Companies showing faith in our city could be priceless - Business editor's comment

Kevin McCabe’s Scarborough Group has committed to building a £27m office block on Sheaf Street.

Rise Homes has started construction of £40m private apartments on Scotland Street and Cassidy Group has confirmed its £90m student and private flats complex on Hoyle Street is very much still on.

These projects create jobs and see large sums spent in the city. They also show that business leaders have faith in Sheffield and that it will deliver them success.

As has been said before, every investment says ‘I believe in this location’ - sending a powerful message to others looking for somewhere to put their cash.

Tech firm Tribepad is also showing impressive faith in the city.

Bosses have announced £1m for a business accelerator to give fledgling companies a leg up. It offers cash, free office space, mentoring and introductions, giving new firms the best possible start in life.

There are a handful of such entities in South Yorkshire, mostly run by big business, local authorities or the universities. There are vanishingly few run by private business. And they read like a who’s-who of our best companies, ed-tech firm Twinkl runs one, Gripple used to have one, Sheffield Technology Parks has one and now Tribepad.

Boss Dean Sadler says it’s ‘right at the top of the most exciting things I’ve participated in’.

His comments echo tech entrepreneur David Richards, boss of WANdisco, who told me rolling out his foundation’s data science syllabus to schools was ‘probably close to, if not the best, thing I’ve done’.

Creating jobs and building a business is fun - but clearly helping others is next level.

At Tribepad, Mr Sadler said it was their way of giving back after doing well in the pandemic. He was also thinking about his legacy - how he, and others, will remember his career.

“I don’t want to be the richest man in the graveyard, I want to be the happiest,” he says.

Sheffield has a long and honourable tradition of philanthropy. If you’ve made it in business you could do worse than give it a go.

Post pandemic it’s never been more needed.

In these confusing and worrying times, local journalism is more vital than ever. Thanks to everyone who helps us ask the questions that matter by taking out a digital subscription or buying a paper. We stand together. Nancy Fielder, editor.