PROPERTY and garden maintenance company Maple Maintenance has won this year’s Build Ayrshire programme, delivered by hub South West Scotland.
Based in Skelmorlie, North Ayrshire, the company offers property maintenance for local authorities, landlords and homeowners, as well as landscaping and gardening services and ad hoc maintenance support.
Now in its sixth year, hub SW’s Build programme offers businesses in the construction sector the chance to gain advice and support from industry experts to help them grow and achieve their goals.
Delivered over eight weeks, the free programme comprised weekly sessions focusing on different themes. Attendees learn about various aspects of business management including developing a strategy, procurement, finance, and creating a marketing and social media plan.
This year’s programme kicked off on 8 February with the final taking place at Ayrshire College. To close the programme, participants were asked to present to a panel of judges and hub South West’s Tier 1 contractors on the benefits and impact of the programme on their business and how they feel they will be able grow in the future.
Malcolm Duncan from Maple Maintenance said, “We launched Maple Maintenance in 2014 and have gradually grown into a successful Ayrshire business. We have always had ambitions to grow even further but I realised to do this we needed some help to refresh our business strategy and priorities.
“From the very first session, the Build Ayrshire programme was helpful and we were able to make changes almost immediately. The weekly sessions were a great opportunity to network with fellow Ayrshire businesses, as well as Tier 1 contractors who we will hopefully be able to build good relationships with.
“Taking part in the Build Ayrshire programme was a fantastic experience and one which has given us a real appetite to implement positive changes. We are now building our strategy for expansion, with plans to introduce new products and services, recruit and enhance our online presence. Winning this award has renewed our confidence and ambition to build a really successful business.”
Mark Houston, supply chain development manager at hub South West Scotland, added, “Malcolm, Rachel and Carl from Maple Maintenance were able to effectively demonstrate and articulate how they benefited from every session of the Build Ayrshire programme and explained clearly how they would apply what they had learned to their business. It’s fantastic to see how the support and insight they received will help re-shape their strategy and achieve their goal of winning more commercial contracts.
“Our free Build programme is designed to help local businesses develop an effective and achievable plan for the future, building the foundations they will need to secure their position in the wider market.
“The quality and commitment of this year’s Build Ayrshire participants was outstanding and we thoroughly enjoyed working with them. We are delighted to present this award to Malcolm and his team who are very worthy winners.”
Companies participating in the programme are able to gain insight into tendering and receive introductions to Tier One contractors.
Janice Russell, MD of McTaggart Construction, who was on the judging panel for the first time, said, “All the companies which took part clearly put significant time and effort into their presentations and were able to demonstrate how the programme helped them both as individuals and professionally. It was fantastic to see a wide range of businesses take part, from larger, more established companies to smaller start-ups.
“Maple Maintenance was a real stand out candidate as they were clearly able to demonstrate what they had learned from the programme and how they had immediately applied changes to the business. There was also a clear plan in place for their future growth which was really exciting to see. The enthusiasm they felt was evident and the benefits to their business really shone through.
“It was a pleasure taking part in this year’s Build Ayrshire programme and I look forward to supporting the hub SW team as they continue to champion local construction businesses to be the best they can be.”
