We at TALK training are proud to announce that we have been selected as one of the HOT 100 trail-blazing businesses in Wales for 2008.

The Hot 100 aims to identify some of the most exciting young ventures in Wales and celebrate the best of entrepreneurship by identifying the fastest- growing start-ups. It has been running since 2006 and this years annual list 100 was published in the Western Mail on 30th July 2008.

The publication is a project of the National Entrepreneurship Observatory for Wales (NOS) whose two main contributors are the Welsh Enterprise Institute at the University of Glamorgan and the Centre for Advanced Studies (CASS) at Cardiff University.

TALK HR Solutions also featured in the publication following their continued success and development over the last few years. 

Professor Dylan Jones-Evans, co-director of the NEO told the Western Mail:

"The profiles of the firms within the inaugural Hot 100 last year demonstrated the wide diversity of entrepreneurial opportunities that exist across regions and sectors within Wales. Like many before them, the individuals that have established firms within the Hot 100 are the heroes of the future, taking risks and developing opportunities for new products, markets and services, and establishing Wales at the forefront of the knowledge economy."

The 100 have all been established since 2003 and have posted annual sales (2007-08) exceeding £100,000 – as well as not having featured in previous Hot 100 editions. The founders of all those listed are still actively involved in day-to-day operations of their companies.

In terms of geographical representation Cardiff has the highest number of companies with 28, followed by Swansea and Pontypridd/Treforest with four each. Collectively, the 100 companies employ more than 800 people.

Minister for the Economy and Transport, Ieuan Wyn Jones, said: “The achievements of this year’s Hot 100 clearly show that Welsh companies can match the world’s finest for innovative achievement. No country is immune from competition in our globalised economy, and Wales has taken its share of knocks – but our business community has proved remarkably resilient in the face of worldwide pressures.

“I am determined to support their success and our policies are designed to encourage the growth of businesses with local roots.”

The Hot 100 was compiled by Wil Williams, director of MBA at the University of Glamorgan, and research fellow Andrew Crawley. Mr Williams, said: “What is striking is the wide variety of sectors in the Welsh economy where successful entrepreneurial activity is evident. It is also gratifying to see growth in both the service and manufacturing sectors.

“Several of this year’s Hot 100 companies are based in traditional areas of business, such as agriculture and food and drink, which is hugely encouraging.

“Other companies are representative of the growing number of service and hi-tech companies upon which so much of the Welsh economy depends.”

Mr Williams said that the current economic climate meant that the trading outlook for some of the companies was challenging.

“We hope that companies in sectors that are under pressure, such as property, construction and automation, can weather the global economic storm.”

The publication also provides an analysis of the key industry sectors contained in the Hot 100 since its inception in 2005.

Mr Crawley said: “The growth of the service sector [covering law, recruitment and management consultancy] has been spearheaded by the major metropolitan areas of Cardiff and Newport in the south and Wrexham in the north. These high value-added industries have been at the heart of the Hot 100 list and companies in these sectors continue to experience high growth. The number of individuals involved in the legal profession has continued to rise, with more than 1,800 employed over the period 2003-06.The legal sector is not just generating jobs within the major cities, but also in more rural areas such as Flintshire and Pembrokeshire.”