Posts By: Diamond

Diamond Facilities Support targeting South West growth after bumper year in region

27 March 24

Diamond Facilities Support is gearing up to unlock further growth in the South West with new appointments following a bumper year in the region.

Diamond, which has an annual turnover of £15m, has recruited five field-based engineers in the South West in the past year – and is planning to recruit a further five more this year – to meet rising demand from hospitality, retail, medical and logistic businesses with multiple sites across the area – ranging from Land’s End to Bristol.

Last year marked the third consecutive year of growth in the South West as the number of jobs the firm was called out to increased by around 15 per cent year-on-year – which is being driven by Diamond’s multi-skilled engineers in the region providing an alternative to the sub-contract model many of Diamond’s competitors use, according to the firm’s chief executive Adam Atkins.

He said: “Businesses in the South West using national facilities management companies have traditionally had to rely on engineers from different third-party companies for emergency responses and scheduled maintenance, which only breeds unreliability and inconsistency, and our ability to tear up this rule book by offering a complete in-house offering is helping to drive our growth in the region.

“Historically FM firms that cover the South West have struggled to recruit enough suitable, multi-skilled candidates, which has contributed to this long running problem, however, our company’s nationwide growth has been built on recruiting, training and developing our own engineers – which is what we are now doing in this region.

“We had a great year last year by recruiting an additional five of our own engineers who are now actively operating as part of an eight-person team throughout the South West, from Land’s End right through to Bristol – and we are now on the search for even more this year.

“The majority of our client demand in the South West stems from emergency call-outs, compliance and project works across plumbing, gas, roofing, air conditioning and building fabric – and to be able to provide this variety of skillsets all under one roof is really helping to set us apart.

“We have built up strong working relationships with some big names in the area, including Youngs Breweries, Alliance Medical and HFT to name a few, all of which are crucial in helping us to drive further growth via referrals.”

New major works department launched

15 March 24

One of the UK’s leading facilities management firms has launched a new department and expanded its team to meet rising client demand and aid its ambitious growth plans.

Diamond Facilities Support, which is headquartered at Birmingham Business Park, has launched a Major Works Team to complement its existing Minor Works Team.

The Major Works Team, which will be led by Barry Leonard, will focus on landing and managing cross-sector Facilities Management projects worth up to £500,000.

The Minor Works team, overseen by Rebecca Harris, manages projects up to the value of £50,000.

There will be a 15-strong workforce working across both teams, where the projects will range from roofing and groundworks, through to plumbing, electrical, drainage, plastering and decorating.

It comes as Diamond Facilities Support has welcomed its next intake of ten engineers which will help the business to meet rising demand across all elements of its service provision including for project work, which is already generating more than £350,000 worth of monthly fee income for the business.

This takes Diamond Facilities Support Group’s total workforce to 190 as the business looks to beat last year’s £15m annual turnover.

Adam Atkins, chief executive at Diamond Facilities Support, said: “The consistent results from our direct labour model approach has helped us to build trust and forge longstanding relationships with some of the biggest brands in the UK – to the point where our briefs with existing clients are expanding, alongside securing referrals.

“Demand has now reached a level where we now need dedicated teams to support minor and major commercial projects alongside the regular scheduled FM work that we offer to clients.

“Whether it is upgrading utilities across an organisation’s group of sites, or re-plastering a hole in a ceiling, we now have teams dedicated to carrying out these types of works to ensure we maintain an efficient service that will enable us to continue to grow.

“As a business we are also passionate about bringing through the next generation of FM talent to work alongside experienced engineers in an environment where there is career progression for everyone, and our latest intake of engineers typifies this.”

Diamond founders complete 100% takeover

31 January 24

The founders of one of the UK’s fastest growing facilities management firms have completed the purchase of a 100 per cent shareholding in the business as it marks its 14th anniversary.

Coat Holdings Limited – which is owned by Adam Atkins and Helen Cooper – has purchased a 56 per cent stake in the Diamond Facilities Support Group from investor John Gray for an undisclosed sum.

Atkins and Cooper had initially held the other 44 per cent since forming the business – which is headquartered at Birmingham Business Park – in February 2010.

