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LET’S TALK BUSINESS
With recent government announcement’s that Small to
Medium Enterprises (SMEs) within the Construction
sector can remain optimistic about their long term
opportunities, Wirral Life talk to The Forshaw Group.
Liverpool-based, The Forshaw Group, will be celebrating their
70th anniversary next year as a leading insurance industry
building repair specialist SME. Liam Hanlon, joint Managing
Director, takes us through the humble post-war beginning of
The Forshaw Group and its growth over the past seven decades,
against the backdrop of social and political changes that have
shaped the multi-million pound company that he and fellow
Managing Director Jay Calvert head up to day.
Tell us about the history of The Forshaw Group.
The Forshaw Group was founded in 1945 by Les Forshaw,
when he returned from service in WWII. Les started work as
a painter and decorator helping the regeneration of bomb
damaged Liverpool. By 1948, he had established himself in
Enid Street, Liverpool 8, married Lydia May and the couple had
three children Susan, Leslie and Richard. As business grew, Les
relocated to Wavertree, servicing the need for high quality and
reliable painting and decorating services for the historic Higson’s
Breweries - refurbishing many of Liverpool’s infamous and iconic
public houses. Les also had the honour of painting the famous
Beatles Yellow Submarine for the 1984 Liverpool International
Garden Festival. The quality of work across all aspects of
traditional painting and decoration saw Les being awarded the
‘Leyland Paints Contractor of the Year 1988’. Les sadly passed
away in 1989 and the business passed to his son, Richard Forshaw,
who carried on the family tradition of quality and reliability. The
social changes of the 1980’s brought fresh challenges for the new
generation at Forshaw’s and the need for a broader client base so
by the mid 1980’s, Forshaw’s were a key maintenance contractor
for the Liverpool Diocese of Church House and expanded its
offering to businesses by providing emergency cover, repairs and
maintenance to many listed school buildings. In 1995, I joined
Richard Forshaw in the family business and following a chance
74 wirrallife.com
encounter with an Insurance Loss Adjuster, a new purpose,
direction and opportunity arose for Forshaw’s. The success of
our insurance repair market created steady sustainable growth
and wi th the opportunity to increase our offering to the market,
Les Forshaw Ltd, was established in 2003. Jay Calvert joined
the company in 2004 and over the next five years, offices were
established in North Wales. Innovation and investment in our
digital back office management system CIMS enabled us to make
the finals of the North West Construction Awards in 2009 and
again in 2010. The philosophy changes in the finance market
during 2010 produced a need for more direct partnerships with
insurers so we launched The Forshaw Group Broker Alliance
in 2011 to deliver a strong, proven, capable, responsive &
committed proposition for all domestic, commercial, industrial
and residential insurance related building repairs.
Quality was key to Les Forshaw, is this still the case?
With increased work volumes, our team grew and we recognised
the strength of our traditional values and invested in our people.
In 2000, we were recognised under the Investors in People
scheme. As staff numbers and tradesman increased there came
a requirement for more detailed, auditable and transparent
management process and procedures to ensure quality was
maintained which is key to us. Quality is the foundation of our
business and we were awarded ISO 9001-2008, accredited by
Lloyds Register Quality Assurance LRQA in 2011.
Working within the construction industry, is the environment
important to The Forshaw Group?
With a passion for preserving our environment and sustainability
of natural resources, The Forshaw Group commit to the SMART
CARBON protocol as recognised Sustainability Ambassadors of
the Carbon Fix it Foundation - working for the future not for
profit. We record our material use and waste disposal to monitor
re-use and re-cycle.
Do The Forshaw Group Support apprentices?
In 2014, we launched an Apprentice Academy Model that
would include additional charitable fundraising, community