Over 100 invited guests attended the official opening and naming ceremony at Strand Group’s new purpose built HQ in Tromode.
Before the ceremony, guests were given a short tour of the building which houses the four businesses within Strand Group, Strand Facilities Services, Storall, Krypton Contract Cleaning and Clean A Way. Guests included members of Government, long-standing and new clients, as well as those who have supported the businesses over the years.
Member of the Legislative Council, Tony Wild, performed the official naming ceremony and praised the Group’s vision. He recognised the massive investment involved in building the new HQ and the commitment Strand Group is making to the future, to the Manx economy, to its customers and to its 130-strong workforce.
Mr Wild said that the Group totally bought into the Island’s ‘Freedom to Flourish’ and ‘Where You Can’ ideals, and was very much part of Team Isle of Man. He praised the ethos of the business, adding, ‘Strand Group is a caring employer offering real career opportunities and it has excellent green credentials with an impressive recycling programme.’
The new premises consist of five units of 3,000 sq feet each. The office suite, on the mezzanine floor of the first unit, includes training and meeting rooms. The total footprint covers 1.25 acres of the new Gateway Development at Tromode Estate. Outside there are five loading areas, parking for 36 vehicles and there is discreet parking at the rear of the building for large goods vehicles.
Chairman of Strand Group, John Hellowell, spoke about the history of the business, now in its 26th year. The business started with just two people cleaning windows in Strand Street. Since then it has diversified and expanded and until recently occupied five different sites. ‘Bringing everyone under one roof has already improved efficiencies throughout the Group. Perhaps the most significant changes are in the area of the building occupied by our secure document management Company Storall,’ he said. ‘We’re proud to have a state of the art building dedicated to document management, whether that be storage, scanning or secure destruction.’
He went on to say, ‘We have invested in the future because we are confident. Confident that together we can continue to do business for years to come. Lets face it, we are all passionate about the future of the Isle of Man and it is the people here tonight that help it to be a great place to live and work. ‘
The new HQ was recently described as First Class by auditors from the UK conducting the renewal and upgrade of ISO Quality Standards at the new site. Strand Facilities Services and Storall hold ISO 27001-2013, the latest information security management standard. Storall also holds ISO 9001-2008, a quality management standard. The Group was an early adopter of the international quality standards and was one the first Isle of Man businesses to attain ISO 27001 and remains the only business of its type to hold the standard on the Island.
New training facilities at Sailmaker House will allow expansion of the specialist training offered to other companies and organisations on the Island.
Strand Facilities Services is an accredited British Institute of Cleaning Sciences (BICSc) Training Centre, and has held this accreditation for 19 successive years. Strand Facilities Services is the only private company on the Island to hold the training accreditation.
Mr Hellowell went on to say, ‘We’ve included room to grow in the building with one of the five units having space to accommodate growth over the next four to five years. I’m happy to say that with the addition of a significant new client we have already started to expand into this area. And that has to be a very positive note to finish on’.
Find out more about Strand Group at www.strandgroup.im.
Photo - Tony Wild MLC & John Hellowell, Strand Group.
