G F Tomlinson celebrates 130 years in business

We are celebrating our 130^th anniversary this year as we looks back on a long and fruitful history within the property and construction industry.

From our early beginnings in Derby in 1892 when horse and carts were still the primary vehicles to transport materials between sites, we have grown to become a well-renowned main contractor, having delivered a multitude of notable and high-value projects across the Midlands and beyond.

As we look back on more than a century of business success and transformation within the construction industry, we are also looking forward – to new and emerging opportunities with both public and private sector clients looking to increase their investment in carbon reduction, healthcare and education facilities, among others, as well as some of the challenges.

Andy Sewards, Chairman says: “It is wonderful to be celebrating G F Tomlinson’s 130th anniversary this year. It is a huge milestone and a testament to the innovative, forward-thinking culture within the business and showcases the importance of valuing the people in our employment and industry as awhole.”

“A number of factors have contributed to the company’s success over the past 130 years – not least of all my father, our former Chairman Barry Sewards, who joined the firm in 1958 and later retired in 2018 after 60 years of service, and 20 years as the company’s Chairman.

“As an historic main contractor in the Midlands, we believe the region has so much potential and many opportunities. Not least of all its outstanding universities, a strong manufacturing base, its central location within the country, providing great logistics routes, making it an ideal region for private investment. Also, the significant ‘Levelling Up’ and ‘Towns’ funding announced by Central Government for the region, presents some fantastic construction opportunities both directly and via enabling works, leaving us incredibly optimistic and excited about where this company can go from here.”

The journey so far

Our company was formed by George Frank Tomlinson in 1892 in Derby – our very first contract was to build a new brick culvert, dug out by hand, from the Coach and Horses Inn on Derby’s Mansfield Road to the junction of Nottingham Road and Stores Road.

During that time the city of Derby was becoming a major centre for the railway network, with the late 19^th Century seeing the dawn of a new age of transportation and we became heavily involved in the construction of several major bridges in the region including in Swadlincote, Coalville and Chesterfield.

We were at the forefront of civil engineering straight from our early years – as horse and cart transportation slowly began to reside in the history books, in 1928 we invested in importing a Caterpillar tractor from the United States which revolutionised site preparation works – and was one of only three in the UK at the time.

By 1974, we were responsible for some of the best-known buildings in the East Midlands, including BBC Radio Derby and British Midlands Airways headquarters.

In 1980, G F Tomlinson Group Limited is formed as a holding company to manage the growth in divisional activity – followed by the formation of G F Tomlinson Building Limited as a separate company, and the re-registration of G F Tomlinson Group as a separate limited company in 1991.

We secured our place on the Birmingham Construction Partnership framework in 2003, establishing ourselves as a main player within the West Midlands from that point onwards, with turnover reaching £65million per annum in that region for a seven-year period.

In 2010, we began our ongoing relationship with SCAPE by securing a place on the empa framework, followed by two more terms on the empaii framework and then the Scape Regional Construction framework. To date, we have completed 507 projects through this partnership with SCAPE, with a total value of £249million.

How the industry has changed

During our 130-year history, undoubtedly some of the biggest changes have occurred during the last 30 years thanks to the advances in technology.

IT has had a tremendous impact on the industry over the last few decades, with emails becoming the main source of communication, the use of online information sharing portals to speed up decision making on site, and the use of BIM for design and 3D modelling purposes.

Another significant change has been the move away from main contractors employing a large number of their own in-house site operatives and tradespeople, opting instead to use sub-contractors for specialised requirements during project works.

It is now common for contractors to secure work by demonstrating their social value and carbon reduction credentials – something we have always been innovative and tenacious about, as well as the need to provide clients with added value during project work, going above and beyond simply completing works on time and within budget.

We have been involved in 17 partnership frameworks over the last 30 years – after recognising early on that this was the main way forward in regard to procurement trends, particularly in the public sector. It was this drive that has given us a sound platform to grow and consolidate the business year on year.

G F Tomlinson’s greatest asset – its employees

One of our keys to success has been to uphold our values throughout our 130-year history – and this includes championing our employees as one of our greatest assets.

We now employ more than 140 staff members across our Derby and Birmingham offices, and last month saw the retirement of one of our longest-serving employees, Senior Estimator John Bishop after 35 years with us.

Many others have also been with us for a number of years, including Senior Contracts Manager Paul Thornewill who has 35 years of service and Contracts Manager Chris Cooper who has 30 years.

We are continually looking to recruit and expand our team, too, having recently appointed three new team members – Bid and Marketing Co-ordinator Jackie Elson and Bid Managers Chris MacDonald and Matt Davey.

We prioritise nurturing young talent within our business and the midlands region – at any one time, we employ 25 apprentices within our team who benefit from both the support of the company and flexibility in managing their studies at the same time as gaining experience in their roles.

We regularly attend careers and mock interview events at schools and colleges around the region – helping to encourage and inform school pupils and college students about the opportunities available to everyone within the construction industry, as well as the advantages of undertaking an apprenticeship as a route towards a successful career.

We are also a founding member of the Cornerstone Employers Group – an initiative by The Careers & Enterprise Company in collaboration with D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership, to encourage businesses to work more closely with schools and other education providers.

Looking ahead

Looking ahead to the future, Andy Sewards comments: “As any other sector, the construction industry continues to evolve and new challenges and opportunities arise. We know that the need for a continued recruitment drive and investment in education and training is paramount, and so we remain committed to providing opportunities for young people to gain hands-on experience with us.

“Of course, the potential decrease in government spending to manage the Covid impact of the economy, as well as other global factors including world energy and fuel prices will have an effect, too. But there are also plenty of opportunities – the Green Agenda will continue in both the public and private sectors that are targeting carbon reduction, as well continued investment in healthcare and education facilities, the demand for logistic warehouse distribution spaces and the development of hydrogen energy.

“At G F Tomlinson we are immensely proud of what we have achieved so far – thanks to our innovation we have remained ahead of the curve in so many aspects of the industry and look forward to what the next chapter of this company brings.”