Tees Business Issue 28 | Page 82

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DRIVING FORCE

Coach firm in its 40th year - and the best is still to come

Coatham Coaches has battled though the pandemic and tripled its revenue in the last three years – but how has it achieved this ? The story of how Coatham came about gives some hints .

The company was founded in the early 1980s as an honest “ means to an end ” – a way for Michael Hodgson to earn a living and support his young family with a minibus while closing Coatham Tyre Centre without owing a penny to creditors in doing so .
Michael may be better known on Teesside for his achievements in nonleague football with Guisborough Town . Footballers who played for him and against will tell you of his doggedness , fighting spirit , and staying one step ahead of opponents – an approach instilled into his business life .
When many would have gone bankrupt because of a bad debtor , Michael ’ s pride and ethics wouldn ’ t allow him to do that . That moral fibre was the backbone of Coatham Coaches and continues to drive the business forward .
The business grew steadily , guided by Michael and his wife Barbara , taking on regular school contracts and picking up a strong client base for private hire in an industry that was unregulated and where profit was very much derived from the ethos , “ The harder you work , the more money you make .”
Better work was secured when opportunities arose with ICI Wilton and its subsidiary companies , with vehicle upgrades made to reflect a better service . But when ICI Wilton closed its doors in 2008 , corporate work opportunities dried up - at least in the short term .
Step forward to today and Coatham Coaches is a true family business , with Michael ’ s son Mark the MD , and his sisters Nicky and Louise , brother-in-law Andy and nephew Aarron integral parts of the business .
The bedrock of the business is now quality “ home to school and college ” services , workforce shuttles and having a glowing reputation as being the “ go-to ” operator for all things transport .
Mark said : “ Our strength is our flexibility . One day a driver may be taking children to school and their swimming lessons , the next day they may be carrying multinational company CEOs on a site visit to Teesside .
“ We really are the Swiss army knife of the transport industry . We replace trains when the lines aren ’ t working , we help airlines move passengers when airports are closed and Coatham alone gets 1,300 children to and from school and college each day , taking up to 1,000 cars off the road during rush hour .”
Visit coathamcoaches . co . uk
Using Apple technology in your business ? iStation are an established Apple Authorised Independent Repair Provider based in Teesside , specialising in the support and maintenance of all Apple products for retail and business customers . Contact us today to find out how we can support your business , help you get the most out of your Apple devices and for pricing on new devices .
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82 | Tees Business