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bdaily goes behind the scenes of Sanderson Weatherall LLP with Tim Catterall

What key challenges has your company recently faced?

The key challenge remains to ride the recession and keep our clients and staff happy. One of the big changes in our business model has been to look beyond our agency expertise and expand departments such as Insolvency, Plant & Machinery and our public sector department.

What is your biggest achievement over the past 12 months?

There’s been a lot of hard work put in over the past year by all of the team which has reaped some great results.

In total, we have coordinated almost 500,000 sq ft of industrial space in the past six months. We have also been involved in some of the most significant retail transactions in the North of England including the ‘St Andrews Way’ development at Eldon Square and the ‘Qube’ area at Metrocentre, Gateshead.

Earlier this year, Sanderson Weatherall LLP, was named the leading Property Adviser for Yorkshire and the North East for the seventh year by Estates Gazette something of a record!

What is your biggest focus for the coming year?

The focus will remain on generating new business in both the public and private sectors and keeping our existing clients happy by providing solid, knowledgeable property advice.

If you had to choose one top piece of advice for someone just starting out in business, or is currently operating within your industry sector, what would it be?

I would say the best advice to anyone in Commercial Property is to stay in the know. Know your area, know your properties and know your clients.

The best piece of business advice I’ve ever been given is ‘make sure you look after those important to you’, namely your clients and your colleagues.

Can you share with us your view of the current landscape of business, in this region or generally and where your organisation sits within it?

I would encourage some lateral thinking in the Graduate job market, including student loans for internships.

It’s still a very tough market out there. I would like to see a few more cranes around the region and some more capital in circulation.

There has been some depressed air around and we need something to kick-start activity. A quicker planning process and an end to empty rates might be a starter!

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Tim Catterall .