AN ONLINE training and assessment company is poised for further expansion after taking office space at Business Central Darlington and has nostalgic reasons for moving to Central Park.
Elamb, founded by Mark Wilson in 2007, creates and delivers eLearning and online assessments and his recent move to Business Central had his father digging out the family’s photo albums.
Mark comes from a family of entrepreneurs and in the 1800’s his great great grandfather Robert Wilson, who was Mayor of Darlington, along with ED Walker, a chief clerk at Darlington train station had the foresight to set up stalls on the platform of North Road station selling newspapers and books to the passengers.
The company’s Head Office was built on the land Business Central now occupies and 3 generations later, ED Walker & Wilson was sold to John Menzies in 1985.
Mark has chosen to return to the site with his own business, explaining the journey back to his “roots”:
“At university I did a dissertation on the Hair & Beauty industry, and after five years in financial sales in London, I wanted to start my own business.
“Salon Owners who helped me with my dissertation started calling me up to ask for my advice on business matters so in a way I fell into becoming a business mentor to the industry.
After a couple of years I couldn’t grow my business any further as I had no more of my time to give…although I was earning less than I was in London, so I started delivering my support via e-learning, and from there my business just took off.
Focusing mainly on the Hair & Beauty and Hospitality sectors we took on clients such as InterContinental Hotel Group, Q Hotels, TONI&GUY and L’Oreal.
“I started signing 5 year deals with customers which gave me the confidence and necessity to expand.
“I needed to attract high quality people to join me and I found that Darlington was the right place, as proved when taking on a sales director, Mark Ackers who lives in Newcastle but catches the train to work.”
“When I first visited Business Central I had to wear a hard hat and once the build was complete I kept reading about others moving in, and to be honest I was envious and felt a strange pull to the site.”
“There are many benefits to being at Business Central, for me it is the proximity of the train station making it easier to attract high quality team members. We have customers in Doncaster and Hull so instead of driving I now jump on the train as it’s so much easier. Some days I even bike in as the Centre has bike storage and shower facilities, which is great. Not to mention I can walk into the town centre.”
Vanessa Wood, centre manager added:
“It was fantastic to welcome Mark to our centre and also fascinating to learn about his family’s history with the site. Business Central is more than just a building now it has become its very own business community and I look forward to seeing Elamb prosper from here.”
Business Central is located in the Central Park Enterprise Zone, Darlington. The North East Business and Innovation Centre (BIC) is working with Darlington Borough Council and the £6.6 million project has been supported with funding from the European Regional Development Fund and the Homes and Communities Agency. Intimation was selected to brand the building and bring it to life.
For more information on the space available please call the team on 01325 526 006