It means Diamond Facilities Support Group’s chief executive Atkins, and group managing director Cooper, will own 50 per cent each after organically growing their start-up into a £15 million turnover specialist FM group, employing around 185 staff nationwide.

Growth has been driven by the success of referrals from their direct labour model for 90 per cent of their services, as well as the creation of other subsidiary businesses that sit within the group.

These now include drainage business Jet Through, roofing firm Nationwide Roofing Repairs, cleaning business Nationwide Property Clean, fire and security company Sanctuary and FM specialist product supply brand Purcho.

All of these businesses, like Diamond, have been created from scratch and organically grown to ensure the culture of service excellence, quality and the personal touch that has made Diamond so successful is embedded from the start.

Atkins and Cooper have grown the business’s turnover year-on-year apart from during the pandemic, with growth now significantly exceeding pre-pandemic levels as the Group looks to hit £30 million of annual turnover by 2027 with more than 250 staff.

Atkins said: “This deal heralds an exciting new era for Diamond Facilities Support as we look to ramp up our expansion plans over the coming years.

“We’d like to place on record our thanks to John – as his initial financial support back in 2010 gave us the precious time needed to lay the foundations for the business to be able to serve clients and build our reputation – from renting office space through to employing staff and ordering equipment.

“Unlike many other FM businesses, around 90 per cent of the services we provide are delivered by our own staff, which has played a core role in our organic growth over the years as we have been able to maintain a high level of service, which has resulted in referrals landing around 50 per cent of our new business.”

Cooper added: “To be in this position 14 years on from starting the business with a graffitied desk we dragged up from the cellar and two mobile phones is a magnificent achievement.

“While Adam and I have been adept at spotting and capitalising on growth opportunities over the years, we would not have succeeded without the talented and hard-working team on which our reputation is built.

“Even though we are only 14 years old as a business, we already have a “ten year club” to celebrate people’s long-service, which shows the great staff loyalty we have fostered, which is reflected in the consistently high service we provide to businesses across the UK.

“Our attention is now turning to expand the business even further by growing our workforce across the group to around 250 over the next three years, as well as bringing some of the minority of FM services that we currently sub-contract in-house.”

How to guard against the costliest reactive FM call-outs

25 January 24

A burst pipe or significant escape of water on average costs between £8-12k to fix – and despite many of these incidents being preventable, it continues to be a common issue for commercial and residential properties.

Last year alone, Diamond Facilities Support attended just under 3,000 reactive callouts relating to escape of water.

Luke Yates, Associate Director at Diamond Facilities Support, has more than 10 years’ experience in the plumbing industry, and has shared a checklist that FMs should follow to ensure their pipes are free flowing all year round.

  • A common cause of burst pipes is frozen water expanding pipes, resulting in cracking, with thawing leading to leaks – so there is a need to keep water temperature as stable as possible.
  • Keep all doors closed to limit fluctuations in room temperature
  • Leave your property heater or heating on if you are not in and cover any loft hatches
  • Wrap exposed pipes with insulation, insulate outdoor taps, and insulate the water heater/tanks if it’s in a cold place
  • Make sure all taps are turned off correctly
  • Seal any areas where pipes are exposed to cold air, like underneath sinks or near dryer vents
  • Make sure to check your buildings insurance to ensure that you have adequate cover for such events
  • Prevention is better than cure, so make sure your premises are subject to regular inspections to identify signs of potential issues early on – sometimes burst pipes can originate from other underlying issues

If you suspect a frozen pipe then you must look to thaw it very gradually after turning off the stop cock, a plumber may use a heat gun in small bursts but property owners could use a hair dryer or even a hot water bottle. It is, however, advisable to consult a professional to avoid any further damage.

If you do suffer a burst pipe then it is essential you do the following:

  • Make sure you know where your stopcock is and ensure it turns water off!  Test the stopcock at regular intervals to prevent water pouring through your building with no ability to turn it off
  • Call your emergency plumber immediately in order to identify the problem and get it fixed
  • Speak to your insurer as there may be significant damage if you are unfortunate

Sometimes stopcocks can seize which makes them extremely difficult to operate, especially in an emergency! The Diamond Group have years of experience in fitting Surestop.

Surestop turns off water at a flick of a switch without the need of batteries or electrics. This can be a direct replacement for a brass stop cock.

