1813 Club and Premier Members
Birmingham is ‘obvious choice’ for global firm
An American-based global engineering, architecture and construction firm has moved into new offices in Birmingham after doubling the size of its team. Burns & McDonnell UK, which
has only been in Birmingham for two years, has already had to move to bigger offices, on Cornwall Street. It now employs a team of 12 in Birmingham, including 10 full-time engineers and a further eight who are part-time. The firm says it will be likely to
double the size of its team again within the next year. UK managing director Jonathan Chapman said: “This expansion has been fuelled by contract wins and strong support from the US business. In the last year we have secured work with three new clients which has also driven the expansion. “We’re excited about the future
here in Birmingham. This is a city on the rise supported by recent news of BT making this their UK home and other companies expanding here. “We have a 10-year plan for
growing our business in the UK, using Birmingham as the springboard for this. Being in such a vibrant and well-connected city was important to us for both access to clients and talent.”
Burns & McDonnell has a 122-year
history, and it began life in Kansas City in 1898 as a firm of consulting engineers in a one-room office. Fifty years later its annual
turnover was around $700m, including $273M for water related projects, $350M for power and $41M for wastewater schemes. Birmingham is its European HQ.
Mr Chapman said: “Birmingham was the obvious choice for us. The combination of investment, growth, location and transport links, as well as the new mayoral structure to champion businesses, made for a very compelling case to make Birmingham our home. “Similarly, the UK as a whole is
an obvious market in terms of investment in infrastructure and the commonality of importance of engineering.” Among Burns & McDonnell’s plans
for the future is to increase the number of women in senior positions. When West Midlands’ mayor Andy Street opened the firm’s new offices recently, it was announced that a third of its senior leadership would be female by 2023. The firm has signed the West Midlands Combined Authority’s ‘Inclusive Leadership Pledge’ and Burns & McDonnell has committed to continue efforts to embed inclusiveness into the company’s culture and promote diversity.
Eventmasters raises funds
Sports hospitality agency Eventmasters has raised thousands of pounds for charities during the past 12 months. At last year’s annual Midlands Sportsman’s Luncheon at Birmingham’s Macdonald Burlington Hotel, the company presented cheques for donations of £3,000 to Birmingham Children’s Hospital, Prostate UK and Scotty’s Little Soldiers. A further £3,000 was raised
for Prostate UK by Eventmasters’ sister company,
silentauctionevents.com, at last year’s Chamber annual dinner last year, this being Chamber President Saqib Bhatti’s chosen charity for 2019. In addition Eventmasters has
also made a payment to Scotty’s of £4,500 to help mark a special milestone in the work of the children’s Armed Forces charity – the company will sponsor its 10th anniversary dinner in November 2020. And a fourth charity to
benefit is LoveBrum, who have received £500. This charity engages with and supports local people and businesses to build an even better Birmingham. Denise Sheasby, managing
Leadership pledge: Jonathan Chapman
Listed building added to portfolio
Hagley Road-based chartered surveyor Pennycuick Collins has been appointed as managing agent of the Old Library in Stourbridge town centre. The prestigious building dates
back to 1905, and was financed by Andrew Carnegie, then the richest man in the world. Carnegie, a Scot who made his
fortune in America, was a philanthropist who pledged to give away his wealth before he died, and this included the funding of 2,509 libraries in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He did this because he believed anyone with access to books could educate themselves and be a success in life. Sadly, Stourbridge’s library no
longer has that function, and in 2017 work began on converting it into flats, a project completed last year. Pennycuick Collins’ residential team will now manage the building, its third such appointment in just a
Turning over a new leaf: Stourbridge Old Library
director of Eventmasters, said the company was “proud to do its bit”. She said: “We have adopted
these four charities – they are very close to our hearts. “They do fantastic work and
we are simply pleased that we are able to help in line with Birmingham’s long-standing commitment to supporting the disadvantaged and those in need.”
IT firm reaches major milestone
A Uttoxeter-based IT firm is celebrating its 10th anniversary. Infinity IT Solutions, of Market Place, Uttoxeter, is a specialist in managed IT services. Chief commercial officer
month. Last year, the firm was hired for several major residential schemes, including Camden Village in the Jewellery Quarter and Belvedere Residence in Wolverhampton. Pennycuick’s director of
residential service charge, Lyndsey
Cannon-Leach, said: “We are thrilled to be adding the Old Library to our portfolio. It is visually, a spectacular residential scheme we are very excited to be managing, which will increase our overall property portfolio to 5600 units at 155 schemes.”
Simon McAlpine said: “We are heading into our 10th year with a very exciting and progressive growth plan in place and look forward to developing the business further, as well as working with more fantastic local businesses.”
February 2020 CHAMBERLINK 53
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