Office refurbishment business is fit for growth after investment

A Yorkshire furniture and fit out business has secured almost a quarter of a million pounds in new orders after gaining investment from Finance Yorkshire.　

Ultimate Office Solutions, based in Silsden near Keighley, provides complete office refurbishment, design and furniture for business across the country including Smith and Nephew, Skipton Building Society and Leeds City College.　　　　

The company has enjoyed year-on-year growth since being established by Mark Hickey and Mark Naisbitt eight years ago, with turnover at £4.1million this year.

To continue the company’s growth, Ultimate Office Solutions received a £60,000 business loan from Finance Yorkshire in April 2012, allowing them to employ a new estimator and project manager, as well as providing needed working capital.

Ultimate Office Solutions employs more than 20 people and also has an operation at the Digital World Centre, in Salford, Manchester.

Mark Hickey, Director of Ultimate Office Solutions, said: "The investment from Finance Yorkshire has already paid dividends for the business. By bringing in an additional member of staff and having sufficient cashflow, we have been able to handle tenders more successfully and this has allowed us to gain additional orders worth £200,000 in recent weeks.

"It has strengthened our business significantly and allowed us to concentrate on selling our services while looking forward at growing key areas. We now have plans to increase our Manchester office, as well as opening a new site in the North East."

Mark has 15 years experience in the furniture and interiors market and does not regret setting up on his own.

He added: "Mark and I always talked about running our own company and when the opportunity arose we took it. It has allowed us to drive the company where we want to take it and we have never looked back since.　

"We are passionate about the work we do and have had success because of our honest approach to business. We work alongside designers to offer something different, bringing together products from across the UK and Europe to generate the right image for any company. Having the right office environment can be crucial in what message is given to customers and staff."　

Ultimate Office Solutions was introduced to Finance Yorkshire by Peter Sumners, Business Development Manager at the Co-operative Bank.

Jonathan Craig, Investment Manager at Finance Yorkshire, added: "Ultimate Office Solutions is a real Yorkshire success story. The company has grown significantly in recent years to become a key player in its market, generating new business and expanding employment opportunities for people in the region.

"It has exciting plans for the future and we are pleased the investment from Finance Yorkshire has already led to Ultimate Office Solutions boosting its order books further."

Finance Yorkshire provides seedcorn, loan and equity linked investments, ranging from £15,000 to £2m to help a range of small and medium sized businesses to meet their funding requirements for growth and development.

The project is supported financially by the European Union. It has attracted £30million investment from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) as part of Europe’s support for the region’s economic development through the Yorkshire and Humber ERDF Programme, £15million from Yorkshire Forward’s Single Programme, and £45million match funding from the European Investment Bank.

For more information about Finance Yorkshire, please visit www.finance-yorkshire.com or ring 0845 649 0000

Note: this news article is from Finance Yorkshire’s previous fund. Read more about Finance Yorkshire