Construction Leaders Club focuses on navigating through Brexit

Construction Leaders Club workshop.

Business growth organisation, the Construction Leaders Club, is running a series of workshops to help firms in the sector become ‘Brexit ready’. 

The East Midlands-based group has created a framework to help businesses protect themselves and plan for growth and development beyond Brexit.

Now the Construction Leaders Club is planning to share the ideas in a series of workshops to be run in the Nottinghamshire/Derbyshire area – starting in February.

Business growth consultant Terry O’Mahony, who runs CLC, said: “Small business owners don't always have the time or resources to effectively lead and manage seismic changes in the marketplace and their business. We are heading into uncharted waters as the UK prepares to leave the European Union, and it’s vital that small and medium-sized businesses do what they can to prepare as much as possible for this.

“The team at the Construction Leaders Club has made it their mission to be on hand to help business leaders and managers navigate their way through and beyond Brexit.” 

The Construction Leaders Club, which is believed to be the only business growth, leadership and management development organisation for the construction industry to be awarded the new Chartered Building Consultancy status, was founded by Terry O’Mahony four years ago. It offers networking and business growth advice - supporting businesses and individuals related to or associated with the UK construction industry.

The workshops will be run by Terry and Peter Jubb, a business development and marketing consultant who has worked within the construction sector for many years, and will be held at Risley Hall Hotel, Risley in Derbyshire, near junction 25 of the M1 – starting on 9^th February 2018.

“In just one workshop, we will be offering advice on how to re-engineer businesses, accelerate profitability, reduce exposure to commercial risk and to leveraging every opportunity open to business leaders,” explained Terry. “We welcome small business owners, senior decision makers and leaders who want to develop their business and teams.”

The first half-day workshop runs from 9am to noon, and will focus on the importance of being Brexit ready, how to understand fully your current business situation; identify and evaluate the best way forward; and create an effective plan.

As well as running development programmes and workshops, the CLC also stages monthly networking events, with the next one scheduled for Thursday 8^th February at 10am at The Grill at Twenty Five, 25 Bostock’s Lane, Long Eaton, Nottinghamshire, NG10 4EP.

For more details about the workshops or networking events visit www.constructionleadersclub.com

Press release issued by Nottingham based PR company Perfect 10 PR www.perfect10pr.co.uk

Snack brand Salty Dog launches new popcorn products

Salty Dog popcorn

Cool snack brand Salty Dog has unveiled two new popcorn products as the appetite for popcorn snacks continues to rise.

The Salty Dog popcorn comes in two flavours – sea salt and sweet & salty - and has been designed for both retail and hospitality.

With eye-catching packaging and fitting neatly into vending machines, the popcorn is vegan friendly and already has listings with wholesalers around the country. It’s perfect for pubs, bars, cafés and food-to-go venues, as well as ideal for retailers and independent stores.

The popcorn is the latest new snack to emerge from the Salty Dog stable and follows Darling Corn, which has also recently been unveiled in bright new packaging. The roasted corn kernels are available in three different flavours in 18g size – sea salt, smoked and barbecue – and three different flavours in 40g pack size – sea salt, barbecue and jalapeño.

Offering a good source of fibre, low in calories, free from any of the common allergens, and licensed by Coeliac UK as being gluten free, the roasted corn kernels are part of the Darling Spuds brand of Salty Dog.

Judy Willis, who runs Salty Dog and Darling Spuds with husband Dave Willis, said: “The appetite for tasty premium snacks remains high and we are delighted to unveil our new Salty Dog popcorn products, which follow the recent repackaging of our Darling Corn snacks.

“Popcorn is one of the grocery sector’s fastest growing product and the popcorn market is said to have doubled in value since 2013.”

Launched in 2003, Salty Dog is well known for its cool crisps, nibbly nuts and other snacks. Sister brand Darling Spuds followed in 2010, with hand-cooked crisps and roasted corn kernels.

Recommended retail price for the new popcorn is £1 per pack and for the corn is £1 for the 40g packs and 50p for the 18g packs.

Both ranges are available from Chiltern Snacks - telephone 01494 776006 or visit www.chilternsnacks.co.uk

For more information visit www.saltydog-grrr.com or www.darlingspuds.co.uk

Press release issued by Nottingham based PR company Perfect 10 PR www.perfect10pr.co.uk

East Midlands fbe Awards 2017 launched

2016 fbe awards winner GlaxoSmithKline Carbon Neutral Laboratory

Nominations are now being invited for the annual East Midlands fbe Awards which recognise and reward the teams behind some of the best construction projects in the region.

