An East Yorkshire company’s meteoric rise to success within its first year has earned it a prestigious regional business award.
Frontier Modular Services, launched in late 2017 by Hornsea man Rich Pooley (who was joined by his partner Lindsey Nicklin later in 2018), has won the ‘Start-Up Business of the Year’ category for the Yorkshire and the Humber region in the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) annual awards. The winners were announced on Friday March 1 at a glittering ceremony in York.
Rich said: “I’m over the moon, to get this kind of recognition so soon is amazing.”
Lindsey added: “It’s so lovely to see the team’s hard work has been recognised. The award has also given us a chance to take a step back and really reflect on what we’ve achieved over the past year. We’ve been so busy, it’s not always something you stop to appreciate!”
The couple will now progress to the national FSB awards final, which is being held in London in May, where they will be competing with ‘start up’ category winners from the other 11 regions.
Thirty-year-old Rich had spent 13 years honing his skills in the modular building installation industry before taking a leap of faith to launch his own business in December 2017, with former lawyer and business manager Lindsey’s support. He said: “The modular sector is growing rapidly as more building projects use off-site manufactured units for developments such as hospitals, hotels, and schools, and contractors need reliable, trustworthy and competent companies to perform the installations.
“I spotted a gap in the market so I used my knowledge and experience, together with my network of industry contacts, to start Frontier and hit the ground running.”
Requests for Frontier’s services came thick and fast and the business expanded much faster than Rich could have hoped. “I started out with just one operative working alongside me, then within the first eight months of trading Lindsey had left her employment to become a director in charge of the ‘back office’ operations as well as developing hire centre services for clients, and our site crew had grown into double figures,” he added.
“The success of 2018 has gone beyond anything I could have expected. Lindsey was my biggest supporter, giving me the encouragement I needed to take the leap.”
In less than a year, Frontier Modular Services went from a standing start to becoming one of the most sought-after modular installation companies in the country. It is now operating nationwide on major developments alongside some of the country’s biggest contractors.
As part of the FSB award entry, Rich submitted impressive business performance figures demonstrating high turnover, profit and recruitment, as well as his plans for sustainable business development.
He says the secret to his success is straightforward: “The quality of my team’s workmanship combined with our knowledge, experience and skills puts us head and shoulders above the competition.
“From the start, I wanted to attract the best calibre people possible by offering a good wage and a supportive working environment where the focus is on collaboration. We ensure every project is delivered to the best of our ability and the client’s satisfaction. It is this ability to continually deliver a top quality service that has granted us an outstanding reputation so quickly.”
The level of growth Frontier Modular Services has experienced in such a short space of time is above the norm for a start-up company. Not only that, the level of the work the company is doing – installing modular buildings as part of major projects around the nation with some of the UK’s leading contractors – is highly unusual for a start-up.
Frontier is working with leading construction contractors that are household names. New clients frequently get in touch and existing clients return with repeat business so Rich intends to increase his workforce throughout 2019 to be able to undertake these additional projects.
Notable projects from 2018 include installing an unusual timber-framed building at Huddersfield Grammar School; a development for the homeless community in Slough; a nursery at a regeneration development in central London; and a new ward for Bolton Hospital as well as a new entrance for the hospital’s A&E department.
Rich and Lindsey’s success has all been achieved without any marketing or promotional activity, as literally all Frontier’s work has come from word of mouth and recommendations.
“As with all new ventures, Lindsey and I have invested a huge amount of sheer hard graft into building this business,” Rich added. “But we have no regrets whatsoever, and remain focused on our vision for continued success in the future.”
For further information about the FSB awards, visit www.fsbawards.co.uk
For further information about Frontier Modular Services, visit www.frontiermodular.co.uk
