13 years of success – rugby star’s strategy consultancy celebrates milestone

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13 years of success – rugby star’s strategy consultancy celebrates milestone
Business strategy consultancy Wingman Ltd, which is headed by England rugby star Rory Underwood, is celebrating 13 years in business. Founded by Rory in 2009, Wingman works with companies to enable them to deliver strategies effectively, ensuring clear communication and collaboration between departments and all levels of the team, to help build sustainable and high-performance environments. Rory, who began playing rugby in 1983 for Leicester Tigers and won 85 caps playing for England, also enjoyed a notable career in the Royal Air Force as a pilot for more than 18 years. As a passionate teamwork advocate, Rory set up Wingman with the aim of providing specialist consulting to clients seeking advice and guidance on how to effectively communicate their strategies across the business to ensure that everyone is united and aligned to enable them to deliver on that strategy. A key goal for Wingman is to ensure each company employee is ‘on the same page’ when it comes to business strategy. Wingman’s aim is to enable organisations to deliver their strategy effectively. From its head office on the Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire border, Wingman works with high-profile businesses across multiple sectors including retail, trade merchants, hospitality and banking, among others. Over the last 13 years, Wingman has worked with more than 50 companies to support their growth and success through strategic consulting, workshops, training and teambuilding programmes, to ensure synergy between business owners, senior team leaders and employees. As part of a wide, overarching strategic approach to working with clients, Wingman’s programmes include a host of tools and services to help businesses understand effective communication from owners and senior management, through to operational and administration staff members. Last year, the company moved into a new office space to accommodate its growing team and launched its free, in-person Business Breakfasts event series. Each event featured guest speakers, as well as Rory Underwood, who provided tips and expert insight into effective and productive teamwork and company culture. On Wingman’s 13th anniversary, Rory commented: “We as a team are extremely proud to be celebrating 13 years in business, having collaborated with many firms across the UK to strengthen how their teams seamlessly work together to achieve the best possible results for all involved. “We have often found that businesses assume that teamwork will just happen. The truth is the journey to get everyone to work together is far more challenging, and how you communicate a company’s strategy through to all departments and levels of the team, so that each understand their roles and how their responsibilities feed back into the wider process, is crucial but very difficult to get right. “It is fantastic to see how much Wingman has developed in 13 years, enabling us to support numerous businesses across the country with our knowledge, expertise and passion for great teamwork and communication. With plans for expansion in the pipeline, we are very much looking forward to the next chapter.” Wingman works one on one with companies nationwide, and its Business Breakfasts events have returned for 2022 – one of which took place in Liverpool earlier this year, with two more events due to take place in Leeds and London in autumn. The team of specialists also run multiple thought leadership virtual events with the next coming up in October, featuring guest speakers Andrea Pinchen, CEO of Leicester Tigers, and Susan Whelan, CEO of Leicester City Football Club.

Network with leaders in property and construction at the East Midlands Bricks Awards 2022

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Network with leaders in property and construction at the East Midlands Bricks Awards 2022
On Thursday 15 September, at the Trent Bridge Cricket Ground, the esteemed East Midlands Bricks Awards 2022 will celebrate the region’s property and construction industry while providing the ideal opportunity to connect with local decision makers. With canapés and complementary drinks, the event will also welcome Managing Director at award-winning investment promotion agency Marketing Derby, John Forkin MBE DL, as keynote speaker, as well as award-winning mind reader, magician, and professional mentalist Looch, who will bewilder and astonish guests during the evening’s networking.

To book tickets for the awards event, which will run from 4:30pm – 7:30pm, please click here.

