netted a £40,000 loan from South Yorkshire Investment Fund. Managing Director Mark Penrose started manufacturing high quality tubular metal wars for anglers in 1994 in a small workshop in Attercliffe, Sheffield. The company has since grown in size and reputation, relocating to an 8,000 sq ft complex in the Waleswood industrial area............................

High flying air services company’s growth
An £800,000 investment by the Fund in a successful air services company has paved the way for the purchase of a fleet of four additional helicopters required to fulfil a new multi-million pound contract. Total Air Management Services Ltd, (TAMS) is an expanding company launched in 2001 by Managing Director, John Ticner, and Training Driector, Mike Cricton-Kan, who are both experienced South Yorkshire Police helicopter pilots, and Frances Tickner, a former Despatch Manager with south Yorkshire Ambulance Service.............................

Download the newsletter here as a PDF file (111 kb - may take 2 mins to download on a 56.6 modem)
(Note: You will need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader to view PDF files. Please download it from here www.adobe.com)