1. What is STEP and how did it start?
STEP is the operating name for the company Stirling Enterprise
Park Ltd., and was formed in the early 1980s by the Imperial
Tobacco Company (ITL) when they decided to close their
cigarette manufacturing unit. ITL were at that time the largest
manufacturing employer in the City employing in their heyday
over 600 people. ITL decided they wished to leave the Stirling
Community with an initiative to replace the jobs and economic
activity they were removing so they formed the STEP Company.
ITL gifted their factory along with £400,000 to start the recovery activities.

2. Who owns STEP?
STEP was gifted by ITL to the overall Stirling Community. The
Company is owned by the shareholders but no shareholder
can benefit financially from their shareholding. We have 15
shareholders with the majority shareholder being Stirling Council.

3. Is STEP run with annual Government subsidy?
No. We are self sufficient and normally run at an annual profit. We
do have a contract from Government funds to deliver Business
Gateway support services locally but that is a commercial
contract won through open tendering.

4. What happens to the Profits?
No-one takes any profit out of the Company. That was the wish
of ITL when making their gift. Any profits are available for the
Company to direct back into the support of business locally. The
‘return to shareholders’ comes as the benefit our activities bring
to the local economy.

5. What is the purpose of STEP?
We exist to take actions to improve the local economy through
helping business. That can be by helping new businesses to get
started and by assisting existing businesses to survive or to grow.
The contract we have to deliver Business Gateway services is an
important part of our activities.

6. Is STEP successful?
We have been successfully growing the activities of the Company
over the years and have had many successes in assisting local
businesses. However we are not complacent and are constantly
seeking new ways of improving and responding to the needs of
local businesses.

7. Who is on the STEP Board and how do you
become a Board Director?
We have an excellent mix of Private Sector and Public Sector
representation who work well together as a Board in moving and
directing the Company forward. The main Board members are
elected as representatives of the Shareholders, so to become a
main Board member you require to be either a shareholder or
represent a shareholder. However we have a category of Associate
Director and anyone can be invited to join the Board under that
category. At present we have three Associate Directors from the
Private Sector who bring different and complementary skills to the
Company. We were very pleased to recently welcome Bob Jack,
Stirling Council Chief Executive as an Associate Director. Our Board
members are all people who wish to play a part in the work of STEP
and have a positive effect on the local economy. None of the Non-
Executive Directors gain any payment or financial advantage out of
their Board position. They are in effect all volunteers.

8. Is there anything similar to STEP in other towns
and cities in the UK?
STEP is fairly unique. While around the UK there are similar
examples, in Scotland we are unique. Other offices deliver
Business Gateway services but none have the background or
have been formed like STEP.

9. What has been the biggest change in Business
practices you have seen over the years?
The main issues faced by businesses have not changed much
over the years.
The skills required to manage a business are basically the same
as they have always been. However by far the greatest and most
dramatic “new” business matter has been the impact of new
technology. The PC and the Web have transformed how everyone
manages their business and also for many affects how their
business carries out transactions. For most businesses mastering
the developing use of Technology cannot be avoided. Along with
that requirement comes a serious cost to the business, which
means that benefits are required in terms of increased business
turnover and increased efficiencies to balance such costs. STEP
can help clients to address those issues.

10. Is STEP a part of the Local Community?
Yes we are. The original gift from Imperial Tobacco was in
effect to the Community so at STEP we are conscious of the
requirement to be a real living part of our local community.
We tackle that in many ways including our support for many
local events and charities and in seeking opportunities for
communication. This publication itself being circulated to all
households and businesses across the Stirling district is one
example of us fulfilling this obligation.

11. How many tenants does STEP have and was
STEP set up just to help tenants?
STEP also manage Stirling Business Centre and Enterprise
House in Stirling, so between the three buildings, STEP have
approximately 160 tenant businesses, with around 70 of those
based at the Enterprise Park. Our tenants are of course extremely
important to us but our remit is the wider business community
across the total District of Stirling. The rural area is very important
to STEP.

12. How far afield will STEP help businesses?
Our area is the wider District of Stirling. However we have been
known to assist businesses from outwith this area where we see
an opportunity to have a positive effect on the Stirling economy.

13. How would you summarise STEP’s role in
helping business?
That is an excellent question as it allows me to explain not only
what we do but as importantly what we don’t do.
STEP doesn’t run any business other than our own. Business
owners run their own businesses and make their own business
decisions. Our role is primarily to discuss issues with business
owners as they wish to and to help them ensure they are asking
the correct questions and in the correct order of priority. It
is not that business owners are incapable of doing that for
themselves but often an outside experienced adviser from
STEP can add the required objectivity. In addition often from
our knowledge we can bring other resources to the attention
of the business owner. As most of our services are free or at
reduced cost that acts as an encouragement to owners to make
enquiries from us.

14. Does STEP work in collaboration with others?
Yes we do. It is essential for us to do that as much added value
can be gained for our clients through us doing that. We have
some excellent examples of successes for clients through
us working in collaboration with other Local and National
Agencies. We work for example in very close partnership with our
equivalent organisations in Falkirk and Clackmannanshire and
share some staff and resources. We also work closely with Stirling
Council and Stirling University.