It’s a blessing for the Mashes at a Microbrewery in Bishop Auckland, at the official opening of the Black Paw brewery by the Bishop of Durham.

In a short ceremony to open the Black Paw Brewery in Bishop Auckland, The Right Revd Justin Welby, Bishop of Durham gave a short address of welcome and comment on the fact that this was only the ninth Micro Brewery he had been to, the previous eight had all been on the same day many years ago on a trip to Basel in Switzerland whilst he worked in the Oil Industry.  

The Bishop was given a short tour of the Bishop Auckland brewery and shown how beer is made from the raw ingredients, through the mash tun, ageing and final barrel filling.

Bishop Justin said: “It's a delight to support local businesses in any way that I can; it particularly nice that this one is one my doorstep. In our current  troubling economic climate it really encouraging to see small businesses starting up and making a go of it. There is so much that small businesses can do to get our economy going both locally and nationally and I welcome this opportunity to support them.”

Brewery Owner Phil Whitfield started the business in mid 2011 when he decided that it was time to quit his then day job in the NHS to give his dream of being a micro-brewer a spin. He said:” I might have seemed like a risky move to start a small business in an economic downturn, but I just felt that I didn’t want to get to retirement age and look back and think what if? He added: “If this country is going to get out of this economic plight that it finds itself in, we will need more small businesses like this to lead the charge; as it is these businesses that form the backbone of our economy. “Bishop Auckland has a really strong local business ethic and I am pleased to be part of it.”

Local CAMRA committee member for mid-Durham Gerry Vickers said: “The Black Paw brewery makes very good, very consistent beer and it is good to see microbreweries being formed and this is an example of one done very well.

I came across this very interesting survey in the eblog Social Media B2B marketing and have reproduced it here:

From a recent article in B2B marketing According to a B2B social media survey by Pardot, B2B cloud marketing automation software provider, even though 95% of B2B companies report using social media (a number that strikes me as way too high), nearly half of them (42%) have received no leads or can’t attribute any leads generated to social media. B2B marketers are responsible for generating leads and social media should be part of that process. Using social media for just brand awareness, connecting and engaging is not enough. And it is not what B2B marketers should be spending their time doing. A coordinated plan of blogging with calls to action on every post, and sharing that content on company social media profiles can generate leads. Other statistics from the study: 

In a week that seen the launch of the Apple iPHONE 4s and the hugely tragic death of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs it would appear that their Brand has actually grown despite Steve's sad passing.

An article appeared from the Reuters news agency yesterday and it makes interesting reading:

As part of the work that we have been doing in the US and India over the last few months we are looking for a mobile technology software development Associate based in the UK.

Emerging Technologies in the mobile and cloud based technology spaces, will dramatically change the way businesses engage with their customers ... we plan to exploiting these technologies to the full.

The Bishop-Designate of Durham, the Very Reverend Justin Welby, provides insights into his beliefs and his approach to his recent appointment in a new film.
 
The Bishop Designate was formally announced on June 2 and the film describes how he is looking forward to bringing about a sense of renewal in the Church of England in the Durham Diocese.
 
During a series of interviews, the current Dean of Liverpool explains what led him to serve God, his views on the task that lies ahead when he formally takes over as Bishop later this year and his approach to some of the more controversial subjects facing the Church.   
He also discusses the way ahead for the diocese during a conversation with Bishop Mark Bryant, of Jarrow, with whom he will be working closely and with whom he has previously worked.
 
Made by Aegies Associates for the Diocese, the film can be viewed on our YouTube page here:


Or Viewed here:

In this months Issue of the IOD magazine Director, Trevor Clawson explores how SME's can develop an APP and really extend their customer communication and brand loyalty.

The following is a summary of the article and some pointers to getting the best from your APP developments.

Is doing business with India like 'Gambling with the lunch money?' A question I have been asked many times.

Its Sunday and have been out to lunch with our JV partners and made a couple of visits to exercise my photography needs.

Well, As many of you know I am in India - New Delhi to be exact and its still as mad as I remember it from last time I was here.

Aegies Associates are in the middle of setting up a joint venture for various product and service involved in the delivery of Knowledge Transfer product to clients wold-wide, as well as pursuing our activities as part of UKTi VEM activity for a our clients.

A North East Marketing & Product Development Consultancy adds new associates to the team.

Aegies Associates Ltd the leading North East Marketing & Product Development consultancy today announced that they have added two new associates to the Durham based team.

Day 5 - Creating A Robust Strategy for 2011

So why a band of gold as a title? Well a band of gold is most often though of a wedding ring a symbol of the Bond between Two People of of longevity and belonging. So what has this got to do with business Strategy? The simple and obvious answer is that Strategy is like the bond uniting your business ambition and a series of actions designed to get you toward those ambitions.

There is never a better time to plan your marketing and product development activity than over a glass of cheer so have one on us.