Rapid expansion has seen one of the UK’s fastest growing developers of affordable housing and Extra Care schemes relocate into larger offices.
Keon Homes, which is on course to hit £50m in revenue by the end of the year, has taken over 5,000 sq ft of space just a stone’s away from its previous site in Burntwood.
More than £150,000 has been invested into the move, a move that gives the company 40% more room to accommodate growing staff numbers, five state-of-the-art meeting rooms, its own car park and electric charging points to boost its move to cleaner mobility.
Extensive refurbishment has also seen the installation of ‘social booths’ and a breakout area that encourages socialising, informal meetings, brainstorming sessions and time out for well-being. There is also an 85-inch TV in place to ensure individuals can watch major sporting events, including the forthcoming European Championships.
“We had outgrown our previous home, so the time was right to seek larger premises within the local area,” explained Warren Bolton, Director of Keon Homes.
“The opportunity came up to take over a different office space, already owned within the Tara Group. This was the ideal scenario, as it meant we could retain all our staff, whilst giving them and our clients access to much better facilities and a space that we’ve now designed exactly for our business.”
He continued: “Shaping offices that provide a better environment for our employees was at the top of the list and we’ve made sure that a lot of feedback has been channelled into the look and feel of the place.
“We were recently named sixth best small business in the UK to work for in the Great Places List and this is something we want to build on. No construction company was higher than us, but we must not rest on our laurels.”
Under the guidance of industry experts Warren Bolton, Richard Williams and Noel Sweeney, Keon Homes spotted an opportunity in the marketplace for a new approach to delivering ambitious housing projects that place ‘community’ at their heart.
Building strong relationships with more than 10 housing associations to unlock disused sites or solve critical housing stock, the company has already completed over 400 essential housing plots in five years, with a further 850 underway or about to start.
Furthermore, 90% of the schemes it has worked on to date have been brownfield sites, reinforcing its ‘brownfield first’ policy.
Keon Homes, which is part of the Tara Group alongside Cameron Homes and Chasetown Civil Engineering, has also secured two notable firsts in the last twelve months, breaking into the difficult to enter marketplace of Extra Care schemes with work progressing on sites in Lichfield (£28m) and Newport (£15m).
Richard Williams, Managing Director of Keon Homes, went on to add: “For a property company, it’s no surprise that getting the bricks and mortar right is important and our relocation gives us a base from which to do that just.
“However, it is our people that really make our business come to life and, with this in mind, we are renewing our investment in taking on new apprentices, training new graduates and opening up the Tara Academy to all staff.”
He concluded: “The latter is a group-wide initiative and gives everyone the chance to access in-person or virtual personal development, upskilling and learning opportunities.”
