We’re proud to say that our LinkedIn profile has hit an astounding 10,000 followers! We see this milestone as a real testament to the growth of our business, and want to give a huge thank you to those who support us through this platform! As a way of celebrating this achievement, we wanted to take a trip back through time to look at some of the stories from us over the years.
We’ve taken a story/event from our company's history that took place around each 1000 follower milestone, leading all the way to where we are today. We want to turn this accomplishment into something more - something that celebrates who we are and what we do - and there seems no better way than to use this opportunity as an excuse to pump the brakes for a second and reflect.
In March 2019, we commenced groundworks on the Aflex Hose manufacturing facility in Huddersfield, a 17,000 square metre facility that additionally acted as an office building. By 2028, the factory expects to employ 500 people, and the building itself increased Aflex Hose’s production by a whopping 70%! This £2.3m contract, awarded by GMI Construction, involved us - among other things - laying 2000m3 in foundations, 2,800m of surface water drainage, and 7,500m2 of mesh reinforced external slabs!
The works were completed the following year, and we’re proud knowing the work we did here will aid in creating so many jobs - a running theme among much of the work we do.
In October 2019 we hit 2000 followers, and it was certainly a month to celebrate: we officially reported the news that, the month prior, we had achieved the highest ever health and safety report across all of our live sites at the time! The milestone was ‘a result of investing in new staff, new innovative equipment, and consultations with site managers on how we can improve health and safety company-wide’.
Nearly four years later, this mantra has certainly not faltered. In 2022, our average health and safety score was 90.75%, continuing to deliver our monthly target of above 90%. We pride ourselves on excellent health and safety standards across all of our sites, and will stop at nothing to ensure all of our workforce are in the best possible hands at all times!
In early 2020, we lent our support to Team Echo of the Skipton Girls’ High School, a group of six young women vying for victory in the national 4x4 Land Rover In Schools Competition. The competition raised awareness to the practical applications of STEM, helping to inspire the next generation through some friendly competition.
We donated £300 to help with expenses accrued throughout the two-day competition in Coventry, and we were delighted to see Team Echo come second place in the Development Class at the Regional Finals - an achievement that saw them progress to the national finals! Supporting the next generation in STEM, and giving them the chance to thrive in opportunities that may prove to be a career for life, is something we’ll continue to push for in our local communities!
In May 2020, we spent some time highlighting the importance of kindness to celebrate Mental Health Awareness week. At the time, COVID-19 was causing chaos across the globe, so emphasising mental health and the impact of being a friendly face to those around you was a top priority for us (and of course still is). During the week, we conducted Tool Box Talks across all of our live sites to discuss mental health, and were able to dedicate over 40 hours across the year prior to helping those on the team in need of mental health support!
Pandemic or no pandemic, mental health is key to everyone's well being. We continue to engage in events like Tool Box Talks across our sites to make sure everyone is able to feel open and honest about their feelings, and always has someone to reach out to no matter what. We’re also home to several mental health first aiders at our head office in Leeds, consisting of staff members who have trained and now lend their support to anyone who might need it!
A lot happened in September 2020, including crossing the half-way follower mark to where we are today! Also during this month was our focus on reducing our carbon footprint amidst National Recycling week. We’ve always made it a high priority to help the environment wherever and whenever we can - an ideology that remains stronger than ever nearly three years later.
The month prior, members of our team built some brand new playground equipment for Crossflatts Primary School in Bradford, an effort that was not only some great service to the community, but additionally was environmentally friendly through the use of used materials from our sites. In addition to this, the team also constructed a wendy home, a wildlife hotel, and a mud pit for the kids to enjoy upon their return to school!
In April of 2020, we supported our long-term partner The Howarth Foundation with their launch of Hidden Owls, a community project in Leeds aimed at selling preloved and new items, offering a reintegration project for those recovering from chaotic lifestyles in the form of the ‘Street2Feet Project’, as well as being a training centre and head office for organisation itself!
Howard Civil Engineering helped in the refurbishment of the training facility through providing guidance and advice in the early stages of renovation, as well as engaging some of our preferred local subcontractors and suppliers to cover pipework, undertake remedial work to the floors, and provide floor coverings across the units.
The staff at the building are recruited from those who have come from a wide variety of backgrounds; homeless, sofa surfers, those fleeing domestic violence, and more. Providing welfare and jobs to those enduring such hard times is what The Howarth Foundation does best, and we’re proud to continue supporting them as partners.
In December 2021, we kick-started our #12DaysOfHCE campaign for the first time, documenting our twelve donations to twelve causes throughout the month to help our local communities throughout the festive period. We donated £5,000 to the various causes, the likes of which included (but were not limited to) the St John’s Community Church in Greengates, the Bradford Food Bank, and the LS14 Trust!
The #12DaysOfHCE has become a staple of our festive celebrations - a tradition that we have continued ever since! The festive period can be a tough one for many, so we hope our efforts each year make the time that little bit easier for people.
In July 2022, we made a huge investment in upgrading and enhancing our fleet at Howard Plant Hire! The multi-million pound investment was a result of several new contract awards, allowing us to make purchases that included six new Kobelco 13-tonne excavators, as well as 11 Doosan excavators that ranged from 5 to 14 tonnes.
Upgrades like this are a real showcase of our continued growth and expansion as a business. It allows us to undertake more, output more, and achieve more, as well as helping us maintain the high standards we set for ourselves. They also release significantly fewer carbon emissions than older models, without compromising on performance!
We got 2023 off to a great start; not only did we arrive at 9000 followers on our LinkedIn, but we were also incredibly proud to achieve an ‘Excellent’ score of 43/45 on our first ever Considerate Constructors Scheme audit as a registered organisation! Our sustainability manager Sophie Henderson mentioned this was due to our enjoyment of ‘delivering social value to our local community’, in addition to providing financial donations, work placements, volunteering and career advice!
Our constant efforts to better everyone around us as part of our business endeavours is something we pride ourselves on every day. It’s deeply ingrained in our practices, and the many stories listed above only support that.
To those who support our online presence on LinkedIn (and even Twitter… or is it X now?), we want to extend our thanks and gratitude. It’s a vital form of communication for us that connects all of you with everything we do as a business, and using it has proven crucial - especially with regards to our CSR and sustainability activities, like helping to fundraise thousands of pounds for charities every year!
At Howard Civil Engineering, there’s never a day that goes by where we don’t push ourselves to make an impact; whether that be on our staff at our head office, on our on-site workforce, or on the local communities that surround our many sites across the north of England. We ensure that everything we deliver is to the best of our ability, and that’s something that has never changed - nor will it ever!