Haven 300: Major milestone as Forth Valley Chamber of Commerce welcomes new member

The company, which offers textile, document and packaging services, has a proud history of providing training and employment to disabled people who make up around 80 per cent of its workforce and the chamber of commerce was delighted to officially welcome Haven as the business network’s 300th member.

Haven Products business development manager Graeme Turner said: “I’m fairly new to the role and wanted to become part of the area’s business community and expand my network.

“The chamber locally has an unrivalled reputation for providing practical advice and support and facilitating business-business connections, so it seemed like the perfect place to start.

“Lynn and her team are extremely professional and I’ve been impressed with my experience of my local Chamber so far and am looking forward to getting more involved, perhaps even hosting an event at our premises, as the year goes on.

“It’s a great opportunity to be part of something bigger and tap into the chamber’s vibrant member network and meet lots of interesting people. I’ve already attended their monthly Hub Club event which gave me the chance to network with many like-minded individuals and let everyone know who we are and the range of services we offer which is so useful as we attempt to grow the business.

“I’m trying to go along to as many events as I can to get to know fellow members and have been impressed so far with the variety of diverse companies – of all different sizes – who we can link up with and who may wish to use our services.

“If we can grow the business and take on more work, we will be able to employ more disabled and disadvantaged adults which is essential to our ethos and the reason the company was originally set up just after World War Two."

Haven Products was founded in 1946 with the aim of providing employment opportunities for veterans and looking after the most vulnerable members of society.

The firm is a social enterprise with charitable status which is run as a commercially viable operation and 80 per cent of the 160-strong workforce has some form of disability.

The company manufactures textiles, including 10,000 pairs of trousers and 2000 tunics for NHS nurses every month, and works with the whisky industry to offer contract packaging services for their goods.

Forth Valley Chamber of Commerce president Lynn Harris said: “We are delighted to welcome Haven Products to the Chamber and pleased to see how quickly Graeme and his team have become involved and began to make the most of their membership.

“It’s fantastic to have grown to represent 300 members and we really pride ourselves on knowing our members well, ensuring each one feels valued and being responsive to what each business needs at a local, national and international level.”

Scottish Chambers of Commerce director and chief executive Dr Liz Cameron CBE added: “To have grown so quickly to 300 members is fantastic. As we all know, it has been hard for small businesses and continues to be for many. To perform against a difficult economic environment driven by passion, ambition and people is an example to us all.”