The National Self Build & Renovation Centre (NSBRC), has reached a notable milestone.
The unique Swindon based business is celebrating ten years of employee ownership, with a new company (The Homebuilding Centre Ltd) having been formed back in 2014 to operate the much-loved venue, which is dedicated to offering independent homebuilding advice and support.
Ten years on, the NSBRC’s twenty employees now own 80% of the flourishing business, through a combination of direct shares, and shares held in an Employee Ownership Trust (EOT). The remaining shares are held by Capital for Colleagues, an investment group who specialise in transitioning businesses to an employee owned model.
On Friday 28th June the team held a special dinner, making full use of the Centre’s space and stunning backdrop of full-sized show houses, with over one hundred guests in attendance – each of whom have played a part in the NSBRC’s journey and success over the past decade. Popular BBC News presenter and journalist, Martine Croxall, hosted the evening, providing an insightful and highly-topical address on the importance of transparency and trust in the media. Martine also introduced other guest speakers including James de le Vingne, CEO of the Employee Ownership Association (EOA).
The evening concluded with a surprise awards ceremony, where the NSBRC team recognised and thanked several of their key suppliers and supporters who have helped the business across the last decade.
Martine Croxall said: “It was a treat to be invited to host the NSBRC’s celebration evening. The hard work of the first ten years of employee ownership and the team spirit they’ve created meant the atmosphere during dinner and the awards ceremony was joyful! Harvey and the other employee owners should be very proud of what they’ve achieved.”
Harvey Fremlin, the NSBRC’s Managing Director, said: ‘We were thrilled to be able to celebrate such an important moment for our business with so many of our colleagues, friends and supporters. Every employee was invited to bring along their partner – as our EO culture has created a caring, family environment. We were also delighted to celebrate some of our key suppliers, such as our amazing cleaning team – who are often in the background – but have made a massive impact on the customer experience we deliver. Having the EOA represented by James, and the fantastic support of Martine, was the icing on the cake and made for a memorable, inspirational night for everyone’.
Employee ownership is a rapidly growing business model in the UK, and EO businesses regularly outperform non-EO peers in almost every metric – they’re 8-12% more productive and invest more in their people, innovation, and communities.
James de le Vingne, CEO of the Employee Ownership Association, said: ‘Congratulations to everyone at the NSBRC on 10 years of EO, and for celebrating with such flair! Your energy and enthusiasm for all you do, and for one another, as fellow employee-owners made for a very special evening. As early adopters of the EOT, it’s fantastic to see you flourishing and to have this recognised by those closest to you. Thank you for inviting me and for being such fantastic EO advocates, you are certainly paving the way for others to follow.’
The National Self Build & Renovation Centre is located on Junction 16 of the M4. Open all year round, Tuesday to Sunday, it has welcomed over a quarter of a million visitors since first opening their doors in 2007.
Their next big event is a Heat & Energy Workshop on Saturday 10th August. The free event will provide over a dozen talks with topics such as Heap Pumps, Solar, Electric Vehicles, Smart Controls and Rainwater Harvesting.
For more information and to book free tickets: https://www.nsbrc.co.uk