Contact us today to find out more.

Increasing demand prompts new appointments

22 November 23

Diamond Facilities Support has made six new hires to aid its ongoing expansion.

The growing facilities management firm, which is based at Birmingham Business Park, has appointed Maxine Anwar as a Reactive Service Manager, Joe Agho as Project Surveyor, and Kelly Pinaar as Facilities Administrator.

Scott Simms, Simon Ellis and Jon Lines have also joined Diamond as Electricians to further bolster the firm’s direct labour offer to clients – which is a key driver behind the firm’s year-on-year growth.

Adam Atkins is the Chief Executive of the Diamond Facilities Support Group, which has an annual turnover of £14 million, employing approximately 115 staff.

He said: “These new appointments will enable us to maintain high levels of service amid rising demand for our services right across the UK.

“We are seeing increases in our offerings across the board and in-particular the care, retail and hospitality sectors.

“We have also split our projects division into minor works and projects, and now also major projects to ensure we are geared up to meet the rising demand we are seeing.

“Our loyal workforce – backed up by regular industry-accredited training and career progression – has played a key role in our journey so far, and we look forward to growing this even further in the near future.”

Diamond lands major recognition

22 November 23

The Global 100 has named Diamond Facilities Support as Best Facilities Services Business of the Year 2024.

The Global 100 annual awards program is to recognise the achievements and expertise of firms and individuals operating to the highest standards across the globe.

Click here to find out more about how the business’ ongoing growth has landed this recognition.

Another diamond year of growth

20 March 19

Diamond Facilities Support Group has achieved its ninth consecutive year of growth in turnover.

 

The firm, which is based on Birmingham Business Park, generated £9.5 million of turnover in the 2018/9 financial year – a £1 million increase on the previous year.

 

It follows a year that has seen the firm launch three businesses to form the Diamond Facilities Support Group in a bid to provide more than 90 per cent of services from in-house personnel, creating 60 new jobs currently, with plans for further growth.

 

These include fire and security maintenance and compliance through Sanctuary Fire & Security Limited; commercial cleaning, pest control and grounds maintenance through Nationwide Property Clean, and specialist drainage solutions via Jet Through Limited.

 

The Group has landed more than a dozen contracts this year with high-profile names such as Ryder, Mitchell & Butlers, Yates and AFI taking the Group’s client base into the mid-30s.

 

Adam Atkins, joint managing director of the Diamond Facilities Support Group, said: “We have bold and achievable ambitions for the Group to be more than doubling its turnover by 2022, which will be expedited by the formation of the new businesses.

 

“Over the years we have built up solid foundations with Diamond Facilities Support as a single entity offering a range of facilities management services, which in turn has allowed us to identify key growth areas and set up dedicated businesses to service these markets.”

 

Helen Cooper, joint managing director of the Diamond Facilities Support Group added: “Creating an infrastructure where we can offer the majority of our services in-house with a 170+ strong workforce is vital for our long-term growth, because a consistently high level of service will increase the number of referrals that we are receiving and ensure client retention.

 

“The three new businesses are approaching nearly £1million each to the Group’s overall annual turnover which is really encouraging as we look to grow these three brands across the UK over the next year alongside Diamond Facilities Support.”

Leading industry figure spearheading Jet Through Limited’s growth

17 January 19

The founder of two drainage businesses with multi-million pound turnovers has joined one of the industry’s newest firms, Jet Through Limited, to drive forward the company’s ambitious growth plans.

 

Greg Beech, who founded and grew UKDN Waterflow into a business achieving £50 million of annual sales before departing in 2014, has joined drainage and cleaning company Jet Through as a corporate development advisor and will be shaping its expansion.

 

This includes taking the firm’s existing £1 million turnover to around £3 million in the next 18 months with a workforce of ten specialist drainage engineers working across sectors such as retail, care, hotel and leisure, education and commercial property.

 

Jet Through is part of the Diamond Facilities Support Group of companies, which is also made up of facilities management firm Diamond Facilities Support, Nationwide Property Clean and fire and security maintenance firm Sanctuary – collectively the Group of companies has an annual turnover of £9.5 million.

 

Jet Through was launched by Adam Atkins and Helen Cooper, the co-managing directors of the Diamond Facilities Support Group of companies, in spring 2018 as part of their vision to have more than 90 per cent of all of the Group’s services delivered by an in-house workforce.

