Member Article

State of the art vans are a sign of the times for St Helens firm

From second hand vans to a modern fleet, Denis Mason has witnessed it all at M&Y Construction and Maintenance.

The St Helens based firm has changed dramatically over the last 37 years, from a fledgling business specialising in extensions and hard wood windows, to an ambitious construction company with a multi-million pound turnover.

Recently, M&Y Construction and Maintenance undertook a competitive tendering process to update its fleet of 23 vehicles and agreed a deal with Mercedes Benz, worth £300,000 over the next four years.

Denis, who was the firm’s very first employee, believes the vans demonstrate just how far M&Y has grown, having spent the early days driving around St Helens in a second hand Bedford with founder Graham Yates.

Denis Mason said: “Graham, who was my next door neighbour but one at the time, offered me a job after I was made redundant. The early days were spent driving around from job to job in St Helens and those vans really served us well.

“We also used them to ferry the children to school each morning, so they were pretty multi-functional too.”

In 1985, the organisation secured its first social housing contract and has gone from strength to strength since.

Denis continues: “It is amazing how much this company has grown and developed its offering.

“We have a really good team here, who are very proud of what they do and look to deliver the best results every single time.”

The ambitious organisation, acquired by the Regenda Group in 2009 , is currently working towards increasing turnover to £50 million by 2021 and employs 250 people across its four depots. However, this has not come at the expense of the organisation’s values, something current Managing Director, Gill Kelly, is very proud of.

Gill said: “We have always been a firm with our roots firmly in the local community. Some of our staff, like Denis, have been here from the start, and we want to make sure that a family bond is felt across the organisation, from long serving managers to young apprentices.

“We have really big plans for the upcoming years and we are currently moving more into construction and development.

“As part of the Regenda Group, a lot of our work and profits go back into the local community through many different projects, so the more we grow, the bigger the social impact we can have.”

The deal with Mercedes Benz, which includes 24/7 maintenance, will help reduce CO2 emissions and provide better MPG for the organisation.

So how does Denis think they compare to his original van?

“The new vehicles are fantastic and I’m very proud to have watched this company grow, but I’ll always have a soft spot for that Bedford!”

M&Y Maintenance and Construction is an award winning business offering high levels of repairs, maintenance and construction across the North West. For more information visit my-maintenance.co.uk

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Gary Jones .