North-East Young Business Person 2005
Winner: Danielle Cowan, founder and managing director, 1st Fix Recruitment, Newcastle
 Daniele's three-year-old firm supplies personnel in construction for contractors, sub-contractors and councils: site administrators, joiners, bricklayers, electricians, plumbers, joiners, plant operators, plasterers and labourers. She has also launched 1st Fix Cleaning Services, to supply labour for building, industrial and site cleaning. Daniele, 26, had worked for some years in the same field with a multi-discipline agency before deciding to strike out on her own. She says the world of hard-hat men, far from daunting, is a good workplace for women in business. Daniele, a member of the Entrepreneurs Forum, was runner-up in the young enterprise section of the North-East Woman Executive of the Year awards in 2004. Her firm has a turnover of around £1m and employs 24 staff. Entrust and Project NorthEast helped her get started. The worst part about running her own business? "Not being able to pull a sickie!" ******** Runners-up Chris Imrie, founding owner, Imraid Wireless, Newcastle Chris turned down a job with Barclays Capital in London to launch his direct-marketing business three years ago. The firm has a data base of 400,000 individuals, their mobile phone numbers, addresses, interests, and likes and dislikes. Details are sold to firms wishing to text or email new customers with product messages. Chris, 25, had left Heworth Grange Comprehensive School and spotted the market niche while doing a dissertation for his accountancy degree at Northumbria University. He expects the firm, which employs seven (maybe double soon) to achieve £4m turnover this year, against £300,000 in 2004. Imraid has deals with leading mobile content companies and Norwich Union, drinks company Diageo and media company Emap. It is also negotiating with Newcastle United. It may eventually plan a share flotation to enter US markets. Chris has had support from The Prince's Trust. Tarek Nseir, founder and managing director, Thinkco, Newcastle In his first year at Newcastle University Tarek, 23, was already winning contracts. He juggled two businesses with four full-time employees and still graduated in information systems. His new-media marketing firm of £1m turnover now does graphic design, brand development, public relations and marketing; also e-commerce, strategic consultancy, applications/system development, website management, search engine listing service, and photography. He won a regional Young Achiever Award in 2002. He had got early work experience in his mother's detective agency and, on leaving Rugby School, worked in London and Paris with Accenture, but decided not to become a small cog in a big wheel. Now clients of his company of 18 include the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, ITV, Northumbrian Water and Northern Rock. A member of the Entrepreneurs Forum, Tarek has had support also from Codeworks, the region's support group for the sector. | 
