RECOM Solutions is on track for a record year with a burgeoning order book as it celebrates a decade in business.
The Salford-headquartered business, which undertakes project management consultancy, main contracting and passive fire protection work, is targeting turnover of more than £20m for its current financial year, backed by a strong pipeline.
Jason McKnight and Joseph Dillon, who met as students at the University of Salford and worked together at Bovis Lend Lease, founded the business in 2015. Their first office was above a fish and chip shop in Trafford Park.
Today RECOM owns its three-storey headquarters at Waters Edge Business Park in Salford Quays and has 56 full-time staff.
It also employs scores of operatives on passive fire protection schemes, which are designed to limit the spread of fire, smoke and heat within buildings and structures.
RECOM moved to its current HQ in 2022 and has since expanded its services into London, Bristol and Birmingham. The development of a senior leadership team has supported this growth.
The company, which operates in sectors including healthcare, education, retail, leisure, commercial and residential, was crowned SME of the Year at the North West Regional Construction Awards earlier this month.
Flagship project management consultancy schemes over the years have included the award-winning redevelopment of the Old Quadrangle at the University of Manchester, and the disaster recovery operation for the Cancer Research UK Institute Manchester following a fire at The Christie’s Paterson Building.
Highlights for its main contracting division have included the £6m transformation of former offices into luxury apartments at a grade II listed building on King Street in Manchester city centre, and the £7m Shree Swaminarayan Temple in Oldham.
RECOM has also completed schemes for retail, leisure and hospitality clients such as Pot Kettle Black, Barry’s Bootcamp, Urban Village Bars and Timpson.
The company has expanded in the residential sector to complete interrupted schemes across the country where other contractors have become insolvent, including a 56-house development Sandbach, Cheshire, and a 155-unit development in Bristol.
RECOM, which has accreditation from the National House Building Council, is currently undertaking an interrupted scheme for 52 homes in Delamere, Cheshire.
Its passive fire protection division, established in 2019, has secured national contracts at locations including hospitals, schools and universities, government offices, social housing schemes, apartment blocks, industrial and office buildings.
RECOM is an approved contractor under the UK’s Fire Accreditation Scheme (FIRAS) for its passive fire protection services, which include the installation and maintenance of fire-resistant walls, doors, ceilings and intumescent coatings to ensure compliance with all relevant fire safety regulations, compartmentation surveys, fire strategy reviews, training, development and support.
Earlier this year, RECOM secured a six-figure funding package to support its growth and create jobs.
Jason said: “At the outset, we had a vision to raise standards in construction and consultancy, and then to do things better than others in passive fire protection, based on what we had seen in the industry.
“We’ve developed three outstanding business units with their own leadership teams, and have prided ourselves on developing talent across the company and giving young people an opportunity in the industry by supporting them through their studies and recruiting apprentices.
“Throughout, we’ve sought to become an employer of choice by providing career chances and implementing a market-leading programme of staff benefits.”
He added: “In addition, the SMEs we have supported in their expansion over the years have created employment. Our clients and partners have been a big part of our journey, as has our team past and present, who have helped lay the foundations for us to build upon.”
Joseph said: “We feel proud of what we’ve achieved, for the business itself and on a wider scale. We have maintained strategic partnerships with national entities, which have stood the test of time. Our pipeline for the next decade will be supported by construction intelligence evolving along with our client base.
“We’ve developed the business nationwide and are looking to organically grow our offering and services further, including expanding our client network, while continuing to innovate and improve standards across the sectors in which we currently operate.”
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