 

Shortlist for the East Midlands Bricks Awards 2022

Most Active Agent – sponsored by Blueprint Interiors Mather Jamie OMEETO BB&J Commercial Commercial Development of the Year – sponsored by Frank Key Broad Marsh Bus Station and Car Park – Galliford Try Construction Etiquette Park – Clowes Developments Nottinghamshire Police and Nottinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service joint HQ – Henry Brothers Responsible Business of the Year – sponsored by Press for Attention PR Cawarden Arc Partnership Phoenix Brickwork Residential Development of the Year – sponsored by Sterling Commercial Finance The Rise, Southwell – Stagfield Group Glenvale Park – Glenvale Park LLP Hindle House – KMRE Group Deal of the Year – sponsored by Blythin & Brown Insurance Brokers St James Securities – Phase Two of the Becketwell regeneration scheme in Derby – 3,500 capacity Becketwell performance venue with ASM Global Wells McFarlane, APB and Newton LDP – sale of 460 acres of land in North Leicestershire, making way for a new garden village Morgan Industrial Properties Limited – acquisition of the former Ewart Chain site in Shaftesbury Street, Derby Developer of the Year – sponsored by Ward Hockley Developments St James Securities HBD Architects of the Year – sponsored by OMS Swain Architecture Rayner Davies Architects CPMG Architects Excellence in Design – sponsored by Cawarden  St. Peter’s Gate renovation – CPMG Architects Health and Allied Professions Centre at Nottingham Trent University – Pick Everard Brookside Farm – Chevin Homes Sustainable Development of the Year – sponsored by Viridis Building Services Refurbished HQ for LKAB Minerals – Scenariio Northern Gateway Enterprise Centre – Chesterfield Borough Council, Whittam Cox Architects, Robert Woodhead Group Broad Marsh Bus Station and Car Park – Galliford Try Construction Contractor of the Year – sponsored by RammSanderson Galliford Try Construction Cawarden Enrok Construction The Overall Winner, sponsored by Streets Chartered Accountants, will also be announced at the ceremony, who will be awarded a year of marketing/publicity worth £20,000.
 
Thanks to our sponsors:                                      

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Register for the free East Midlands Expo now!

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Register for the free East Midlands Expo now!
Taking place on Monday 14 November 2022, register for the East Midlands Expo NOW, and get ready to forge new connections at the event. An established event of over 20 years, for which Business Link is a proud partner, the free to attend expo is well targeted and aimed at the construction, property, business, investment, finance, professional services and related B2B markets. Hosted at the East Midlands Conference Centre, Nottingham, the day will begin with exhibitor breakfast networking, with the exhibition opening to attendees at 9am, and a seminar taking place between 10:45am and noon. A special networking lunch (for which tickets can be purchased here) will then take place between 12:15pm and 2:15pm, and the exhibition will close at 3:30pm.

For more information on exhibiting at the event click here.

To register to attend the event for free click here.

To secure tickets for the networking lunch click here.

From property agents to developers, architects, contractors, investors, PR firms, and more, see the list of current exhibitors here.

Female-led Loughborough furniture business fitted out for growth following cash injection

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Female-led Loughborough furniture business fitted out for growth following cash injection

A Loughborough furniture fit-out business is looking to accelerate its growth ahead of its 25th anniversary, after securing a £250,000 loan from Lloyds Bank.

Fieldhouse Furniture is a female-founded family business which specialises in bespoke large scale interior design projects for high-end student accommodation, homes, boutique hotels and workplaces in the UK and EU.

The £250,000 invoice finance facility will enable Fieldhouse Furniture to access funds earlier, allowing the business to procure materials further in advance, focus on diversification into high-end student accommodation and invest in talent acquisition and development to drive growth.

Invoice finance allows you to unlock up to 90% of the funds tied-up in unpaid invoices quickly, often within 24 hours, without needing to wait for invoices to be settled.

Next year marks 25 years since Fieldhouse Furniture was established, having grown from a small curtain maker to a £5m turnover business, employing more than 115 staff across its international operation. The firm works with well-known developers such as Watkin Jones and Gilltown to deliver the design, supply, manufacturing and fit for projects in the UK, as well as Spain, Portugal, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands.

