So setting up Hadrian was more of a shrewd move than a gamble and the pay-off has been impressive with air conditioning very much in demand as disused former shipyards, heavy engineering works and collieries have been transformed into modern business parks, the leisure industry has mushroomed, new hotels have sprung up and the covered-in shopping mall era has dawned.

"More recently we have noticed a significant shift in the thought process with refrigeration based technology satisfying many energy efficiency guidelines. Heating Only refrigerant based systems and Heat Recovery Air Conditioning Systems are being installed to reduce the carbon footprint of buildings".

shaped during the approach to the 21st century, it was obvious the region was no longer going to be a major centre for coal, shipbuilding and other heavy industries.

"Shipyards had natural air conditioning but they and the other traditional industries were on the way out," he continued. "By then we looked set for more diversity in future with an accent on new technology-based and service business - which certainly would require the pleasant environmental conditions created by air conditioning".

What began with just one employee an installation engineer, at Broompark, near Durham City, over 30 years ago, has steadily grown into an operation with a 50-strong workforce whose skills are in demand regionally and nationally - and with even Europe featuring in the firm's bulging contract portfolio.

Managing Director Alan Unsworth fully understands how their success might not have been anticipated in some quarters. "Although 30 years ago it wasn't possible to clearly see how the North East economy was going to be re-

Brilliant foresight lies behind the successful outcome of the launch of an air conditioning company, which some sceptics might have regarded as geographically misplaced. By 1985 air conditioning was hardly a new concept. And any doubts that the climatically-challenged north-east might not be ready to join the international boom proved groundless. The founder of Hadrian Air Conditioning saw big changes on the horizon for this region - and was absolutely right in believing that this would translate into massive prospects for his business.