Tiree is going places...and one of its destinations is Russian aerospace.

The small Argyll island has a number of good schemes keeping it well paced with a fast moving world and one of them is Steve Thomson's Crossapol-based company Concise Aerospace.

From the former Met Office near the island's airport, Steve co-ordinates reports from correspondents based in Russia and the US on Russia's air industry for clients such as the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the CIA, the MoD, Rolls Royce, Boeing and Aeroflot.
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Steve's company is a subscriber-only online information service which has been supplying up to the minute intelligence and data on the Russian aerospace industry since the late 90s.

Originally based in Cheltenham, Steve relocated to Tiree in April 2004 with his wife and three young children after a number of lengthy family holidays on the island. Steve was formerly an investment banker who has worked in both America and Moscow. After taking on Concise Aerospace, he discovered it could be operated quite easily from the island and made the decision to move.

"Coming to Tiree has been excellent for my family at all levels. Our children are happy and my wife and I both love it here. We have lived in Tokyo, New York, London and Zurich during our 20 years together but this is better than any of them."

He recently secured a £3,200 grant from HIE Argyll and the Islands to install an on-line payments scheme - vital for a worldwide customer base which is likely to require immediate access.

The Tiree Community Broadband supply is proving a reliable connection for many households unable to connect to BT broadband. From Tiree's airfield Steve can keep in constant touch with his main Concise Aerospace computer in Oregon, USA, from which he writes three or four daily bulletins to keep his customers updated. Steve has employed Tiree crofter Willie MacLean to market the business to new customers during the winter, complementing his own summer time occupation as proprietor of the island's Wild Diamond Kite Surfing.

Chief executive of HIE Argyll and the Islands Ken Abernethy said: "Concise Aerospace is an excellent example of the kind of innovative, global companies which can be run from any number of fantastic locations in Argyll. We are very pleased to contribute to the success of this firm and support its potential to create further employment."