Elizabeth Wild, founder and Managing Director of Fieldhouse Furniture, said: “The funding from Lloyds Bank will allow us to protect the business against the challenges that the construction industry is currently facing while continuing to drive growth.

“A key area of focus where many businesses are struggling at the moment is talent acquisition. As a family firm, it’s essential that we’re recruiting special people who are going to be a good fit, as well as ensuring that our talent strategy gives back to the local community. This funding will help us to invest in our workforce and secure the business’s future.”

Gemma Heath, associate director, specialist client solutions at Lloyds Bank, said: “Fieldhouse Furniture is a hugely ambitious local business which has demonstrated resilience and the ability to prosper in the face of market headwinds. I’m excited to see what they’ll achieve with the funding.”

Mel Howard, relationship manager, SME banking at Lloyds Bank, said: “Over the last 25 years, Fieldhouse Furniture has crafted an excellent reputation among customers who trust that they will always deliver quality work on budget and on time. We’re proud to support a well-respected firm with such strong values.”

Administrators sell The Health Store

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Administrators sell The Health Store

The joint administrators of Health Stores (Wholesale) Limited, Chris Pole and Ryan Grant from Interpath Advisory, have completed a sale of The Health Store brand and its assets to Hunt’s Food Group Limited.

Hunt’s Food Group is a leading Foodservice, Retail and Natural products supplier based in the south of England with its head office in Sherborne, Dorset. The transaction will see 17 employees at Health Stores (Wholesale) Limited’s base in Nottingham transfer to the purchaser. 

Chris Pole and Ryan Grant were appointed joint administrators of Health Stores (Wholesale) Limited and Tree of Life UK Limited on 22 August 2022. The companies form part of the UK’s largest independent health food and wellness products distribution platform, supplying a broad range of third party and owned brand goods, food and drink, personal care, and vitamins, minerals and supplements. A further company within the group – Health Made Easy Limited – was placed into administration on 26 August 2022.

Chris Pole, Managing Director at Interpath Advisory and joint administrator, said: “Hunt’s Food Group has an excellent reputation within the industry, and has broadened both its produce and service offerings in recent years to supply a wide ranging customer base.

“We’re pleased to have concluded the sale of The Health Store Brand and its assets to Hunt’s Food Group, ensuring The Health Store will continue to trade and providing certainty for those employees who will transfer to the new owners. We’d like to thank all those who helped to deliver this transaction within a short timetable, and wish Hunt’s Food Group every success in the future.”

Access works for £800m Fairham neighbourhood to get underway this Autumn

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Access works for £800m Fairham neighbourhood to get underway this Autumn
Work is due to start to improve an existing access road and create a new route into the £800 million Fairham neighbourhood in Nottinghamshire. The work is taking place off the Mill Hill roundabout and on the Clifton South tram terminus access road from the A453 Remembrance Way. Day and night-time works will start to increase from Monday 5th September 2022 with a completion in April 2023 in order to create a new access road and controlled junction for Fairham, along with improved access to the existing Park & Ride site. Access to and from the Clifton South Park & Ride will be maintained at all times to keep traffic flowing while works to create new earthworks, carriageway and signalisation takes place. Construction traffic will be rerouted away from civilian traffic during the works. The 606-acre site is in the process of becoming a whole new neighbourhood for Nottingham with 3,000 new homes, one million sq ft of employment space and 200 acres of open green space. The works are all part of £100 million of infrastructure improvements scheduled for Fairham. O’Brien Contractors Ltd will be carrying out the work on behalf of Clowes Developments, the company behind the Fairham masterplan. Fairham is being brought forward in partnership with Homes England, the government’s housing accelerator. As well as new homes and employment space, there will also be a neighbourhood centre plus new educational, community and sports and leisure facilities at Fairham, along with a protected future route for the NET tram. Clowes Developments and Homes England have been working with Highways England, Nottinghamshire County Council, Nottingham City Council and Rushcliffe Borough Council to ensure the access works achieve the maximum benefit for the least amount of disruption for the travelling public. Due to bring thousands of new homes, jobs and opportunities to Nottingham, Fairham will be the East Midlands’ most significant mixed-use development. The new community has been designed around a highly sustainable, ultra-connected location set amid the green landscape of south Nottinghamshire. With all amenities co-located alongside one another, it will be one of the most highly accessible as well as greenest new communities in the region. The scheme will help provide new employment opportunities across the region as well as assisting Rushcliffe Borough Council in meeting its new homes target of 13,500 dwellings by 2030. Ali Malik, infrastructure director at Clowes Developments, said: “This work is all about creating an important new access for Fairham that will link to the whole of the development in the future. This will allow us to continue to build the internal road network to service the new homes, jobs, amenities and leisure facilities we’re creating at this major new neighbourhood for Nottingham.” O’Brien Contractors Ltd added: “The start of these further enabling and access works at the northern entrance to Fairham will bring improved and easier access to the development and surrounding area. It is all part of a package of works being completed across the Fairham site that will facilitate the next phase of development for the benefit of people across the region.”

