Scottish Finance Secretary Visits Social Enterprise Firm
John Swinney MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth, yesterday (Monday, 1 December 2008) visited the award-winning social enterprise firm, Haven Products, in Hillington to see at first hand the services and solutions it provides to its business partners and the local community.
David Whyte, Managing Director of Haven Products, welcomed Mr Swinney to the facility which employs around 70 people, more than 80% of whom are disabled.
The Finance Secretary was given a tour of the factory followed by a discussion with Haven employees and with David Donaldson, Supply Chain Director of the Edrington Group, one of Haven’s business partners.
Haven operates from three factories across Scotland and works closely with the private and public sector through its complementary workforce which seeks to outsource skilled and trained Haven staff to some of the country’s largest businesses, including IBM, Standard Life and National Semiconductor.
John Swinney, Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth, said:
“Social enterprises such as Haven Products can make a huge contribution to increasing sustainable economic growth in Scotland, providing employment opportunities and delivering effective services. The work of Haven Products demonstrates that the Third Sector can help the Scottish Government build on the ambitions on enterprising Scots, turn around lacklustre economic performance and ensure that more people benefit from an increasingly successful economy.”
‘We’ve increased Third Sector funding by 37 per cent and launched the new Scottish Investment Fund and Social Entrepreneurs Fund to help the sector become more sustainable and enterprising.”
David Whyte, Managing Director for Haven Products, said:
“I was pleased to welcome the Finance Secretary to Haven Products today and to give him an insight into the work that we do. Haven wants to see strong working relationships between Government and the Third Sector, including social enterprise, in the same way as it does with the private sector, as a way of providing opportunities to get people into work and contributing to the Scottish economy.”
For more information about Haven Product’s visit www.momentumscotland.org.
-ENDS-