LEP Grant Means New HQ for Sleaford Building Services
A company originally set up in a shed is moving to a new £1.1m facility to cope with its soaring order book, thanks in part to a £298,000 grant from the Greater Lincolnshire Local Enterprise Partnership.
Lincolnshire mechanical and electrical contractor Sleaford Building Services is renovating an existing building on the Sleaford Enterprise Park which will house the company’s stores, plant storage facility, fabrication workshop and offices.
Staff will be transferred from its sites in Nocton, Stainfield and Heckington, and SBS expects to be recruiting 20 new staff once it settles into its new 14,000 square foot headquarters, which is five times bigger than its existing premises, by the end of May 2021.
The project will enable Sleaford Building Services to significantly improve production efficiency and ensure it has the capacity to meet increasing customer demand.
The grant of £298,072.31 has been awarded by the LEP from its Greater Lincolnshire Growth Fund which offers match-funded grants of £150,000 to £500,000 to help Greater Lincolnshire businesses to increase productivity and create new jobs.
Barry Exton, Managing Director at Sleaford Building Services, said: “The move will facilitate the firm’s future growth and enable us to break into new markets – like manufacturing – and expand the range of services we offer.
“The LEP has been very helpful. We were under no pressure to complete the application and both the LEP and Greenborough, the Growth Fund Project Managers, did significant work behind the scenes to pull it together.
“I would recommend other companies to apply for a grant as the process is really straightforward and there’s plenty of support and help available. We couldn’t recommend it highly enough!”
The move marks an impressive decade of growth for the company, during which it has worked on multi-million contracts including a new medical centre at the University of Nottingham, a sports centre at the University of Hull, and National Trust properties Belton House and Brodsworth Hall.
Barry added: “The move to our new home marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter for the company. We have certainly come a long way since I operated out of a shed in my back garden.
“Our staff are very eager to complete the move and we can’t wait to bring all our operations together under one roof for the first time. We have already enjoyed incredible growth over the last decade and I am confident this next step will put us on the road to even greater success.”
Ruth Carver, Chief Executive of the Greater Lincolnshire LEP, remarked: “Sleaford Building Services is a well established and growing business and we are pleased to support their next steps as they relocate their headquarters.
“We aim to support businesses in Lincolnshire through the Greater Lincolnshire Growth Fund and we hope that other businesses will apply for the grants that we are offering.”
To find out more about the Greater Lincolnshire Growth Fund and to find out if your business is eligible, email growthfund@greenborough.com, call 01522 837269 or visit the website.
Notes for editors:
About Sleaford Building Services:
- Sleaford Building Services, first established in owner Barry Exton’s back garden in 2003, has grown into one the largest independent mechanical and electrical contractors in the East Midlands with an annual turnover of £11m a year.
- It has now outgrown its current home in Heckington and is moving to a new headquarters in Sleaford.
- The company has worked on a host of multi-million contracts including a new medical centre at the University of Nottingham, a sports centre at the University of Hull, National Trust properties Belton House and Brodsworth Hall, Rampton Hospital and several new fire stations across the Midlands.
- Locally the company has been involved in projects to build the International Bomber Command Centre, Meridian Leisure Centre in Louth, the EPIC Centre at the Lincolnshire Showground and the refurbishment of the arts, theatre and music block at Grimsby Institute.
- Contact: Barry Exton, Managing Director, Barry.Exton@sleafordbuildingservices.co.uk, or call 01529 461958.
About the Greater Lincolnshire LEP:
- The Greater Lincolnshire LEP was set up in 2010 and works with businesses and local authorities to develop and grow Greater Lincolnshire’s diverse economy.
- It is a public / private partnership led by the private sector.
- It works with central government and the private sector to invest in infrastructure, skills, innovation and productivity.
- More than 100 businesses are involved in its strategies, and 80 business people sit on its boards.
- The LEP has an ambitious and balanced strategic economic growth plan for Greater Lincolnshire.
- The LEP’s six priority sectors are agri-food, the visitor economy, manufacturing, logistics, health and care and low-carbon energy.
- The LEP has invested £307 million in local economic growth schemes in Greater Lincolnshire since 2014.
- The Greater Lincolnshire LEP covers an area including North Lincolnshire, North East Lincolnshire and the administrative county of Lincolnshire and is led by a LEP board made up of leading figures in the public and private sector.
- To find out more visit www.greaterlincolnshirelep.co.uk or follow the LEP on Twitter: @greaterlincslep.
For media information, please contact:
