A Lancashire construction company has seen an increase in its North West pipeline and has won several new projects across the UK after taking part in Boost’s mentoring programme last year.
Jessica Salisbury is business development manager at Collinson Construction, based near Garstang. As the UK emerged from the Covid-19 pandemic, Jess was looking for opportunities to increase her network and develop her own personal skills and knowledge. Boost is Lancashire’s Business Growth Hub and its Growth Mentoring programme supports business owners as well as managers and management teams by matching them with a fully-funded expert mentor to increase their knowledge, improve their problem-solving abilities and widen their network. Jess took part in a series of group mentoring sessions led by Richard Few, founder at Sales Geek.
She said: “After lockdown I was eager to meet new people in business and was looking for opportunities for personal development. The main thing I gained was greater confidence and that has helped Collinson in gaining new projects. “My technique in my role is speaking with and meeting new people rather than a hard sell approach. Richard and the rest of the group helped me to understand that it’s important to have your own style and gave me new ideas and perspectives. “Speaking to likeminded business owners also helped me to benchmark Collinson against how other companies operate.” Boost is led by Lancashire County Council and the Lancashire LEP (Local Enterprise Partnership). It is supported by funding from Lancashire County Council, the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. Since the mentoring support, Jess has been involved in securing a range of new projects for Collinson Construction both in the North West and nationally across the firm’s three divisions: traditional, modular and tensile.
Recent projects include a major refurbishment project that will create a net zero carbon headquarters for Eden District Council which the company began work on earlier this year as well as a new multi-million-pound teaching facility at Runshaw College. Collinson has also strengthened its pipeline of upcoming work including strong interest in its modular division. The company’s strategy is to continue to grow organically and achieve £17.5m turnover by the end of this year and £20m by the end of 2023. 
Jess added: “My own objectives are linked to the company’s and I’ve gained the confidence to know that I don’t have to do the same things salespeople have always done to achieve those goals. “Boost has really helped me develop my own style and I’m now looking at further courses and opportunities to continue my personal development. I would recommend Boost to anyone looking to meet new people and gain a different perspective on how they operate.”
Top image: Collinson Construction's new block of 12 classrooms at Runshaw College’s campus off Langdale Road, Leyland
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