Andrew Hebden is Assistant Editor (Business) of The Journal »
Matt James runs fingerprint-recognition technology firm UKB Security »
James Mills is a web developer in the North East of England and founder of Refresh Teesside »
Phil Renton is managing director of North East IT empire Croft »
Andrew Mernin is the Digital Journalist for nebusiness »
Matthew Rippon is an IP lawyer for BHP Law »
Formerly editor of a national business lifestyle magazine, Jez Davison is a business writer for the Evening Gazette in Teesside »
Ian Brown, Northumberland farmer and businessman writes about the agricultural industry »
Accessibilty Champion Steve Wilkinson on the importance of inclusion »
Shared Interest Staff at Newcastle's fair trade firm blog on their latest international missions »
PR man David Honeywell on raising your profile in the right places »
Marion Bernard is from NorthStar Equity Investors »
Caroline Theobald is the Managing Director of Bridge Club Ltd »
John Barton of Renew, on the region's low carbon and sustainable energy agenda »
Paul Williamson is Senior Partner at Deloitte »
Stephen Hall is Tax Partner at Deloitte »THE recession may have sounded the death knell for some businesses but it has screamed opportunity for many others.
Those that haven't drowned in these turbulent economic seas will emerge stronger, although they are having to do things differently in this brave new world heralded by last year's financial crash.
Manufacturing supply chains are having to shed their fat to maintain efficiency.
Redundancies are only part of the solution, with many introducing in-house efficiency programmes to drive down operating costs.
Retailers are having to tempt bargain-hunters with value products to keep the tills ticking over - and will continue to do so as future tax rises keep disposable income to a minimum.
Meanwhile, news providers are having to create an appetising menu of communication platforms - blogging, interactive online forums, video podcasts and news by text message - to feed consumers' insatiable hunger for free, up-to-the-minute information.
And therein lies the gargantuan challenge facing the publishing industry.
Publishers hit by the downturn in advertising revenues are under pressure to charge for online content, most of which is currently free.
But will consumers be prepared to pay?
Media tycoon Robert Murdoch certainly thinks so.
The News Corporation chief recently announced that the company will start charging for access to its online news sites, claiming that commercial rivals cannot compete with the BBC's free online news service subsidised by taxpayers' TV licence money.
He won't be the last to instigate such a move.
Most consumers wouldn't balk at a small subscription-based fee if they thought they were getting value for money.
A service bundle that includes SMS updates and unlimited access to online news could be the way forward.
At least there's a sizeable market for publishing firms to go at, with an estimated 1.6bn internet users across the globe.
Only those that grasp the mettle will prosper.
The printed word is not dead - demand for news shows no signs of wavering - but it cannot survive without the support of a colourful multi-media mix.
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