North East business support group UMi has become a B Corporation and bought new offices for its headquarters.
The Seaham-based firm, which is an employee-owned business, has become a certified B Corporation after meeting evaluation on criteria in areas including governance, environment, workers, community and customers. B Corp Certification - which has been achieved by around 1,000 companies in the UK, and is administered by the American B Lab - aims to recognise ethical business practice in the way firms treat their employees and suppliers.
UMi chief executive Nicki Clark said: “Since our inception we have been focused on the difference we make as a business, not just how financially successful we are. Achieving B Corp status gives us the external validation that we are a business committed to our purpose and putting people and planet in equal importance with profit.
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“I’m really looking forward to meeting more of our fellow B Corps and playing our part in encouraging more and more businesses to get involved in whatever way they can.”
Meanwhile, the company has acquired new offices with the purchase of Allergate House in Durham, with plans to improve its energy efficiency and bring it up to Grade A office standard. As well as providing a base for its own activities, UMi plans to create space at Allergate House into a collaborate hub for local businesses to use.
Ms Clark said: “UMi’s investment in our office space reflects our ethos as an employee-owned and responsible business, focussing on the long-term and creating a positive impact in the world around us. Our new space enhances our ability to deliver upon our ambitious plans to support businesses across the UK with advice, finance and wider assistance to help make doing business easier.
“We know businesses of all sizes are feeling the effects of the rising cost of trading, so at the core of our new office is a workspace for the local business community, at an affordable cost, fostering collaboration and helping our business community thrive.”
UMi dates back to 2007 and was formerly known as BE Group. The organisation runs a number of business support schemes and worked with The Journal on the Let’s Grow job creation programme. It says it has worked with more than 500,000 businesses across the UK, helped to leverage more than £650m of private sector investment and helped businesses to create or safeguard more than 40,000 jobs.
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