Contract wins fuel expansion for Hull's Ridings Consulting Engineers

A Hull-based consulting building services engineering business has trebled its team and expanded its office space after winning several new contracts.

Ridings Consulting Engineers Ltd, which landed contracts worth £30k within 24 hours of launching last year, is now part of a team working on a £5m project at Smith & Nephew in Hull.

The company also recently completed work on a £4m construction project at the former Seven Seas site where Eltherington, the independent aluminium supplier, is moving into a new factory.

Ridings Consulting Engineers, which was launched in May 2015, recorded a turnover of £300k in its first year of trading, but this is expected to almost double in year two.

Liam Beardshaw and fellow director Ian Grimwood have also been joined by four new recruits and their office space at The Deep Business Centre in Hull has trebled to 750 sq ft.

Liam Beardshaw, a founding director of Ridings Consulting Engineers, said: “We said before that the instant growth of the business had taken us by surprise and that has continued.

“That’s down to a combination of more work from existing contacts and appointments from new clients. Basically the projects have become bigger and more challenging.”

The company’s projects include the residential development at St Leonard’s on Sea, renovations and refurbishments of various psychiatric units for Hull Citycare and the design of new laboratory facilities to the Smith & Nephew site in Hull.

Liam added: “The pace of expansion has exceeded our expectations and we’re fortunate to be at The Deep Business Centre, where the team are well-versed in providing expanding companies with the extra space they need at short notice.

“Our new offices should be big enough but the way things have been going it’s hard to tell. We’re also picking up a lot of work in the modular buildings sector, particularly involving school sites around the country, and we’ve also got longer term projects in the pipeline. That will need more staff, and we’re committed to training and developing our team.

“Our most recent addition is a chartered electrical engineer and a full member of the Chartered Institute of Building Services Engineers, which shows how far we have come in a short space of time.

“This has added to our already impressive staff base and we hope to develop this to a larger workforce and potentially a second office. We haven’t been advertising or even picking up the phone to chase business; it just keeps coming in. I’m sure that will stop some time, and when it does we’ll have time to sit back and take stock!”