PRACTICE LOOKS FORWARD TO A POSITIVE FUTURE
A FIRM of chartered environmental surveyors has just marked its 15th anniversary in business and the milestone has coincided with the appointment of five new staff.
Sheffield-based Wilbourn Associates, founded by Doncaster man Philip Wilbourn, specialises in every aspect of environmental risk assessment and management and has earned a reputation as one of the UK’s leading practices of environmental surveyors.
Its steady expansion is a far cry from the company’s humble beginnings when Philip, who previously worked in the field of urban regeneration, rented premises at Dinnington business centre and set up his operation without a single client, employee or even a business plan.
“I’d just been made redundant at a time when environmental legislation was beginning to emerge and I simply saw it as a business opportunity,” explained Philip who left Sheffield Polytechnic with a diploma in Land Use Studies and qualified as a chartered environmental surveyor in 1982.
In between doing his own typing, filing and every other task necessary to run a small business single-handedly, Philip gave talks, wrote articles for trade journals and took part in television interviews to raise the company’s profile and that of environmental issues in general. Clients soon began to request his services and within 12 months he knew that the venture was a viable one.
As the practice grew, it relocated to premises in Ecclesall Road Sheffield and then moved to its present site at Jessops Riverside office development on Brightside Lane. Over the years Wilbourn has extended its services to operate nationally. It now has a staff of 20 and boasts several major clients in both the UK, Europe and the United States. Assignments have been completed in Dusseldorf, Paris and Berlin.
Wilbourn compiles thousands of residential and commercial reports each year for anyone buying a house or moving into commercial premises. Envirosearch Residential, Sitecheck Asses and Enviroscreens are prepared using cutting edge technology for Landmark Information Group.
According to Philip, market conditions today are very similar to when he established the company in the early 1990s. “There was an absence of funding for development and about 11 per cent of all bank lending was for commercial property which is about the same as it is now,” he explained. “The effects aren’t just being felt by those in the property industry but in other sectors as well such as DIY, home improvements, furnishings and other associated industries.”
But despite the gloomy economic forecasts, Wilbourn Associates is going from strength to strength as the relationship between property transactions and environmental consultancy becomes more firmly entrenched. Legislation introduced this spring, for example, requiring commercial property owners to obtain energy performance certificates has created a further opportunity for the company to broaden its services. Five staff are already studying to become accredited energy assessors and several more are likely to be trained in future.
The team is also being strengthened with a string of key appointments. 17-year-old Becky Miree joined the company earlier this month as a modern apprentice in business administration and is currently studying NVA level 2. She will be employed at the end of her one-year apprenticeship scheme and have ongoing opportunities for further development and training. Environmental surveyors Marcia Black, Tim Fain and Tom Main will take up their posts in June. The trio were all recruited via the Graduates Yorkshire website allowing them to join at entry level and continue studying while employed. A further appointment is that of Bryn Jones, 59, who will bring a wealth of experience to his job when he starts work as Director of Valuation in July.
Philip, who has been a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors since 1992, is particularly keen to encourage young people who are considering entering the profession. He has given an annual talk to students at Sheffield Hallam University since the late 1970s and also supports the establishment’s research schemes.
As well as running his busy practice, speaking at conferences, writing articles and guidance notes and being a member of various industry bodies, Philip, 51, still finds time to indulge his passion for sport and to back local community initiatives. He has been a rugby referee for more than two decades and a sponsor of Doncaster Knights for the last ten years. He has contributed thousands of pounds to the team’s DIRECT scheme which aims to promote the game among Doncaster schoolchildren and has just agreed a 5 year sponsorship deal to support the Yorkshire Society of Referees to the tune of £10,000.
As to the future, Philip intends to develop the practice into a digital hub using increasingly sophisticated technology to map the environmental ratings of properties even more extensively and produce a holistic picture for clients. He says the processes used today are unrecognisable from the somewhat crude methods of 15 years ago and knows that progress will be even swifter in the years ahead – creating fresh challenges and opportunities that he is sure to relish!