Returning for a second year is the Best Rising Star category, which will shine the light on the construction and development sector’s most promising young professionals.

Entries for the awards are expected from across Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire. 

The categories include Regeneration, Residential, and Non-Residential developments, along with Rising Star of the Year. The winners of the first three categories will automatically form the shortlist for the Overall East Midlands Scheme & Team Award.

Free to enter, the awards will be presented at an event run by the East Midlands fbe (Forum for the Built Environment) on 12th October 2017 at the City Rooms in Leicester. Around 150 professionals from the construction, development and property sector in the region are expected to attend the ceremony, which last year sold out in advance.

“The East Midlands fbe Chairman’s Dinner & Awards night is a popular date on the calendar of the region’s construction sector,” said Eddie Mewies, regional chairman of the East Midlands fbe and MD of M-EC Consulting Development Engineers.

“The awards are the chance to recognise and celebrate some of the region’s top projects, as well as the teams who are behind them. We are pleased that once again we will have a category for the Best Rising Star, so that we can shine a light on those young people who are showing outstanding achievements in their field and celebrate the next generation of leaders and influencers in the East Midlands construction sector.”

As well as entries now being open, sponsorship opportunities are also available for the event.

Details about the awards and entry forms, as well as sponsorship opportunities and tickets for the awards ceremony, are available from http://www.fbeonline.co.uk/east-midlands/events/fbe-east-midlands-chairmans-dinner-and-awards-2017.htm or by contacting Mary Daw on 07883 033552.

The deadline for award nominations is Friday 1^st September 2017.

Last year’s overall winner was the GlaxoSmithKline Carbon Neutral Laboratories for Sustainable Chemistry at the University of Nottingham, a building unique in the UK in its design and focus on ‘green chemistry’, which was nominated by Morgan Sindall.

The fbe is a national organisation, with branches across the UK and is the longest established networking group for the property, development and construction industries. As well as running the annual awards scheme, the East Midlands branch also organises a number of social and other events. The East Midlands branch covers Leicestershire, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire.

Press release issued by Nottingham based PR company Perfect 10 PR www.perfect10pr.co.uk

Historic buildings could qualify for redevelopment grants, says funding expert Focus Consultants

The completion of Bridgford Hall

Funding experts at Focus Consultants are urging the owners of historic buildings to consider following in the footsteps of Bridgford Hall which has become the first completed project in the East Midlands to benefit from a Heritage Enterprise Grant.

Focus supported Rushcliffe Borough Council in its successful bid for a £1.5 million Heritage Enterprise Grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) to redevelop the hall in West Bridgford near Nottingham. 

The Grade II listed building has recently reopened as a luxury aparthotel and civil wedding ceremony venue, following a £2.3 million redevelopment – making it the first Heritage Enterprise project to be completed in the East Midlands.

“The Bridgford Hall project is paving the way in the East Midlands by illustrating how Heritage Enterprise Grants are helping to breathe new life into old buildings,” said Focus partner Heather Frecklington. “The team at Focus has been involved in the project at Bridgford Hall from the early days and it’s always a proud moment when a scheme is successfully completed.

“This renovation aptly illustrates how a Heritage Enterprise grant can open a new chapter in the life of a building. We’re very proud to have helped to secure the Heritage Enterprise grant for his work – the first to be completed in the East Midlands. Since helping to secure the Heritage Enterprise grant for Bridgford Hall we’ve been involved in supporting other organisations across the UK with their bids and we are looking forward to seeing other schemes come to fruition in the future.

“We’d be delighted to offer funding advice to any organisations that are thinking of similar projects.”

For many property owners, owning a historic building requires a great deal of investment, firstly potentially restoring those buildings and secondly keeping them in good repair. The cost of repairing a neglected historic building is often so high that restoration is not commercially viable. The aim of the HLF’s Heritage Enterprise programme is to make such schemes possible by funding some of the repair costs with grants of £100,000 to £5 million available.

Since supporting Rushcliffe Borough Council with its Heritage Enterprise Grant bid, Focus has helped a number of other organisations with their applications including the University of Northampton Students’ Union, for its Engine Shed project, and Waltham Abbey Royal Gunpowder Mills Foundation Trust on proposals to bring many of the currently unused and listed buildings at the Royal Gunpowder Mills site at Waltham Abbey in Essex back into use.

