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Mike Loftus, chairman of Destination Basingstoke and Clydesdale Bank Thames Valley Region

IF you are looking for someone to tell you a hundred good reasons why Basingstoke is a great place to do business, and be in business, then look no further than Mike Loftus.

For years, Mr Loftus has been a leading figure in the Basingstoke business scene - an enthusiastic and passionate advocate of the town and borough.

Now, the chairman of Clydesdale Bank for the Thames Valley Region has taken on the high-profile role of chairman of Destination Basingstoke - and it is one he is relishing.

Destination Basingstoke, a not-for-profit consortium of private and public sector partners, is geared towards raising the image and profile of Basingstoke. It is seeking to really put the town and borough on the map - locally, regionally, nationally and internationally.

As someone who has clearly bought into Basingstoke and its benefits for the businesses he has been involved in, Mr Loftus is certainly a good man to be preaching to the unconverted.

Like any good business person, Mr Loftus did his research before committing himself to working in Basingstoke nearly 20 years ago.

"I was with another financial institution back then, and could probably have worked anywhere I wanted in the South East," he recalled.

"I actually did a lot of research on the area - and I soon discovered that this place had a growing business area, with great potential for the future, and was a place where I could develop myself and develop the business I was in.

"Since then, I have never regretted it - and now I'm proud to tell everybody I meet that I work in Basingstoke."

Mr Loftus knows there are plenty of people who still need convincing - and he's ready to persuade them.

"I think the poor image that Basingstoke has had is out of all proportion," said Mr Loftus, rising to the soapbox challenge. "It's a great place to live, with great leisure and sporting facilities. The crime rate is below the national average, so it's a safe place to live.

"It's also got a highly-skilled and motivated workforce, with very low unemployment, and it's a wonderful place to start and grow a business.

"Basingstoke is very well placed and it has got one of the best infrastructures and communications systems in the South East.

"For example, there are towns not a million miles from here that have huge traffic problems - believe me, Basingstoke doesn't have a traffic problem.

"It's got very good business parks with adequate parking and, of course, the emergence of Festival Place has just been fantastic."

The friendly and supportive business community is another big plus for the town and borough.

"When I first came here, I found Basingstoke had a good local business network - and it's even stronger today," said Mr Loftus.

"We are very well endowed with very good professional practices and a close-knit business community, which is as good as anywhere I have worked.

"We've got some very good accountants, lawyers and surveyors, who all freely give up their time and work on committees with the common aim of promoting Basingstoke."

Mr Loftus also speaks highly of the work of the North Hampshire Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the support offered by Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council - both of which have directors on Destination Basingstoke.

"Destination Basingstoke's board of directors are all senior people voluntarily giving up time to promote Basingstoke," added Mr Loftus, who has taken up the chairman's baton with the same can-do, positive, proactive approach of his predecessor, former Basingstoke College of Technology director of business development Beverley Flanagan.

Mr Loftus has high hopes for the town - and with good reason. Basingstoke has recently been classified as one of eight South East Diamonds for Investment and Growth by the South East England Development Agency, recognising the area as a key growth point.

"That means new business and opportunities, jobs and prosperity for the area," said Mr Loftus.

The optimistic outlook is rooted in fact, not just gut-feeling, and it is backed up by independent research, which has encouraged new businesses to set up in Basingstoke - including Clydesdale Bank, which opened its Financial Solutions Centre (FSC) in Basing View two years ago.

"We haven't regretted that decision at all," said Mr Loftus, wearing his Clydesdale hat. "Myself and Paul Maddison, the FSC's managing partner, have gone from holding a front door key for an empty office to where we are now with 20 staff.

"We are very pleased with how Clydesdale has been welcomed into the Basingstoke fold and delighted with the business that we have secured.

"I think Clydesdale's success in Basingstoke shows that we have made the right decision and shows that Basingstoke is good for business.

"Although Clydesdale Bank has been around for 180 years, we're a very young bank in town. Our business is growing and I'm sure that is the case for other banks here."

Talking up Basingstoke is something that Mr Loftus and his fellow Destination Basingstoke directors are good at - and he and they hope that it's a habit, and an attitude, that will catch on.

Mr Loftus said: "I'm very optimistic about the town and its future, because there is every reason to be, on so many levels. Basingstoke is going to go from strength to strength - there's no doubt about it."

4:25pm Monday 21st April 2008

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