A growing marketing agency is proving it’s on the right track after expanding into larger offices previously used by Hitachi Rail Europe.
Thrive Marketing has relocated a short distance from starter offices, based at the HUB Workspace on Aycliffe Business Park, to the nearby Xcel Centre.
The inbound marketing experts have taken up offices vacated by Hitachi staff who worked there for two years before the Japanese firm’s £82m train-building factory opened a year ago.
Its team of eight can now enjoy a larger, open plan office on the first floor of based at Aycliffe Business Park’s well-known business hub.
After four years at the HUB’s Enterprise House offices on Welbury Way, the company’s directors chose to move the whole team to an open plan to encourage growth, team development and improved creativity and communication.
Director Rachel Townsend Green said: “We have so many great memories of our team after many years in Enterprise House and the offices were ideal, enabling us to develop.
“Now that we have grown, we realised that we needed to realign our office space with our business goals and that meant an open plan office with room to grow – the Xcel Centre provides that and more!
“We’re delighted with our new office space and we look forward to welcoming our clients to the Xcel Centre over the coming months and years.”
Thrive is already looking to grow the company, with two new staff members on board in the last month alone.
Rachael Farley, 18, joins as the agency’s newest inbound marketing assistant on an apprenticeship with Baltic Training.
She follows fellow new recruit, Scott Foreman, 22, who is the company’s latest graphic designer, following his degree completion at New College Durham.
The company’s creative director Johnny Woods: “The last few months have been incredible – with the move, new staff and all-round changes in the business and our future goal-planning.
“We’re excited for our upcoming plans for the end of 2016 and 2017 and it’s great to have our team thriving under one roof!”
The Xcel Centre is a multi-function building, including Jackson’s Coffee House, the Xcel Church services, a nursery and office space, as well as fantastic business conference and meeting facilities.
The centre’s managing director Kerina Clark, who’s also chair of the Aycliffe Business Park Community, added: “We’re delighted to welcome Thrive to the Xcel Centre.
“Thrive is another success story on the business park and we look forward to seeing their continued growth here.”
• Pictured (above): Thrive Marketing directors Rachel Townsend Green and Johnny Woods (right) with their team (left-to-right) Rachael Farley, Sarah Burns, Tom Armstrong, Reza Snowdon, Scott Foreman and Tom Mather.