PRESS RELEASE
TREE BUSINESS IS GROWING FAST
A family-run tree business in County Durham is going from strength to strength with its expertise in demand from customers that include the Duke of Northumberland, numerous local authorities, construction companies, landscape companies and private clients.
Olivers Tree Services Ltd, based at Witton Gilbert and run by David Oliver and Carol Beirne, works across the Northern region and in Scotland managing trees growing everywhere from private gardens to huge estates. The 17 employees at Olivers are also celebrating their success as one of the most recent smaller companies in County Durham to achieve the Investor in People award.
Ian Grigg, Workforce Development Team Leader with Business Link County Durham, said: "The government is keen to encourage smaller companies like Olivers, employing less than 50 people, to take up Investor in People and has pledged £30m to help achieve that aim. Business Link will be managing County Durham's share of that investment."
The employees at Olivers play an important part in the company's growth and Carol Beirne is convinced that the IIP award has already proved its worth.
"We employ a number of highly skilled people qualified in arboriculture and they are vital to our business," she said. "We are involved with general tree management but specialise in dealing with trees growing in confined spaces so often work in areas where there are major safety implications. We can be working in conservation areas, or dealing with tree preservation orders and re-planting where diseased trees have to be felled. We also provide a full Arboricultural Consultancy service dealing with construction companies in relation to trees on development sites and other commercial and private clients. Arboricultural reports for trees in gardens and their impact on the house for mortgage purposes are also part of our portfolio.
"There is no doubt that IIP has benefited everyone, as it has improved teamwork, commitment and quality, it has also helped to focus the management team and backed up our expansion plans. Angie Collins, our IIP consultant from Business Link, has helped and supported us every step of the way that it has been a very valuable experience. The re-assessments will keep us on track and I would certainly recommend IIP to other smaller businesses."
The company has now developed its training in line with the business plan and looked at issues such as the latest Arboricultural techniques and practices to keep everyone in the company up to date as well as putting new administration systems in place.
-end-
Article from above Press Release
appeared in The Evening Chronicle, 9 January 2003 titled 'Blooming Marvellous'.