 

Beech, who also set up and managed a multi-million pound drainage utility business called Direct Drains between 1992 and 2003, said: “The consistent, fast-paced growth of Diamond Facilities Support meant this opportunity was just too good to turn down.

 

“There is more than £1 billion worth of business to be had in the UK drainage market, and delivering a consistent level of high service in-house will stand Jet Through in good stead.

 

“Jet Through already has access to a broad range of clients via Diamond Facilities Support’s existing client base, and through using my existing network of contacts and knowledge of growing businesses, I am looking forward to the challenge of helping to take Jet Through to the next level.”

 

Beech also recently spent two-and-a-half years at Preston-based Service Solutions Group as CEO, and is founder of Surface Medic.

 

Adam Atkins, joint managing director at the Diamond Facilities Support Group of companies, believes the appointment of Beech is a coup for Jet Through.

 

He added: “Greg is an experienced professional who knows the drainage industry inside out, so he will be a key asset for Jet Through and the wider group in the future.”

 

Helen Cooper, joint managing director at the Diamond Facilities Support Group of companies, commented: “Greg’s business accomplishments are also second to none, and he is the perfect candidate to guide Jet Through on its journey of growth, to help drive forward Diamond Facilities Support Group’s ultimate ambition of achieving £25 million turnover by 2025.”

Quick-thinking engineer delivers diamond customer service

08 November 18

Sometimes a job is not straightforward and where vulnerable people are concerned it can mean a bit of quick thinking and sensitivity to other people’s reactions.

 

Diamond Facilities Support engineer, Bobby Clarke, discovered this while on a call-out for Hft, a charity supporting people with learning disabilities for whom Diamond provides maintenance services.

 

It was a Monday night and the staff on duty had called Bobby out to fix a problem. As he was trying to isolate a distribution board, it caused the lights to go out for five seconds. For many people this would be nothing but a quick inconvenience, but for people with learning disabilities it can be unsettling.

 

Bobby noticed that one of the tenants was particularly distressed by the lights going out, so he took it upon himself to soothe him. Spotting an opportunity to encourage the supported person to get involved, he asked if he would like to be his partner in crime. The tenant immediately said yes and became visibly calmer.

 

Bobby asked the person if he could count, to which he proudly said that yes, he could count to 2000! So, Bobby encouraged him to count to five while the lights went out, and when he reached five, they would magically reappear!

 

By this time a number of other tenants had come over to see what was going on, which made the young man feel proud of himself for helping with the job.

 

Bobby said: “That made me feel I had done a great deed for the day and made sure he felt safe at all times.”

 

This is a great example of a Diamond engineer stepping in to turn a potentially difficult situation into an opportunity to involve people and make them feel safe. And of course, a member of Hft staff will always be there to advise the best course of action.

Diamond continues expansion with another client win

18 October 18

Diamond Facilities Support is charging ahead with its expansion plans after striking a deal to service a national powered access company.

 

The firm is working with AFI-Uplift to maintain their 21 depots across the UK, ranging from Glasgow to Exeter.

 

The deal is worth seven figures over three-years, and will see Birmingham based Diamond Facilities Support delivering services such as reactive works, mechanical and electrical compliance, fire and security, drainage works and quoted works.

 

AFI-Uplift will also have access to their own web portal management system to manage the maintenance of each building, complete with access to a 24 hour helpdesk.

 

Diamond have continued their expansion through 2018 – and will see another year-on-year increase of over 10 per cent in turnover.

 

Adam Atkins, joint managing director of Diamond Facilities Support, said: “AFI-Uplift has fantastic geographical spread across the country, so this deal is a real coup for us in terms of raising awareness and developing our company further.

 

“It is especially pleasing to see us winning work by simply approaching them with what we can offer – it became apparent very quickly that they wanted a direct maintenance supplier, which, thanks to our own direct workforce plus our drainage and fire and security businesses, we are able to offer 90 per cent of all work with in-house labour – which is unique within our sector.

 

“Providing a variety of services in-house is just one part of our focus on service and convenience, as we are also in the process of investing in innovative ways that our clients can engage with us when they need FM assistance.”