For further information about this press release please contact Philip Wilbourn at Wilbourn Associates on 0114 243 5500 / 07973 797011.
Sheffield-based Wilbourn Associates, founded by Doncaster man Philip Wilbourn, specialises in every aspect of environmental risk assessment and management and has earned a reputation as one of the UK’s leading practices of environmental surveyors.
Its steady expansion is a far cry from the company’s humble beginnings when Philip, who previously worked in the field of urban regeneration, rented premises at Dinnington business centre and set up his operation without a single client, employee or even a business plan.
“I’d just been made redundant at a time when environmental legislation was beginning to emerge and I simply saw it as a business opportunity,” explained Philip who left Sheffield Polytechnic with a diploma in Land Use Studies and qualified as a chartered environmental surveyor in 1982.
In between doing his own typing, filing and every other task necessary to run a small business single-handedly, Philip gave talks, wrote articles for trade journals and took part in television interviews to raise the company’s profile and that of environmental issues in general. Clients soon began to request his services and within 12 months he knew that the venture was a viable one.
As the practice grew, it relocated to premises in Ecclesall Road Sheffield and then moved to its present site at Jessops Riverside office development on Brightside Lane. Over the years Wilbourn has extended its services to operate nationally. It now has a staff of 20 and boasts several major clients in both the UK, Europe and the United States. Assignments have been completed in Dusseldorf, Paris and Berlin.
Wilbourn compiles thousands of residential and commercial reports each year for anyone buying a house or moving into commercial premises. Envirosearch Residential, Sitecheck Asses and Enviroscreens are prepared using cutting edge technology for Landmark Information Group.
According to Philip, market conditions today are very similar to when he established the company in the early 1990s. “There was an absence of funding for development and about 11 per cent of all bank lending was for commercial property which is about the same as it is now,” he explained. “The effects aren’t just being felt by those in the property industry but in other sectors as well such as DIY, home improvements, furnishings and other associated industries.”
But despite the gloomy economic forecasts, Wilbourn Associates is going from strength to strength as the relationship between property transactions and environmental consultancy becomes more firmly entrenched. Legislation introduced this spring, for example, requiring commercial property owners to obtain energy performance certificates has created a further opportunity for the company to broaden its services. Five staff are already studying to become accredited energy assessors and several more are likely to be trained in future.
The team is also being strengthened with a string of key appointments. 17-year-old Becky Miree joined the company earlier this month as a modern apprentice in business administration and is currently studying NVA level 2. She will be employed at the end of her one-year apprenticeship scheme and have ongoing opportunities for further development and training. Environmental surveyors Marcia Black, Tim Fain and Tom Main will take up their posts in June. The trio were all recruited via the Graduates Yorkshire website allowing them to join at entry level and continue studying while employed. A further appointment is that of Bryn Jones, 59, who will bring a wealth of experience to his job when he starts work as Director of Valuation in July.
Philip, who has been a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors since 1992, is particularly keen to encourage young people who are considering entering the profession. He has given an annual talk to students at Sheffield Hallam University since the late 1970s and also supports the establishment’s research schemes.
As well as running his busy practice, speaking at conferences, writing articles and guidance notes and being a member of various industry bodies, Philip, 51, still finds time to indulge his passion for sport and to back local community initiatives. He has been a rugby referee for more than two decades and a sponsor of Doncaster Knights for the last ten years. He has contributed thousands of pounds to the team’s DIRECT scheme which aims to promote the game among Doncaster schoolchildren and has just agreed a 5 year sponsorship deal to support the Yorkshire Society of Referees to the tune of £10,000.
As to the future, Philip intends to develop the practice into a digital hub using increasingly sophisticated technology to map the environmental ratings of properties even more extensively and produce a holistic picture for clients. He says the processes used today are unrecognisable from the somewhat crude methods of 15 years ago and knows that progress will be even swifter in the years ahead – creating fresh challenges and opportunities that he is sure to relish!
For further information about this press release please contact Philip Wilbourn at Wilbourn Associates on 0114 243 5500 / 07973 797011.
