PRESS RELEASE
40 Years, Man & Boy
This month, Great Grounds celebrate 40 years in business, an achievement that I am actually quite proud of.
The company which I launched as Millar Landscapes in November 1983 at the age of just 21, initially only undertaking domestic work. It is fair to say, in those early days I had no idea how to run a business and was quite frankly more than a touch on the lazy side, finding any excuse to not work, it was always too wet or too cold! That said, I never enjoyed the office work either.
Within 3 years of setting up the business I had got married and we had our first child. Things quickly started to change with my new responsibilities, mainly driven by my wife who took no prisoners and soon got me (and the business) into shape. My wife Julie took over the finances and still to this day runs the accounts will military precision, with not a single penny being unaccounted for (literately !!!!) As I looked to grow the business, I took on my first member of staff, who was employed through the YTS scheme and my journey as an employer began.
In the late 1980's I got the first chance at a commercial job. My parents next-door neighbour knew a property developer who was building an industrial estate in Salford (in those days that place was like the Bronx). He put us in touch and I was soon in front of a very shrewd business man called Chris Williams, a hand drawn plan and a few costings neatly packed into my executive briefcase.
I still remember to this day being asked by him "Have you ever done anything as big as this before?" and replying confidently "no, but it's only like a few smaller jobs put together" In reality, I did think that I may have been a bit out of my depth, but actually managed to deliver the project on time and on budget and seem to remember we might even have made a bit of profit.
In 1996 I got my next big break into the commercial sector. A chance conversation with a member of my brothers staff put me in touch with a friend of his called Lee Webster who was the contracts manager in charge of landscaping works around the newly completed Terminal Two at Manchester Airport. As subcontractors there, we soon got a reputation for quality workmanship and a 'can do' attitude.
On completing Terminal Two and still working with Lee, we moved on to our second, major sub-contract job, planting trees and shrubs along the newly constructed Knowsley Expressway and was our first connection with Knowsley Council and the legend that is Frank Jones. We still work for Knowsley Council today and have been instrumental in almost eradicating Japanese Knotweed throughout the Borough for them, though Frank Jones has now retired.
The big opportunities kept coming and a chance encounter in the late 1990's gave us another. The manager at a hire company that we used had a friend that worked at the Environment Agency (then the National Rivers Authority) and told me that they were looking for contractors. We were put in touch and told that the EA work looking for companies to undertake maintenance work on watercourses.
This was to be another great fit for the business, with our ability to work safely and efficiently in a range of tricky situations, soon getting us a reputation for doing great work and again, we still work for the Environment Agency to this day.
In the late 1990's and still undertaking subcontract work for Lee Webster, the unfortunate demise of the company that he worked for, gave us another big break and a connection with the Emerson Group who were at the time developing the Middlebrook Retail Park. Again, The Emerson Group are still one of our highly valued clients.
In 2008, inspired by several years of mentoring students, I started to develop some very specific services for primary schools, that not only included grounds maintenance and landscaping services, but also linked educational support delivered by our own qualified teaching staff. Showing the connection between what they were learning in school and linking it to the work of skilled land based trades, using practical demonstrations, was massively rewarding.
Our unique understanding of the education sector and ability to deliver unique packages into primary schools has now made it one of our biggest growth areas.
Our high rates of staff retention and a team of hard-working staff dedicated to delivering high quality services, has ensured 40 years of success. On occasion it hasn't been easy, but that 'can do' attitude has ensured that we have managed through the tough times and thrived in the good.
I am not ready to hang up my boots quite yet and now also have a wedding venue to keep me busy. (that is a whole other story!) The business continues to be run by the family, with my son Mike getting ready to one day take the reins, my daughter-in-law Rianna (The Oaks Barn social media guru!) about to take on our marketing and my wife Julie who still takes no prisoners, we should be in great stead to hopefully keep the business flourishing for another 40 years.
We are now in the process of planning a celebration event this year and I am hoping to get as many of those who have been a part of the journey together, along with family friends and colleagues who have been part of the journey. It will also be a chance for everybody to see our latest venture our wedding venue, The Oaks Barn in Dilhorne.