We are celebrating the move to our new landmark office space in the heart of Newcastle's thriving city centre, 55 Degrees North.
After a challenging 18-month journey to find the perfect premises, our new 6500 square-foot office space signifies not only our commitment to lay down firm roots and invest in the city that has helped support our fast moving success, but also to reinforce the region's position as a leading centre for 21st century digital industry growth.
As Andy Allan, Chairman of Codeworks, the organisation supporting digital industries in the North East, testifies, "The technical, innovative and entrepreneurial skills the region displayed in its industrial heyday, with breakthroughs from the locomotive to the light bulb have fostered a region fast gaining a reputation for digital media and technological excellence, with the North East now boasting the fastest start up rate outside of London."
We have come a long way since TH_NK was founded a mere four-and-a-half years ago with a team of three graduates and a couple of PCs. We now employ over 40 members of full-time staff and are set to welcome a string of new recruits this year including a number of senior posts.
Ranked as top North East interactive agency by a number of leading industry titles, we are currently enjoying a healthy £2 million turnover, with clients including Northern Rock, ITV, Northumbrian Water, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Pagebet and the Learning and Skills Council.
Testimony to this forward-thinking approach is our recent appointment as one of only nine UK based members of W3C - The World Wide Web Consortium - which will see us collaborate with some of the world's most influential organisations, including Adobe, IBM and Google, on the future of the Internet.
Bringing the whole team together on one floor, the open plan space uses glass panelling to create individual areas including a number of meeting rooms which enable people to share expertise and increase productivity on group project work.
A specialist library will also hold all the latest industry publications as well as providing resources for research and development projects as we look to invest further in our talented team. In addition, state-of-the-art flat screen computer and AV systems have been installed - all complemented by bespoke contemporary art work, an X-Box and a pool table to bring our break-out areas to life.
Our 55 Degrees North base not only provides the perfect space for our talented and rapidly growing team to thrive, develop and continue to produce ground breaking work but has given us the opportunity to be part of the regeneration of the city that helped us get to where we are now. It's more than just bricks and mortar; it's about providing an environment worthy of our talented team as we continue to develop and look to expand even further in 2007.
Tarek Nseir Managing Director, TH_NK