NECC networking opens new door for Mick
A Hartlepool business is celebrating a lucrative new contract thanks to the North East Chamber of Commerce network.
In March this year, DP Consultancy (NE) Ltd will commence an 18-month contract in Libya to deliver its highly reputable Health & Safety Services. As a result, owner Mick Stephenson is taking on new staff and hoping the contract will stand him in good stead for similar opportunities in the future.
Operating from a home-based office in Hartlepool, DP Consultancy offers all aspects of Health & Safety provision to small and medium enterprises, including documentation, management systems, site audits, accident investigation and on-site training.
Mick officially launched the business in November 2008 and now boasts an extensive client list within the Hartlepool area that includes Able UK, Wynyard Golf Club and a range of potential sub-contractors to the Building Schools for the Future project. The company also serves the entire North East region, with clients as far north as Newcastle and down to Boroughbridge in the south.
Formerly a police officer for 28 years, Mick opted for a change in profession following a serious work-related injury, and identified that his key skills perfectly matched a career in the Health & Safety industry. He completed his NEBOSH qualification and gained employment with a local company before setting up his own business where he could ensure better standards, quality and customer care.
Mick is now also fully IOSH qualified, the business is on the NE England Service Provider Register and is a member of the NE Safety Health & Environmental Partnership. With the "DP" of the company's name denoting "Dependable Professionals", Mick strives to deliver the very best service to clients but at the most competitive rates.
Mick says: "The whole Libya scenario first began with my enrolment as a member onto the North East Chamber of Commerce (NECC) at Easter time last year. It was at one of their networking events that I was first introduced to the director of another company in the H&S industry, an immediate competitor to myself really.
"After bumping into this contact at several other NECC seminars, just before Christmas he asked me whether I was interested in a Health & Safety contract in Libya that his company was not able to commit to. Not too sure to begin with, I attended several interviews and before I knew it, on Christmas Eve 2009, I had secured the deal."
The work is sub-contracted via the TTE Technical Training Group, which has bases both in Middlesbrough and in Dubai, but also has offices within Libya. Commencing this June and running until August 2011, the contract will consist of a cycle of four weeks' work in Libya followed by four weeks back at home. At the close of the contract, Mick hopes it may either be extended or it may open doors to other similar opportunities in that part of the world.
So what of his UK operations whilst abroad? Mick's wife has come on board to manage the office and business, with the addition of a new part-time member of staff to deliver the Health & Safety services. Mick explains: "We have identified a young man seeking a change in career, and he is ideal for the role we have in mind. He is NEBOSH qualified but fresh into the industry although he has experience in a variety of work environments, which means I can train him my way and to my standards, and hopefully he will eventually go full-time."
"This whole experience just goes to show what membership in the NECC can lead to, and I'd certainly recommend it to other local businesses. Although I must admit the size and speed of my resulting success was more than I ever could have imagined!"
DP Consultancy (NE) Ltd can be contacted on 07702 249564 or alternatively visit www.dpcne.com.
