BUILDING CONNECTIONS
Bringing TGA Consulting Engineers into the Hertfordshire Business Fold Have you ever struggled with improving your business’s local presence? Or sought new staff but to no avail? These are the challenges that TGA Consulting Engineers were facing. But rather than dwelling on these, they contacted the Hertfordshire Growth Hub in November 2018 to seek advice, support and guidance to help solve their struggles and progress their business towards achieving sustainable growth. TGA had seen success in Northern England, and their London office was performing quite well. Their Stevenage offices had been in operation for over 40 years and, following several significant project wins, they were looking to strengthen their team. However, they realised that despite the lengthy period of time they spent in the region, they had virtually no local presence. This impacted heavily on their customer base, their annual revenue and their ability to recruit staff into a dynamic workforce. TGA wanted to know how they could expand their operations in Stevenage and the Growth Hub held the answer: through their Get Growing programme. There were two keys to unlock TGA’s growth potential. The first lay in defining a clear marketing strategy, with specific objectives and actions for the business as a whole. This centred on raising awareness of TGA, which would involve connecting with local resources, such as educational institutions and business networks. Steve Armitage, the Growth Account Manager at the Hertfordshire Growth Hub who lead the support, helped TGA to construct a structured marketing plan. He also helped TGA appoint a Business Development Manager, who would take responsibility and lead on the implementation of the plan. The second involved developing the skills of existing employees, as well as adding new roles and opportunities for them and actively recruiting to acquire talent with the necessary skills. For this reason, the Growth Hub introduced TGA to Hart Learning and Development, where a relationship between the two could aid them with acquiring new talent into the office. The Growth Hub discussed the benefits of training providers and membership organisations with TGA and provided them with a selection of suppliers, which included
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INSPIRE
the Hertfordshire Chamber of Commerce and Hart Learning and Development. Following extensive research into the various options, TGA chose to connect with the Chamber of Commerce and the local college Hart Learning and Development. Connecting TGA with the local Chamber of Commerce would help them to become known to other local businesses through networking events and establish their presence in the county. A relationship with Hart Learning and Development would give TGA a solid talent pool that they could recruit from. TGA believed that these two options would serve as the best fit for their business, and asked Steve to facilitate an introduction. As a result of this introduction, TGA Consulting Engineers successfully recruited much needed talent for the company, including apprentices and part-time/fixed-term contracts. They also became a member of the Hertfordshire Chamber of Commerce, after attending the Inspiring Hertfordshire Awards 2019 (IHA19) launch at Porsche Centre Hatfield. Having met with Mary Sykes, External Affairs Director, at the Chamber, TGA joined as a Platinum level member in order to receive a high level of support. This support included peer-to-peer introductions, articles in Inspire magazine, entering the IHA19 Awards, and attending a variety of Chamber-led events in order to network and build connections. The Chamber and TGA further developed their relationship by organising the Property and Construction Forum, which took place in September 2019. The forum took place at Affinity Water in Hatfield, with TGA as the main sponsor and speaker. Thanks to the support provided by the Growth Hub, TGA is now dealing with local colleges like Hart Learning and Development and is a
member of the Chamber of Commerce. They regularly run local events and network with other businesses through their connection with the Chamber. Through the advice and guidance the Growth Hub provided, TGA was able to start acquiring new staff and skills through Hart Learning and Development, which now acts as their core source of talent. TGA have also begun carrying out structured marketing activities with the purpose of connecting with other organisations. Steve stated, “when I first met TGA Consulting Engineers, I felt they weren’t connected in any way to the local Hertfordshire economy. Since working together, I’m happy to see them connect with the community through their local business network and other important local resources for skills and development.” There is still ongoing support for TGA through periodic reviews, to ensure that if they have any queries or concerns, their needs are met, and they can continue on their growth path. The Hertfordshire Growth Hub dedicates itself to helping SMEs in the county flourish and grow. We deliver a variety of events with our partners to aid SMEs in developing the skills and gaining the knowledge they need in order to achieve sustainable success. The Growth Hub is delivered on behalf of Hertfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), by a consortium led by business support services provider Exemplas, with the University of Hertfordshire and Hertfordshire Chamber of Commerce. Through the consortium and the Growth Hub’s intimate network of business support, they can help businesses reach out to the right organisations and build connections that will strengthen the local business ecosystem.
“Thanks to the support provided by the Growth Hub, TGA is now dealing with local colleges like Hart Learning and Development and is a member of the Chamber of Commerce. They regularly run local events and network with other businesses through their connection with the Chamber.”
