MIDDLESBROUGH NEWS
Home improvement supplier ’ s £ 2m warehouse project
A home improvement supplier is investing in a £ 2m warehouse to expand its Tees business .
Middlesbrough-based MB DIY has turned to Wharton Construction for a second time as it invests in the additional warehousing .
Work on the 16,000-sq ft building – next to the company ’ s existing warehouse , offices and retail space , constructed by Wharton in 2019 – is progressing well .
The development will lead to about five jobs being created .
The investment has been triggered by business soaring in the wake of Covid , with people who saved money while being confined to their homes during the pandemic now investing in their properties .
Expanding – JMAC Scaffolding employs 170 people from the Teesside area , including five apprentices , and plans to recruit a further five apprentices later this year .
Apprentices scaling new heights at Middlesbrough development
A
scaffolding company says working on a new landmark development will both build its reputation and provide a foundation for its apprentices ’ careers .
JMAC Scaffolding is one of a dozen North- East businesses involved in the construction of the four-storey 6 Centre Square in the heart of Middlesbrough .
When it is finished early next year it will become the regional HQ of insurance giant AXA UK and 450 of its staff will move there .
They will join around 1,000 office workers who are already based in Centre Square ’ s two completed buildings .
Work on the new multi-million-pound building began in January . The main contractor is Bowmer + Kirkland , which has a regional office near Sunderland . It has sub-contracted 90 per cent of the project to businesses based in the region , totalling £ 6.25m-worth of contracts .
More than 60 per cent of the work has gone to companies – such as JMAC – which are within 30 miles of Middlesbrough . Those contracts are worth £ 4.4m .
JMAC Construction director Aaron Kitson said securing the Centre Square contract represented a major breakthrough for his company .
James McCarthy Senior founded Stockton-based JMAC in 1981 . His grandson , Luis , is the current managing director for JMAC Group , which includes JMAC Scaffolding and JMAC Safety Systems .
The group employs 170 people from the Teesside area , including five apprentices , and plans to recruit a further five apprentices later this year .
Their apprentices include Louie Peebles , Cameron Blyth and Tom Payne – all pictured working on the 6 Centre Square development .
International consultancy joins firms in Centre Square
Construction firm partners with Boro
Marnie eyes dream career after exam success
A dream career awaits for a Middlesbrough student celebrating her exam success .
Marnie Rauf achieved an A * and two A grades at A-Level at Trinity Catholic College and has been offered a place to study English Literature at Durham University .
The 19-year-old hopes to have a career in writing after her studies and has started a placement with Middlesbrough Council ’ s communications team as part of the authority ’ s 50 Futures programme .
Marnie has already been recognised by judges of the prestigious Orwell Youth Prize for a hard-hitting story based on her own experiences of turning her life around .
140 | Tees Business
A company which opened an office in Middlesbrough in 2018 in anticipation of the unprecedented investment in industry , infrastructure and technology in the Tees Valley has joined the growing ranks of high-profile businesses moving to Centre Square .
The Frazer-Nash Consultancy said its new base will allow it to keep growing and help recruit staff .
Its consultants specialise in the chemical process , rail and pharmaceutical industries .
They are part of a business which has 1,000 staff based in the UK and Australia . Last year Frazer-Nash was bought for $ 400m by US-based KBR , which employs nearly 30,000 people across the globe .
A Tees-based construction firm has become a premium partner at Middlesbrough FC .
WOODSmith Construction Group is supporting Boro by becoming an official premium partner , in a deal which will see the firm involved with matchday branding , hospitality and advertising .
The firm , part of the SDDE Smith Group , provides end-to-end delivery of construction projects , specialising in residential , commercial and public sector developments .
It is looking to raise its regional profile by partnering with local organisations .
Gary and business partner Dale Smith , CEO of the SDDE Smith Group , launched WOODSmith in March 2021 , having been friends since childhood .
The firm has already won several key contracts , including with British Steel at Skinningrove .