A very warm welcome to the 2008/09 edition of the Cornwall Business Directory - an important tool in encouraging businesses in Cornwall to source products and services locally from other Cornish suppliers.

We are grateful, as ever, to the various advertisers who have taken space in this edition and without whose support we would not be able to publish this valuable directory.

Partly through investment made under the Objective One programme, there has been something of an economic renaissance in many parts of Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly over the last 5 years with strong general employment growth being accompanied by the further progress of iconic developments such as the Eden Project, the Combined Universities in Cornwall and the investment in digital infrastructure and business growth through the actnow programme.

Over this period, economic growth as measured by central government has been strong in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, outperforming regional and national trends.

However, there are still structural issues aplenty in the county - too many seasonal and low paid jobs, lower than average skills levels, lack of new business investment, etc - which we need to address if we are to transform the economy of Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly into a modern, sustainable economy.

The 2007 - 2013 European Convergence Programme for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly (successor to the Objective One programme) will very likely be the last opportunity for Cornwall to benefit from European structural funding and it is vital, therefore, that we make the very best use of this opportunity to, once and for all, set in train the process which will transform the economy of Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly into a modern, knowledge-based economy which is fit for the challenges of the 21st century and beyond.

The emphasis for Convergence is driven by the European Union's Lisbon Agenda and therefore concentrates largely on business competitiveness - creating the infrastructure and conditions which will allow Cornish businesses to compete on national and international stages, encouraging innovation and the commercial exploitation of ideas, developing the skills of our people, from both people in employment and those at all stages of education.

Three major investment initiatives are foreseen to underpin this transformation: a continuing investment in the Combined Universities in Cornwall; the ongoing development of Newquay International Airport; further and continuing investment in Cornwall's broadband infrastructure, necessary to keep us at the forefront of the broadband revolution.

I would encourage all development-minded businesses to keep abreast of the details of the programme as they are developed and published to ensure that they can take advantage of any relevant opportunities which may assist their growth.

As for this publication, we will distribute 3,000 copies at key reference points and events around the county and, via this activity and other means such as our Buy Cornish and Tenders in Cornwall initiatives, continue to support the trading efforts of participating businesses.

If you would like to purchase a CD-ROM version of this directory, which is set up for mail merge operations, you can subscribe on-line at www.enterprise-edge.co.uk or contact us via phone on 0800 052 3942.

Please make use of this directory and use it as your first port of call if you are needing to locate a new supplier.

	John Berry Managing Director, Cornwall Enterprise www.cornwallenterprise.co.uk