A South Tyneside construction specialist has completed a management buyout as it looks forward to a busy new year with a record forward order book.
Hebburn-based Castle has made changes at the top which puts in place a new board of directors, headed by co-founder and CEO Tony Lister, managing director Andrew Dawson, who has been with the business for 14 years, and technical director Simon Groom, who has been with the firm 15 years. The restructure sees the retirement of directors Allan Carr, who launched the business in 2002 with Mr Lister, and David Harland.
The company, which also has offices in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Teesside, provides a range of building and contracting services, including all aspects of construction, mechanical, public health, renewable and electrical engineering. With a current headcount of 180, Castle hired 32 new staff members in 2023.
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The company has been appointed to a number of principal contractor roles, including the Pragmatic Park electronics facility in Durham and the refurbishment of St George’s House and Maingate at the Team Valley Trading Estate, by UK Land Estates. During 2023 the company – which was renamed from Castle Building Services to Castle – secured a host of eco-friendly projects after securing a Passivhaus Institute certificate and it also won SME of the Year at the Constructing Excellence North East Awards 2023.
Looking ahead, the company, which last year recorded £30m turnover, has secured a record forward order book of £110m for 2024 and 2025.
Andrew Dawson, managing director, said: “We’ve had a very strong year and have also put in place a clear, forward strategy, that we are very confident will deliver exceptional, sustainable, growth. We are set to increase our turnover in the next 24 months, which is additional evidence that we are delivering, in partnership with our customers and suppliers, a consistently high-quality product.
“Our board of directors and senior management team have been in place for many years, so ensuring stability, consistency, and certainty. Essentially, its business as usual.”
Technical director Simon Groom said: “The winning of the SME award was a real confidence boost for the business. It was official confirmation for Tony, Andrew and myself that the strategy we are delivering against was viewed by highly influential players and opinion formers within the industry as being well managed and sustainable. While we are always looking to be innovative and first-in-the-market, all key decisions we make for the business are subject to high levels of due diligence and stress testing, so we know we are managing positive change very effectively.”
Mr Lister added: “The company wishes to extend its gratitude to Allan Carr and David Harland for their significant contributions over the past two decades.”