New project to focus on skills needs in Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire

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New project to focus on skills needs in Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire
The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) is to lead a new project which will look at the future skills needs of businesses in Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire, and technical education provision in the area. By working with local employers and key education providers, this project will seek to set out the key priorities and changes needed to make post-16 technical education or training in the area more closely aligned with the skills needs of local employers and the local economy. The Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP) is an initiative funded by the Department for Education, which has selected FSB as the lead Employer Representative Body (ERB) to head up the LSIP in Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire. As part of the project, FSB will be holding a series of events during the autumn in conjunction with employers and education and training providers across the region. This will influence the recommendations of a report to be completed by mid-2023. FSB national chair, Martin McTague, said: “FSB has long encouraged and promoted the need for an employer-led skills agenda and so we’re delighted to have this opportunity to lead the development of this plan in Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire. “We look forward to working alongside employers, key education providers and local stakeholders to help shape the future skills and local provision in the area.” FSB development manager for Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire, Natalie Gasson-McKinley said: “We’re keen to hear from and engage with a range of businesses to shine a spotlight on the skills employers most need in the workplace but struggle to find locally. “We’ll work closely alongside key education providers in the region to build on the relationships between business and education and ensure practical solutions can be agreed to drive change locally. “We’re confident this will be a ‘win-win’ scenario for all local employers finding the talent suited to their business needs, whilst boosting employability for young people in post-16 education. “As we work towards producing the report next year we are keen to align with regional strategies and help ensure local businesses and people have the skills they need to thrive and grow in the future.”

Thorn Baker recruit 180 people for Nottinghamshire logistics company

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Thorn Baker recruit 180 people for Nottinghamshire logistics company

180 people in Nottinghamshire have been able to find employment thanks to a successful recruitment campaign carried out by industrial recruitment specialist, Thorn Baker Industrial Recruitment.

The company partnered with DMW Logistics Limited to support its ambitious recruitment plans for the remainder of 2022 and has successfully found 180 people new roles with the logistics specialist in just four weeks.

All the jobs are based at DMW’s site in Sutton In Ashfield and are necessary to help the company prepare for its busy Christmas period. DMW, which specialises in contract packing and delivery for a range of major high street retailers across the UK and Europe, needed temporary contract packing workers for the peak season. Additional roles such as logistics, warehouse and fork-lift truck drivers have been filled, and others remain available.

Thorn Baker managed the entire recruitment process, finding high quality staff for DMW following the successful renewal of its contract which was first awarded in 2021. Thorn Baker has an established on-site recruitment team at DMW’s premises so that it can best serve the candidates working on site. The team includes Elene Ursache, Diana Ion and David Strzelecki who all have a wealth of recruitment experience.

