26 | April 15, 2014 | cambridge-news.co.uk | Cambridge News

ONCE Nicky and I began researching and planning for Cambridge Business Lounge, the first networking event that I visited regularly was the A14 Coffee Morning in my home town of St Ives.

For me, the event is the polar opposite of groups such as BNI, Cambridge Alternative Network and 4Networking. In fact, if you crave structure and formalities from your networking events, then the A14 Coffee Morning probably isn’t for you.

The group was set up two years ago by St Ives’ residents and business owners, Shaun Reinson and Rachael Orchard, who both recognised a need for more networking options in their area. A year later, and the organisational aspects of the group were taken over by Alan Bennett, owner of Media Image Solutions. Since then, the group has developed a core following as well as regularly attracting new faces. I asked Alan who the group was aimed at, and he told me that the group is for “anyone who is in business – sole traders, SMEs, and employees who find networking beneficial.” He added “We have a whole cross section, including: professional services, photography, complementary health, communications and public relations, Nordic walking, audio-visual and more,” what surprises me is how the group attracts professionals from a wider area, with attendees reaching from Huntingdon to Cambridge, and Warboys to St Neots.

The A14 Coffee Morning takes place in The Tap Room café bar on Bridge Street, St Ives, starting at 9 every Friday morning for about an hour. There’s no joining fee, no membership subscription

and the only requirement is to turn up, buy a drink, sit down and chat with those around you. That really is it. So, why does the A14 Coffee Morning work and who truly benefits from attending? These are questions I put to Alan, who started by telling me that it’s because they offer “an alternative to the structured and sometimes intimidating traditional networks out there”.

He went on to tell me that “many people who come to us

are experiencing networking for the first time, so as a group we are keen to make newcomers very welcome and at ease. On a Friday morning we sit and chat in a relaxed café lounge, where no one makes speeches, and there is quite a bit of friendly banter. The

most formal thing that happens is that I note down who

attends!” He finished

by saying “The group does create business opportunities, but

more importantly it also creates

friendships and trust with others who you would be more

likely to give business to. I think that is a win-win situation.”

Regular visitors to my column will be aware of the variety of networking events across Cambridgeshire, and many

of the A14 Coffee Morning members participate in other events too. However, not only is it great to experience variety, but at the end of a long week, I suspect that the A14 Coffee Morning provides its members with a perfect opportunity to relax, unwind and grab a coffee with their peers.

For more information on the

group, visit meetup.com/A14-Coffee-Morning-Weekly-Business-Networking-in-St-Ives/.

We Are Recruiting!At Cambridge Business Lounge, we are recruiting for a full-time office manager/PA to join our team on a minimum six month contract. If this sounds like you, or someone you know, visit and apply through cambridgebusinesslounge.com/who-we-are/careers/.

A14 Coffee Morning is rather charming

The 14 Coffee

Morning takes place in The Tap Room Fridays

Ed GOOdMAN, founder of Cambridge Business Lounge, on the potential of the city’s networking groups This week: A14 Coffee Morning

A unique small investor’s guide to the stocks and shares to watch – from Histon painter and decorator Martin Flitton

Black box firm is revealing prospectSHARE overhangs or persistent

sellers, perhaps, understandably, can have a significant impact in

anchoring particular stocks. While it can only deter potential buyers from making an investment, it may also temper enthusiasm for existing holders.

So, when such an overhang is cleared, the shares in question can be worthy of a look, at least.

Over at 21st Century Technology (C21), a company focused on monitoring and black-box systems for the transport sector, such a situation has arisen.

Here, serial investor Peter Gyllenhammer, who once held a 26% stake in the company and who had seemingly been dripping shares into the market for a while, has finally exited.

Given that the shares appear to have been placed elsewhere and have nudged up to a current 6.25p, any positive news from the company could see a reversal of a recent downward trend.

Once known as Toad, and originally based in Cambridge, C21 is a different business these days with a strong presence in public transport. Here it boasts some familiar names as customers, including Arriva, First Bus and Go-Ahead Group, while it has also made in-roads into continental Europe and Scandinavia with the likes of Keolis in Stockholm.

The products from the company include CCTV systems which are used on buses and coaches for safety purposes along with specialist monitoring systems for assessing the quality of driving.

There are also offerings that address analytics such as automatic passenger counting, automatic data transfer, and fuel saving systems.

While it could be argued that the growth within the UK CCTV market it serves is a relatively mature one, there are nevertheless continuing upgrades creating further openings, along with significant growth opportunities in European markets.

However, it hasn’t all been positive at the company, hence the shares trading well below the 14p achieved around

this time last year after it was hit by some delayed overseas contracts and the expiry of a previous contract that was worth around £1.5m annually.

But, while revenue numbers were reduced on the back of that news, sending the share price southwards, there may be better times ahead for the business.

Last year the company appointed Russ Singleton as CEO. He has a proven track record in the sector, having been with the highly regarded Quadnetics, while Glenn Robinson, also formerly

with the same company, stepped into the role of

CFO. Such appointments should certainly help with sentiment and provide confidence going forward, not least

as the two men know the sector extremely well. And since their joining

the company there have already been some positive signs, with both directors making sizeable share purchases.

The CEO picked up 1.5m at 6.5p, while the CFO bought 994k at 6.25p, which may well imply confidence in the future of the business.

And on the order front, there has also been progress with the previously targeted rail industry, now providing some welcome wins.

Two awards were announced to install CCTV cameras on trains at the back end of last year, one of which with an unnamed leading UK rail franchise is worth £1.9m, the majority of which will accrue this year.

That could bode well for the business given the substantial spend earmarked across the rail sector and no doubt further contract wins in the area would assist sentiment.

Indeed, public transport services continue to grow, with solid prospects outside the UK too.

Although at the last interim period there was a downgrade for reasons previously highlighted, given future prospects the current rating looks to be significantly discounted. The market cap now sits below £6m and is little more than 0.5x sales, which may suggest the shares are worthy of a closer look.

Although its next set of numbers may not see much if anything in the way of pre-tax profits, in the past the company has demonstrated the ability to deliver decent numbers and could well do so again.

The balance sheet looks in decent enough shape too, while it is perhaps worth noting that a few years back the company returned 3.5p per share by way of a special dividend after completing a land sale of £2.3m.

With Peter Gyllenhammer’s exit from the shareholder list, remaining notables include Hargreave Hale with around 4.2% of the company, while Slater Investments sits on a more sizeable 15.3%.n Follow Martin on Twitter @private_punter.

Read the full Private

Punter collection at cambridge-news.

co.uk/business

A14 CoFFee MoRning: Well worth a visit

PReSenCe: 21 Century Technology (C21) is a key CCTV player