The ELM team at its office in Llay
A specialist in protecting Britain’s endangered wildlife on busy construction sites has won its biggest ever contract thanks to help from Business Wales.
Llay-based Ecological Land Management Ltd (ELM) recently won a contract to clear scrub at the site of the new Wrexham super-prison prior to carrying out a series of wildlife protection and habitat enhancement works, creating five new jobs in the process.
The £95,000 contract is the largest in the company’s history, and was secured after Business Wales assisted with a grant to buy new equipment and machinery.
The contract allowed ELM to fund two new permanent positions and a further three temporary jobs, to clear the 35 hectare site of scrub and vegetation.
Founded in 2001, ELM provides a range of environmental management and wildlife protection services to clients across North Wales, the North West and Cheshire, and has grown rapidly thanks to support from Business Wales.
The Welsh Government’s free business advice service also helped secure funding for environmentally friendly improvements to the ELM offices, a new IT system and a revamp of the company’s branding.
ELM’s director Phil Pearce said the support provided by Business Wales had been the catalyst to his company’s growth.
Phil said: “Until recently we had a small storage unit, but were largely operating from home. We approached Business Wales for assistance, and haven’t looked back since.
“We have since had help with several aspects of the business, including significant improvements to our office, a robust plan to grow the business and funding to put our logo across all of our equipment and vehicles.
“Our advisor made everything really simple, and it’s had a really positive impact on our business over the last couple of years.
“The Wrexham contract shows how far we’ve come in a short space of time, and we’re confident that as we expand, even bigger contracts will come our way.”
As well as providing wildlife protection on construction projects, ELM also uses its ecological expertise and specialist equipment to assist in the management of nature reserves of local, regional and national importance. This often includes working to protect species such as great crested newts, water voles, otters and bats.
Available to anyone that has been in business for more than 12 months, Business Wales offers practical information and guidance to small to medium enterprises across the country.
Business Wales advisor John Jarvis, who provided support to ELM, said: “It’s great to see a specialist Welsh business competing for bigger and better contracts on both sides of the border.
“The key for us is to understand what it is that makes a company tick. There are fundamental principles that most businesses, in one way or another, work to, and it’s our job to find how our services fit in – even to a really niche set-up like ELM.
“It’s very rare that we find a business that we can’t help, and even then there are often other organisations we can refer them to.
“As a free Welsh Government service, there’s no reason why businesses shouldn’t at least enquire as to how we can help.”
As well as providing expert guidance, all Business Wales services are delivered bilingually, ensuring everyone has access to the wealth of opportunities available.
To find out how Business Wales can help you develop your business, call 03000 6 03000, or visit www.business.wales.gov.uk or www.busnes.cymru.gov.uk for further information.
For further details on ELM, visit www.elm.uk.net.
