Local Enterprise Partnership helps our Black Country business move with the times!
The ‘Innovation Centre Support Grant’ provided by the Black Country Growth Hub and established by Wolverhampton, Walsall, Sandwell and Dudley councils was set up to support local businesses looking to grow – And that is just what it has helped Howells Patent Glazing do. Alongside the Bournville College and ERDF Accelerating Local Growth funded scheme, our Cradley Heath based business is surpassing previous targets, and we are proud of how far we have come.
When we first started the Government funded Growth Accelerator scheme in September 2013, our focus was to maintain our position in the market place, and, if possible, make a small profit. However, the coaching we received changed our focus and made us adapt to the ‘bigger picture’. With a new, reworked management team and allocated workloads, our drive and goals for the future enabled Howells Patent Glazing to take the company from teetering on marginal growth with a turnover of 2,100,000 to one that is hopeful of at least 3,200,000 this year.
In two short years, the team at Howells have turned our family run business into an exciting place to work, and we have been able to build a new website, sector lead marketing campaigns, indulge in PR features and newsletters, build a bespoke cloud based CRM database and production and stock control systems are now firmly in place.
Debbie Willetts, Howells Patent Glazing company secretary has said “The current success that the company is enjoying is attributed to the fantastic employees we have with us today – Without them, it wouldn’t have been possible. As a management team, we wanted to address the potential high turnover of staff and their commitment to the company, but at the same time we wanted to recognise those who stay with us for their length of service. We are now able to offer every employee access to further education with NVQ’s through Dudley College. Our first twelve months are now complete and we are pleased with the many employees that have decided to continue with this program.”
Howells have since gone from employing 26 people to now a team of 36 staff, all with an individual role to play in the business. With a new factory move on the cards for 2016 too, we are sure to be extending our team even further. For Howells, it’s all about giving back to the community that surrounds us, with support for Ellowes Hall Sports College OAP Christmas Lunch, Midlands Air Ambulance, Youth Diabetes Charity and more, our values remain even with such great growth. We also support two local secondary schools by providing their pupils with valuable work experience.
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