In response to the needs of our clients during Lockdown, WINNS found itself rapidly expanding across the whole of the UK to address the rapidly changing needs of its clients and contacts.. Our cover extended to Doncaster, Leeds and Newcastle and, although we have worked in those areas before, the volume of work required during Lockdown grew exponentially.
In addition the services we offered grew in response to our clients. We increased security guards and extended their training to include ‘safe distancing’ practices. We provided Electrostaic spraying to ensure that construction and railway staff could continue working within a safe environment. We increased the number of cleaning operatives to ensure all touch points were systematically cleaned during the day and evening. We introduced lateral flow testing, again to ensure that all staff were safe and assisting in ensuring that commercial deadlines and targets were achieved.
Since the easing of Lockdown restrictions, the request for WINNS and the services has not declined. Whilst this is exceedingly good news, it has left WINNS with the nice headache of how to ensure that the exceedingly high expectations of service delivery were maintained.
In addition, as our services were now being requested on a permanent basis, WINNS wanted to ensure that our local recruitment policy was upheld.
Taking all this into consideration it was agreed by the Board that we would create a partner Company where whilst WINNS maintained the majority shareholding and therefore was able to assist in ensuring high expectations were delivered, ownership of the delivery of said service and the employing of local staff to assist the local economy of our contracts was developed.
Enter SQUARE 1 FM
We’d met Richard Parkin a couple of years ago at various networking events and quickly became aware of his similar values on which we base our work ethic and his corresponding drive to succeed.
In order to test the waters, we offered Richard the opportunity to undertake some of our work up North. We presented him with a variety of tasks to measure his abilities and skill set. It was very reassuring when all tasks were carried out to WINNS exacting standards, within the timeframes given. As with everything in life, the true measure of a person/company is when things don’t go to plan and dealing with people and client’s changes dictated by their own roles, it was reassuring to witness Richard achieve what needed to be achieved in order to supply the service that the client requested despite changes made by said client. All done with a pleasant and accommodating manner.
Jump forward to June this year when we proposed the launching of a new FM Company of which, Richard was voted MD, but came under the umbrella of Stillwell Holdings. This was a mutually beneficial arrangement that would allow Richard the autonomy to pursue his dreams whilst receiving the back up, experience, knowledge and financial security provided.
In turn it allowed WINNS to be truely nationwide without compromising its belief in local employment. In addition we each provide additional resources that ensure reactive cleaning and security never compromises our contracts. It also, very importantly, reduces our carbon footprint as Square 1 ad hoc work that is in the South East is conducted by WINNS employees under the Square 1 umbrella, whilst WINNS ad-hoc work in the North is conduct by Square 1.
All invoicing and payroll are conducted at WINNS Head Office in Westcliff On Sea, Karen is Chairperson of both companies and Ryan is Director of both Companies in order to ensure continuity and level of service delivery is seamless and the client receives. Like WINNS, Square 12 benefits from the support and assistance from 07 Heaven marketing and all policies and procedures are identical.
Now we could wax lyrical about Richard, his accomplishments, his likes, dislikes, etc. but as he is a prolific poster on LinkedIn and social media, we will leave that to you and of course Richard.