Renfrewshire Chamber of Commerce is based at Glasgow Airport in Paisley. A small but efficient team of seven, we exist to help local businesses connect and grow. We bring hundreds of companies together by making connections, encouraging growth, and inspiring ambition.
Renfrewshire is a place of aspiration, global economic impact and innovation, excellent connectivity, and a skilled, vibrant workforce. It’s a great place to do business. This is reflected in the makeup of our membership, which includes local manufacturing companies with international standing, freight forwarders and major food and drinks producers, with whisky being a key product in our international trade services.
We support businesses to improve productivity, raise their profile, build networks, get products to global markets with International Trade documentation and support, find a business mentor, engage with the future workforce, and win recognition for outstanding performance.
Tell us about the team
Our ChamberCustoms & International Trade team members are Laura, Martin & Danielle. Laura has been with the Chamber working with export documentation since 2005, Martin & Danielle joined in 2019 and 2021 respectively. Because we’re a small team, we all help out with other aspects of the Chamber such as organising and hosting events, managing the Chamber website and social media, and running Glasgow Airport Business Centre where we hire out meeting rooms for those coming here to do business.
What’s the biggest misconception people have about customs clearance?
That anyone can just wing it & that if the goods clear it’s all fine! It isn’t necessarily difficult but some customers are surprised at the detail we need to make sure it’s done correctly for HMRC compliance – we clear the goods and assure HMRC compliance! Customers come to us for expertise gained through the ChamberCustoms training and support system which allows us to provide a higher level of compliance and knowledge base for our customers that they haven’t found elsewhere.
What advice would you give a business that is considering exporting overseas?
In the words of a famous sportswear company, Just do it! We know exporting for the first time can appear daunting, however you will gain confidence and learn by doing. Your first time may be the hardest but the opportunities to grow your revenue and expand to new markets are massive. Our experienced Chamber team can support you with many of the hurdles you may encounter. Having the confidence to go for it could change your business model forever – what have you got to lose?
What do you enjoy doing when you’re not working?
Laura: Attend a local adult tap dance class, crochet and enjoy walks, the outdoors and nature with my family. Try to see more live shows at the theatre with the kids too!
Danielle: Travelling (somewhere warm), nature walks, socialising and planning days out with friends like escape room, crazy golf type stuff, and spending time with family.
Martin: Hill and costal walks, (very) occasional cycling, amateur photography, catching up with friends and family, and travelling to interesting places when I can.
