WORCESTER businessman Keith Bourne began his working life with a graphic design studio 23 years ago at the age of 34.

Now at the age of 56, he stands proud as the managing director of one of the county's most enduring marketing agencies.

Mr Bourne founded Sign and Design in 1984, a creative design and print studio. Based in Malvern, the company serviced clients locally but with word spreading of his expertise, he soon gained a strong client base further afield.

After six years in Worcestershire Mr Bourne moved his company to Birmingham to try business in the fast lane. Still offering the same services ,he took the risks to keep up with the city's big names.

He said: "Moving to Birmingham was a challenge, but to remain competitive I had to take the risks."

In 1994, with a number of prestigious clients under his belt, Mr Bourne moved the business - now called TDP Marketing Ltd - to the Edgbaston area of Birmingham, to be among the other top agencies of the time and with the new premises came the birth of new services. The expansion saw the company design and produce its first websites and witnessed the shift from traditional marketing to web design and the age of new media. Mr Bourne said: "We had to keep up with the changes in technology and the ever-increasing new mediums available for marketing. Although we battled with the implications that constant change brings, we wanted to expand further and had to be able to offer the latest services and innovations."

Unfortunately, the move out of Worcestershire also presented some extremely trying times, as TDP Marketing fell victim to countless break-ins, floods and a fire. He said: "We suffered six devastating break-ins which resulted in the loss of all our computers and technical equipment, costing us thousands of pounds and causing terrible disruption and upheaval. It became difficult to find the will to carry on, the worse the break-ins became, the harder it was to recover.

"The fire destroyed everything. It was a real test of determination for all of us. It's incredible to see what we've overcome to be here today, and we're still growing."

As the managing director, in 2004, Mr Bourne finally made the decision to move TDP Marketing Ltd back to Worcestershire and it is now based at Harris Business Park, Bromsgrove.

Mr Bourne said: "I hoped that our Birmingham-based clients would stay with us and follow us back to Worcestershire and they did. Some of our clients have been with us now from the very beginning, which is fantastic."

At the age of 56, Mr Bourne is continuing the success of TDP Marketing with a team of young creative professionals, offering total marketing solutions from printed literature to web design and a new range of web hosting and e-marketing services.

He said: "Success for us has come in many forms, in our loyal client base and our fantastic team, but also in the life of the business itself. We've overcome a great deal to still be a major player 23 years on."