Bringing Businesses Together
Bringing Businesses Together
Durham Business Group is a non-profit organisation founded in 1981 – originally as “Durham Small Business Club” – to support businesses in County Durham.
Today, the core values that define what we do remain unchanged, focused on the same aim as nearly 40 years ago: to support and champion businesses in our region, from our base at Portland House in Durham.
Durham Business Club – these days welcoming businesses small and large – is our friendly membership organisation, with a programme of regular breakfast and evening networking events.
We also run The Executive Group, a premium level of membership that hosts informal lunchtime events for larger companies in the region.
Finally, we provide office services to clients in the North East and beyond – from office space to rent to registered office addresses, mail redirection, telephone answering and more – under the banner of Durham Office Services.
Our day-to-day operations are overseen by our CEO, Alison Gittins, supported by an excellent team of staff and an elected board of directors.
Back to 1981
Durham Small Business Club, as it was then, began life nearly 40 years ago, back in 1981.
It was set up by a very enterprising chap called Tom Moffat, whose aim was to get local County Durham businesses together to support each other and, where necessary, to lobby local and central government on issues affecting business.
Founding principles
Durham Business Group currently has seven non-executive directors who oversee the focus and direction of the organisation, and help provide the expertise needed to run the business successfully.
Directors are elected for a three-year term, and a third of the board retire each year at the AGM. If they’re particularly good we try and twist their arms to stand again for re-election! Between AGMs, individuals may be co-opted on to the board to provide additional expertise, but they are required to stand for election at the next AGM should their presence be needed longer term.
Growth and change
Like any good business, we have had to adapt to the changing landscape around us.
In 2010, we adopted our current business structure in order to give our own business ventures more visibility. Our company name became Durham Business Group, made up initially of Durham Business Club – always our core reason for being – and the training business.
In 2011, we launched Durham Office Services from our new base at Portland House in the city of Durham, and also celebrated our 30th anniversary with a black-tie awards dinner at the beautiful Beamish Hall.
In 2013, we took the opportunity to sell our training business to another local operator, and the following year created The Executive Group as a premium level of membership for our growing number of larger, corporate members.
Now and the future
Having celebrated our 35th anniversary in 2016, Durham Business Group continues to flourish, and Durham Business Club remains one of the most popular and respected business organisations in the North East region.
This is in no small way because of what Tom Moffat always envisaged, and what we continue to be: an organisation run by business people for business people, with the one major passion of helping businesses in the region flourish.
Indeed, although our name and business operations have changed over the years, our ethos and values are still the same.
We’re still a not-for-profit, social enterprise, owned by our members.
We continue to be one of the best-value membership organisations for North East businesses, with affordable annual or monthly payments, and no hidden extras.
We still have a great board of directors who are elected representatives of those members, and who give their time freely and willingly to provide the direction and expertise we need.
And just like in those early days, we’re run on a day-to-day basis by a small team of the most amazing staff, whose passion is to provide a fantastic service and experience to all our members and clients.
