CHAMBER NEWS Derbyshire drilling firm with


an international reputation From drilling for water in Derbyshire to oil and gas exploration in some of the world’s most dangerous wells in East Africa, it’s been a remarkable journey for PR Marriott Drilling over three-quarters of a century. Director John Beswick


(pictured) gave an overview of the Chesterfield firm’s history during a speech at the AGM to mark the company’s recognition as the Derbyshire Business of the Year at the Chamber’s Business Awards. He explained how the company – set up in


1947 by the late engineer Richard Marriott, who built his own drilling rigs, and still in the family under the ownership of his grandsons Paul Marriott and Jonti Hobday – had expanded from locating water resources into oil and gas exploration in the late 1990s. “About 20 years ago, the company took quite a gamble when it


‘2020 has been a year that we never could have imagined but going forward, working in collaboration and supporting one another is what will get us through 2021’


her three chosen charities for the year – Chesterfield Samaritans, Help the Homeless Leicester and Nottinghamshire Hospice – which will be supported via fundraising activities throughout 2021 as part of the Chamber’s Charitable Fund. She also set out her three priorities for the coming year – to encourage inter-membership relations and trading; support the region’s future business leaders via the Generation Next network; and lobby hard in Government for investment to aid the East Midlands’ post-Covid economic recovery. Commenting on how the Chamber’s information team had received triple the amount of enquiries in 2020 than the previous year, she added: “This cements my earlier point about having the right people surrounding you, to help your business strive forward. “Our members can trust in us


knowing that the advice and support they are receiving is based on facts and figures obtained from Government and leading bodies. “With the level of support


received from the Chamber and fellow members, more and more businesses are seeing the true value in Chamber membership. This is a key message I will continue to share, so that our members are connecting, communicating and collaborating to get the maximum results and support for their organisations.”


DURING THE AGM, outgoing president Dawn Edwards, founder and managing director of


East Midlands Chamber: April-September 2020 key performance info


133 new members recruits


9,703 export documents produced


89% managed workspace


occupancy


1,868 members accessed a


service – and 715 accessed at least two services


5,917 unique SMEs supported


via ERDF contracts


£1.6m digital grants processed


8,709 delegates attended virtual


events


1,204 Kickstart job placement


applications submitted


213 new jobs created by the


employment services team


went to Belize where there had been 50 wells drilled that had never discovered any oil,” said John. “The first well that Marriott drilled actually discovered oil and


several other wells with further oil resources. The company had an equity arrangement in that deal so it helped to establish it in the international market. “Since then, we’ve drilled in several countries. We started serious


overseas trading in West Africa, in Cameroon, where we drilled one of the most dangerous wells in the world – a high-pressure, high- temperature well – very successfully. We then moved into East Africa to drill geothermal wells.” Guatemala, Bolivia, Kenya and Mozambique are among the


countries where PR Marriott Drilling has drilled, while closer to home it has collaborated with the British Geological Survey to set up a geolaboratory in Cheshire and built an exploration well in Shropshire to investigate the Jurassic formations. It has also worked on key nuclear and mining projects. “We have several members of Marriott family still involved in the


business but we’ve also brought in a number of specialists and talented people from the industry,” added John. “We have an extremely good team and that’s manifested itself in areas like East Africa with a reputation as one of the best contractors, even against the big international companies.” There were also speeches from Nottinghamshire Business of the


Year Air IT’s chief operating officer James Healey, who spoke about the importance of businesses creating a technology strategy, and Leicestershire Business of the Year db automation’s managing director Nick Parker, who outlined his firm’s vision for an international business built on the success of its East Midlands automation centre in Lutterworth.


Nottinghamshire training company Challenge Consulting, reflected on a “rollercoaster” year in office that has been hugely disrupted by coronavirus and bookended by Brexit. “The past year has proven how


vital it is for us all to work together,” she said. “Alliances, partnerships and collaborations have been forged in the most unlikely of places, through the most unlikely of circumstances, and present a real opportunity for the future. “I can now look ahead in the


knowledge that I’m handing over the chains to someone who I admire hugely in Eileen, and I know she will bring her own brand of leadership and enthusiasm to the role.”


Lindsey Williams, a passionate


advocate for social housing who has been chief executive of Derbyshire-based Futures Housing Group since 2003, was confirmed as the new vice-president, while Amazon PR manager Neil Williams and Affari Media co-founder Craig Brothers were appointed as board members to replace the retiring Robert Mayo and Stephen Midgley. An update was provided on the Chamber’s finances for the 2019/20 financial year and Mazars was appointed as auditor. More than 100 businesses were


celebrated in a presentation that recognised longstanding membership, ranging from 25 to 65 years, and received certificates from the Chamber.


business network February 2021 47


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