“Hundreds of neglected historic buildings across the UK could qualify for special grants to help bring them back into life,” added Heather. “Funding experts at Focus have successfully secured millions of pounds in various grants and funds for projects over the past 23 years, and we’d be very pleased to talk to organisations that feel they could benefit from Heritage Enterprise Grants.”

Nottingham-based Focus, which also has branches in London, Leicester, and Boston in Lincolnshire, specialises in funding and economic development including area regeneration strategies, funding applications, economic impact appraisals, business plans, and research and evaluation. Since 1994 Focus has also secured for clients more than £953 million of grants for projects and businesses across the UK and delivered more than £1.3 billion worth of projects and programmes – making it one of the most successful businesses of its kind in the country.

It also offers a range of services to the property and construction industry, including building surveying, quantity surveying, project management, and sustainable development support.

For more information, visit www.focus-consultants.co.uk

Press release issued by Nottingham based PR company Perfect 10 PR www.perfect10pr.co.uk 

J Tomlinson named Company of the Year in prestigious awards

J Tomlinson win Company of the Year

Integrated building services firm J Tomlinson has triumphed at the Nottingham Post Business Awards 2017 after being named as Company of the Year.

The Beeston-based company was handed the prestigious accolade at an awards ceremony held at East Midlands Conference Centre.

“We are thrilled to have been named as Company of the Year in the Nottingham Post Business Awards,” said CEO Mark Davis.

“The county is home to some brilliant businesses, and for J Tomlinson to have been recognised in this way is a huge honour for the company. We genuinely believe our people are our greatest asset and are continuing to work extremely hard in developing this further. This award is a recognition of the skill and expertise of our staff, and I’d like to thank them for buying into the vision, their hard work and loyalty to the business, which has been a key to getting us where we are today.

“We are only part way down our journey and have high expectations for the business.

“Congratulations to all who were named as finalists in these awards – it’s a great showcase for the talent and skill that exists within Nottinghamshire.”

J Tomlinson has been part of the Nottinghamshire business world for more than 60 years, having been founded in Beeston in the 1950s. The company has grown and expanded and now operates across the East Midlands, West Midlands and Yorkshire, providing a range of integrated building services which include construction, mechanical and electrical services (M&E), facilities management, refurbishment, repairs and maintenance and regeneration.

It has achieved record turnovers in recent times and currently employs a record number of staff of more than 420 people.

This year marked the 30^th anniversary of the Company of the Year Award accolade presented by the Nottingham Post. It was sponsored by Browne Jacobson.

The award was the latest won by J Tomlinson, which two weeks earlier took the title Small Scale Project of the Year in the West Midlands Energy Efficiency and Healthy Homes Awards 2017 for a scheme to install ground source heat pumps at two sites in Shropshire for housing organisation Bromford.

The London Road Fire Station in Nottingham, built by J Tomlinson also recently scooped two awards at the East Midlands RICS Awards.

For more information about J Tomlinson, visit www.jtomlinson.co.uk

Press release issued by Nottingham based PR company Perfect 10 PR www.perfect10pr.co.uk

National Justice Museum role for J Tomlinson

National Justice Museum, Nottingham, refurbished by J Tomlinson

The refurbishment team at J Tomlinson has helped to open a new chapter in the life of one of Nottingham’s most loved historic buildings which has become a centre of national significance.

The company played a role in the £1 million redevelopment of the former Galleries of Justice, now known as the National Justice Museum.

The former courthouse and gaol, which houses the UK’s largest collection of over 40,000 law, justice, crime, and punishment artefacts, recently underwent a transformation thanks to Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) support.  

Nottingham-based J Tomlinson, which has more than 60 years’ experience of heritage project work on listed buildings, museums and historic landmark buildings, completed key parts of the redevelopment, refurbishment and redecoration.

J Tomlinson construction director Pete Woods, who heads up the refurbishment team, said: “Each refurbishment or restoration contract we undertake is unique but to be involved in a heritage project in our home city, in a venue which is so well known and well regarded locally, was an honour for the J Tomlinson team.

“Our work at the new National Justice Museum ranged from relocating a set of old heavy gallows trap doors, originally from Wandsworth prison, and a heavy protective glass cover, down two floors and setting into the floor for display purposes through to the redecoration of the stunning Victorian court room and Shire Hall, as well as the former gaol cells in the cellar and basement, and the installation of track lighting.”

