The North West is Best - that's why, says Janice Tracey, Chief Executive of the regional City's Chamber of Commerce.

The NW is a great place to do business. A competitive and confident place with a thriving city at its heart.

It's no secret that Derry as a city has suffered from lack of investment over the last 25 years, that it has high levels of economic inactivity and that the challenges of bearing the label of social deprivation are difficult to address but it is clear that whilst these are massive challenges they are not insurmountable. The first step in fixing a problem is realizing you have one and lately these are not the things that are coming to the fore.

More and more good news stories are emanating from the city - good news stories from individual companies - large and small - good news stories about regeneration, about the city centre, about communities, about the social economies, and about partnership.

In recent weeks we have had major announcements on the job front with AXA extending their operation and selecting Derry as a location for this growth. Perfecseal , who have been longstanding Chamber member and major employer in the City have announced that they are to expand and relocate to a larger site and increasing their labourforce to ??????? within a five year term, the knock on effect from this is that Prefecseal have brought on board other local businesses on this project which is backed by Invest NI with an estimated expenditure in the region of 18 million pounds.

The infrastructure deficits that have dogged the City for years are on the turn. We were pleased to welcome the announcement of the National Development Plan, which proposes investment of some 184 billion Euros in Ireland's economic and social infrastructure over the next six years. This investment will focus around the network of nine Regional Gateways one of these being Derry.

We can boost about an award winning Port that promotes itself as one of the premier fishing harbours in Europe. A thriving and growing airport attracting new routes regularly and with major development plans ensures that business is well connected to the EU via our London/Liverpool/Dublin air links.

Looking ahead, we expect to see lots of changes in the business environment. The regeneration plan will be well advanced, there will be an expanded office accommodation offering top quality state of the art facilities, the expansion of Magee Campus will be complete and will be competing with other Universities on the Island of Ireland and beyond.

The city also boasts one of the very few Tourism Signature Projects in Northern Ireland based on the historic Walled City. This is a superb attractor for the city and will continue to be so with the advent of initiatives such as a new city lighting strategy, creation of wireless zones, historical signage and many more.

We are in a perfect location not only for the tourism industry but also for business. How many times have we heard the statement - Location, Location, Location! Derry has fastly gained a reputation as cosmopolitan cityThe region is steeped in history with a rich and diverse culture. It has a capital city surrounded by natural beauty within easy reach of dozens of the finest beaches in Europe. Dublin, Belfast and even Cork are now "bursting at the seams" and companies are choosing to locate in Derry where they have access to one of the most youthful populations in the British Isles. And that is the crux of the matter. People power is what the NW has. It is our USP. Yes we have good accommodation (both residential and commercial), quality services on a par with the capital cities, proximity to a rural hinterland that is second to none, superb education sector, a growing infrastructure including an award winning port (Best in Ireland) and thriving Airport with daily connections to London, Dublin, Newcastle, Liverpool and many more. But when we ask investors what brings you to the NW - the answer is always the same. People - the availability of labour without which no business can survive. And not just any old people - hardworking, loyal, flexible, dedicated, ambitious - these are all words that have been used by Seagate, HML, Northbrook, Dupont, Stream and many more. And of course that labour pool is doubled when you consider the vast travel to work area that encompasses Donegal.

That's what Derry has to offer. It is a great location for work and for play. All in all we have a confident, growing city.

Janice Tracey

CEO