Matthew Dann from Thorn Baker says: “We were delighted to be selected as the preferred recruiter again and I look forward to building a long-term relationship with DMW. In a difficult recruitment market, I am pleased that the team has found suitable staff for DMW so quickly and that we will be on hand to support the company over its busy period in the run up to Christmas.”

Stefan Wilcockson, production manager at DMW, says: “We chose Thorn Baker as our preferred supplier again as even though last year proved very difficult for temporary staffing, we received high service levels throughout the year, and this year has been the same!”

Richard Borland, head of On-Site at Thorn Baker, adds: “There are still some roles available at DMW so I would encourage anyone looking for employment to get in touch and speak with us about the variety of roles available. We have developed a good team here and our onsite department is here to make people’s journey into their new role successful, so you will be supported throughout the process.”

Milestone Communications joins RSK Group

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Milestone Communications joins RSK Group
Milestone Communications, specialists in civil, electrical and mechanical engineering for the UK’s leading telecoms and renewable energy suppliers, has joined RSK Group, a global leader in the delivery of sustainable solutions. Established in 2004 from their head office in Leicestershire, Milestone boasts a team of 80 sector experts and has grown to a yearly turnover of more than £8m. Milestone’s joint Managing Directors, Adrian Whalley and Gavin Baxter, said: “This is an exciting step for both Milestone’s future as a business and for our highly skilled employees. We are looking forward to bringing Milestone’s unique service offerings and culture to the RSK Group as well as gaining the structure, support and opportunities that the group environment will provide.” As RSK continues to deliver its ambitious growth strategy it is now comprised of more than 175 companies, employing 10,000 people. The group’s annual turnover at the end of FY22 is expected to be in excess of £800 million, more than double the previous year. The acquisition adviser was Max Ward of Independence Capital. Alan Ryder, RSK Group CEO, said: “The addition of Milestone’s considerable expertise to RSK will serve the group and its clients well; enhancing our current strength in the renewables sector whilst improving the group’s access to the telecommunications market. We are particularly excited about Milestone’s steel fabrication capabilities which will bring a much-valued skillset in-house for the group and allow us to continue to expand in line with growing market demands.”

Nottingham nursery setting sold to national operator after 31-year ownership

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Nottingham nursery setting sold to national operator after 31-year ownership
Specialist business property adviser, Christie & Co, has sold Carrington Day Nursery in Nottinghamshire to Kids Planet. Established by exiting owner, Tina Jones, in 1991, Carrington Day Nursery is a busy setting with a ‘Good’ Ofsted rating. It has capacity for up to 98 children aged six weeks to five years, and is ideally located at the start of the Mansfield Road in the Nottingham suburb of Carrington. Over the years, Tina has maintained an excellent reputation as a proactive owner with a dedicated and loyal team. After 31 years of ownership, she decided to sell to retire from the sector and pursue other interests. The setting has now been purchased by national operator, Kids Planet, which was particularly attracted to the location and the prominence of the setting. With this acquisition, the group has 126 nurseries in its portfolio. Tina Jones says: “I’m looking forward to having the time to pursue other interests now I’m in the knowledge that Carrington Day Nursery is in Kids Planet’s safe hands.” Clare Roberts, CEO at Kids Planet, says: “Carrington Day Nursery is set in a wonderful Victorian building and has established a good reputation in the local area. The setting has a strong focus on quality provision and experiences for children and their families, and I see many synergies with our own ethos. We are delighted to welcome Carrington into the Kids Planet family and we look forward to supporting the team.” Jassi Sunner, associate director – Childcare & Education at Christie & Co, who worked on the sale, says: “It has been a real pleasure to negotiate the sale of Carrington Day Nursery, not only because of the quality and reputation of the setting but also for the parties involved who worked well together after our introduction. Kids Planet continue their dominant acquisition trail in the Midlands and we are delighted to be part of the introductions made to those tentatively seeking an exit.” Carrington Day Nursery was sold for an undisclosed price.
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