It was the latest heritage refurbishment project for Beeston-based J Tomlinson, which works primarily throughout the East Midlands, West Midlands and Yorkshire, and follows on from schemes such as the refurbishment of the 12^th Century Old Grammar School in Coventry. 

The National Justice Museum is not only attracting visitors from across the country, but it has also become an educational resource of national importance. It includes new areas to display a wider selection of archive items, features an increased number of interactive displays, a new crime gallery featuring free exhibitions, plus even more fun, family friendly activities. 

Some of the most well-known items at the National Justice Museum include playwright Oscar Wilde’s cell door, force-feeding equipment used on Suffragettes and conscientious objectors, Great Train Robbery evidence and the dock from Bow Street Magistrates Court, which was used in notorious cases such as the trials of Oscar Wilde, Roger Casement and the Krays.

Tim Desmond, Chief Executive of the National Justice Museum, which is based on High Pavement in the Lace Market area of Nottingham, said: “The refurbishment of a Georgian Prison has to be a massive challenge for anyone and I have to say the team at J Tomlinson were excellent, working within the limitation of budget and timescales. They really have taken our museum into the 21^st century and helped us become the first national museum in Nottingham.”

Jonathan Platt, Head of Heritage Lottery Fund East Midlands, said: “This transformation of the National Justice Museum will allow a much wider audience to explore the fascinating history of law, justice, crime, and punishment, and will create a nationally important cultural destination for Nottingham. We are delighted that, thanks to National Lottery players, we have been able to support this project.”

In addition to the support from the Heritage Lottery Fund, the transformation has also been made possible by support from WREN, Charles Hayward Foundation, Museum Development East Midlands, Big Lottery Fund: Awards for All, Arts Council England, Jones 1986 Charitable Trust, JN Derbyshire Charitable Trust, and the Forman Hardy Charitable Trust.

For more information about J Tomlinson, visit www.jtomlinson.co.uk

Press release issued by Nottingham based PR company Perfect 10 PR www.perfect10pr.co.uk

Construction services company J Tomlinson completes office upgrade

Mark Davis of J Tomlinson

Integrated building solutions firm J Tomlinson has given its head office in Beeston a revamp with a raft of improvements and efficiency measures.

The work, completed by its own commercial refurbishment division, comes as the company announces a number of new vacancies across the group.

The improvements represent an investment in the firm’s commitment to the Nottinghamshire area and the local economy, said CEO Mark Davis.

They include a new reception area to the building in Lilac Grove, new windows and wrap-around cladding to the front façade, a new kitchen and break-out area for staff, refurbished offices and meeting rooms, and new energy efficient LED lighting, as well as new air conditioning.

J Tomlinson CEO Mark Davis said: “The company has been based at Lilac Grove since the 1950s and this improvement work marks an investment in our headquarters and our teams.

“It includes measures to make the building more efficient and to create a more pleasant work environment for our staff. Our commercial refurbishment division undertakes this type of work across the regions but, on this occasion, has carried out the work on our very own doorstep – quite literally.”

The commercial refurbishment department of J Tomlinson became a standalone division last year and specialises in interior and exterior refurbishments. It works across private and public sector, with a wide-ranging portfolio including education, emergency services and commercial buildings.

As a company, J Tomlinson provides a range of integrated building services which include construction, mechanical and electrical services (M&E), facilities management, refurbishment, repairs and maintenance and regeneration. It primarily operates across the East Midlands, West Midlands and Yorkshire.

It has just announced a number of new vacancies as part of its on-going expansion, including positions such as gas engineers, electricians, a mechanical estimator, customer liaison officers, electrical quality control supervisor, and construction business development – based at a variety of the firm’s locations in the East Midlands and West Midlands.

“J Tomlinson has been steadily and sustainably growing, as a result of an increasing number of contracts throughout its divisions,” added Mark Davis. “The company now employs more than 400 people. Last year we opened a new West Midlands headquarters after experiencing expansion in the region – transferring our West Midlands base from a site in Birmingham to larger offices in Canwell, near Sutton Coldfield.”

For more information about J Tomlinson and current job vacancies, visit www.jtomlinson.co.uk

Press release issued by Nottingham based Perfect 10 PR www.perfect10pr.co.uk