Sir Bobby Robson will today be the guest of honour at a celebration to mark the official opening of Esh House, the new headquarters for Esh Group.  The site, at Bowburn near Durham City, covers over 9 acres and represents an investment of £3m by the Group.  The facilities include the Group’s head office, fabrication shop, plant yard, workshops and stores.

Commenting on the event, Brian Manning, Chief Executive of Esh Group, said;

‘This is a very important day for Esh Group- it is a significant landmark in our development.  This Company is full of good people - committed and enthusiastic - and as you might expect they carried out the specification, construction, fitting out and landscaping.  We are all very proud of our achievement and believe that we have built a great base from which we can continue to grow the business.’

James Ramsbotham, Vice Chairman of Esh Group, continued;

‘Since consolidating our operations at Bowburn we have achieved another step change in our performance.  We face a very exciting future indeed.’

‘We are delighted that Sir Bobby has generously agreed to be our official guest today.  Both he and some of the founding directors grew up in next-door villages in Co Durham.  Sir Bobby is a superb example of the quality of people in this area - we’d like to think that here at Esh Group we’ve got something in common with him.’

I4NE (Investors for North East Limited)

As part of the day’s celebrations the launch of a new joint venture company I4NE (Investors for North East Limited) was announced which sees seven regional construction SMEs, including Lumsden & Carroll the civil engineering arm of Esh Group, join forces.  I4NE aims to tackle the regional construction workload that is currently dominated by national companies.

The companies that have formed I4NE are;

• Coupe Construction Limited
• Hall Construction Services Limited
• Lumsden & Carroll Construction Limited (part of Esh Group)
• Fred Mence (Construction) Limited
• New County Road Surfacing Limited
• Northumbrian Roads Limited
• Rainton Construction Limited

Brian Manning went onto explain,

‘I4NE stands for Investors for North East Limited.  Investment and the region are at the heart of this joint venture.

‘All the companies forming I4NE are local, share common values and objectives and are highly competent technically.  Combined we represent £150m annual turnover and jointly we directly re-invest around £140m in the region each year through our supply chains and employment of over 1,500 people.

‘At present ‘small is not beautiful’ in the construction sector.  SMEs are increasingly overlooked; preference is given to larger national contractors based outside the region.  The result is that wealth generated in the North East is being bled away.  As I4NE we are united in our aim to compete head to head and to re-invest in the North East from within.’

Chris Dancer, Managing Director of Northumbrian Roads added;

‘The combined turnover of I4NE isthe equivalent of the total highways budgets for the county councils and metropolitan councils in the region.  That’s a considerable injection of spending power to the local economy, especially when the multiplier effect is factored in.  We know that by working together under I4NE for selected jobs we will be benefiting the region significantly’.

Following the unveiling of a commemorative plaque in Esh House, Sir Bobby Robson said;

‘I’m very pleased to have been asked to be involved today.  I have come to know parts of Esh Group very well and it really is a tremendous Company.  It’s great to see local business use its talent and ability to grow, raise their game and match up to larger national businesses.

‘Of course - I’m going to make a comparison with Newcastle United.  Over the last 4½ years we’ve achieved the same at St James’ Park - and, importantly, we’ve sustained our position.  The magic link?  It has to be great teamwork.  Esh Group is a great team and is showing great leadership by drawing together all these other regional businesses to form I4NE.  I wish them all the very best and look forward to watching them move right to the top of their league!’