Business update: Barbara Blenkinsop
Ahead of plan with a fast-paced start to 2022…
“The last six months have been positive and very busy. Word seems to be spreading in the market that we are here – and we deliver, so that’s great!
We’ve expanded further, taking on several new clients, with properties including town centre retail, retail parks, multi-occupied office blocks, an office estate and a few industrial units. In terms of footprint, the new properties cover Guisborough, Scarborough, Northallerton, Worksop, North Tyneside and Darlington areas.
We have a really good mix of clients, properties and locations, which are varied and enjoyable. We’re very lucky that all our clients are excellent to work with.
The great news is we are currently six months ahead of financial targets which is fantastic and we’ve also got some exciting proposals out with prospective clients.”
Growing the team
“Internally we’ve grown the business and are delighted to have made to senior appointments with Cliff Carroll and Andy Carr adding to the facilities management team.
Cliff and Andy are both working with all their clients and know their tenants. They have their own dedicated portfolios but are also up to speed with the full business portfolio, so any holidays or illness are covered without any issues arising.
Personality, character and trust are a huge part of what we do, so it’s important for us to get the right people in place. There are other facilities managers available – but for us it was about getting the right people. We were patient, they had to be the right fit and they are!
It’s not just about doing the job; it’s doing things the Portland way – that’s where we do really well.”
Why do clients choose Portland?
A great question! All clients are different, but of importance to us is that we can offer a full service and can tailor our approach to each client.
What we find is we have some clients who are happy to let us get on with it; whilst others like to be much closer to the work. We have brought on clients who have had negative experiences elsewhere, so they are keen to see how we measure up. Wherever the client is on their journey, we tailor our service and approach to ensure we deliver a service that works for them.
Over time all our clients realise we work to very high standards and trust us to deliver.
As previously mentioned, the key aspects to us are personality, trust, and approach to work. Most of our new clients are referrals, so they know we can do the job. The key question is, do they like us, trust us and want to work with us – thankfully that’s been a resounding yes!”
What’s your day-to-day involvement?
“I’m focused on client liaison, relationships with landlords and tenants and managing the growth of the business.
I oversee the whole process and am ultimately responsible for all the buildings and relationships. Due to our business growth, we have been juggling a lot of balls and keeping them in the air – but adding to our team means we can ensure quality service and now focus on key growth areas which is great!”
The next six months
“We always had a growth strategy, and we are now very much implementing it! We’re also bringing in new technologies which will take everything to another level.
On the day-to-day side, we have implemented a new inspection regime as we wanted to streamline the admin side of this process and focus on the relationships and getting things right.
We are looking to increase our portfolio and the work for that is well underway.
We’re looking to expand on our excellent North-East footprint to bring on more properties acrossYorkshire and to create a presence in the North-West. The great thing is, it’s our existing clients and contacts who are moving us into these new areas. That shows we’re doing a good job!
In terms of capacity, this will dovetail with our investment in new technologies which will free up time and allow us to be seamless in our approach. I don’t want to say too much at this moment but there are big changes ahead and these are going to be a real positive for our existing clients and their tenants and will bring opportunity for more growth and expansion.
We continue to experience exciting times at Portland, long may it continue!”
