A West Midlands security specialist is celebrating its 5^th anniversary in style by creating up to 60 jobs and achieving 100% year-on-year growth.

Integrity Security Group, which is located in Highlands Road in Solihull, has secured a string of new contracts with high-profile manufacturing firms, huge distribution units and regeneration projects across the UK.

The company’s ability to offer tailored security and manned guard services has also seen it win a number of city centre office developments.

These successes have seen the firm expand to more than 120 staff and take on additional offices to cope with demand.

“It’s been a great year for the business and one that we believe could be the platform to launch us to our next stage of development,” explained Tony Turner, Managing Director.

“We’ve added over £1m to turnover this year and are currently in the closing stages for other significant contracts.”

He continued: “When talking to clients they’ve been telling us that some of our recent ‘wins’ have been down to ‘taking the pain away’, being cost competitive and employing security specialists who are professional, courteous and become part of their business.”

Integrity Security Group was established in 2008 after Tony and fellow Director Will Adams spotted a niche in the marketplace to change the industry perception of poor personal service and customers being let down.

The company, which holds Security Industry Authority Approved Contractor status, Safe Contractor Accreditation, Principal Membership of the British Security Industry Association (BSIA) and ISO 9001 and ISO 14001, has always invested in the best possible training for its staff and in implementing new processes and the latest technology.

In the last year alone, it has invested £100,000 on additional vehicles, a new operations centre, brand new website and increasing its head office to 3,000 sq ft.
The latter was supported by a grant from the Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership’s Business Development Programme (BDP).

Will Adams picked up the story: “We don’t want our growth to stop here and are already looking at how we can double the size of turnover again by this time next year.

“This has the potential to create another 70 jobs and take us to between 190 and 200 positions. “

He concluded: “Where possible we try to recruit a certain percentage of unemployed people and over 30 have been taken on so far. They’re a great resource and we can offer them training to develop them in our way of doing business.”

In addition to security and manned guarding, Integrity also offers nationwide cleaning and facilities management services.

A Solihull-based security and manned guarding specialist has received funding from a new grant-aid programme to help businesses grow.

Integrity Security Group – with over 15 years of experience – is one of a growing number of companies in the Greater Birmingham and Solihull LEP (GBSLEP) area to have benefitted from the Business Development Programme.

It will be using the funding to expand its existing offices in Highland Road as it looks to continue with 100 % year-on-year growth since 2008.

Tony Turner, Director, explained: “The BDP Grant has come at a perfect time in our development and will help us move forward a lot quicker than first anticipated.

“Having the larger office will give us an ideal platform to manage a string of new contracts we’ve recently won and will hopefully lead to us taking on another 40 to 60 people.”

He continued: “Ideally, we want to double the size of the business in 2013 and believe with this backing we can make this vision a reality.”

The Business Development Programme is an £8 million business support programme aimed at helping more than 400 across the GBSLEP area.

To qualify for funding of between £10,000 and £15,000 towards business expansion projects, companies have to have been trading for more than six months and have expansion plans ready to implement that will safeguard existing jobs or create new ones.

The programme operates across the whole of the GBSLEP area, meaning any firms in the Solihull local authority area will be able to apply. The programme is part funded by the European Regional Development Fund 2007-2013.

Councillor Ian Courts, Cabinet Member for Community & Economic Regeneration within Solihull said: “It is great to see the growth of local companies such as Integrity Security, supported by the Business Development Programme.  We recognise finance is a key issue for businesses  and this initiative provides a critical stepping stone to enable organisations to realise expansion and recruitment plans.  I urge all local businesses to get in touch and see how they can benefit.”

The Business Development Programme grant is available to businesses in eligible sectors that are located within the Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership area.  The grant, will cover 45% of the costs of an eligible project, subject to satisfying criteria and approval.

As well as the financial assistance scheme, an intensive coaching and mentoring scheme for businesses has now launched.  The great200leaders scheme includes 100 hours of leadership development, delivered over a 12 month period in 10 peer group workshops. Each workshop is headed by an inspirational expert speaker and each participant receives £4,000 funding towards the cost. This programme is aimed at 200 ambitious business owners and directors, to deliver personal performance and business growth.