An early October day brought us together with our sister companies PermaRock Products and Sustainable Energy Services (UK) Ltd (SES) to host the Sustainable Investments Ltd Group Employee Engagement Day.
Employees from across the group spent the day at Carden Park in Chesire to celebrate the huge progress and achievements made as a collective in recent times. It also offered a great chance to look ahead to where we hope to be in the future, and consider the opportunities this will provide for all.
We at SBS play a key role in delivering large-scale energy efficiency, microgeneration and planned maintenance programmes. The day highlighted that everyone in the group, no matter what role they play, is an energy efficiency hero and our chair and owner Derek Horrocks made sure that by the end of the day everyone felt this way.
Sustainable Investments Group provides an end-to-end solution for retrofit energy efficiency and decarbonisation works, from PermaRock Products – one of the UK’s leading external wall insulation and specialist exterior render system designers, manufacturers and suppliers – through to retrofit decarbonisation management consultant SES.
Derek said: “Our first group engagement day was a rousing success and I am incredibly proud of all our employees’ ongoing commitment and passion for their work. Everything that we’re doing as a group – from helping to secure funding through to creating insulation products and managing the process of energy efficiency measure installation – is improving lives across the country.
“In 2023, you may agree with me that having access to a warm and dry home should be a basic human right. However, the crises of today are interfering with that right and means this sadly isn’t the case for people up and down the country. I’m continually motivated by having a positive impact on society, achieving a shared vision for a better world and collaborating throughout this journey. Together, our motivations across the Sustainable Investments group are creating career opportunities and proving that a business can be both ethical and successful.
“We’re sustainable beyond the work we deliver – it’s our ethos, people and recipe to success. This is maintained by continued investment, growing at the right pace, and last but certainly not least, putting our customers at the heart of everything we do. I am confident that our employees are proud of the journey we’re on and excited about the future, but reminding everyone that we’re equal when it comes to the overall mission is vital.”
The day kicked off with breakfast and some catching up, which was followed by our first session involving industry-focussed talks from Derek and host for the day, James Higgins from energy and sustainability consultancy Gemserv. The second session of the morning explored our impact on society, with employees working together in small groups to answer a series of questions about what working in the retrofit decarbonisation industry means to them.
After lunch, the third session of the day involved a small sample of employees with interesting career journeys taking part in a Q&A session. From regional director to assistant account, one thing that all five employees share in common is the growth and opportunities they could seize within the group. As demonstrated by their involvement in the session, they are just some of our inspirational leaders who dedicate time to nurturing the next generation and taking the industry forward.
Before the day concluded with dinner and entertainment, we also took the opportunity to make use of Carden Park’s outdoor facilities with everyone taking on team activities including archery, laser clay pigeon shooting, and an aerial obstacle course.
Our managing director Gary Lawson said: “We’re very pleased with the feedback on our first group engagement day and loved having everyone together for a day of reflection and forward thinking. Both during the day and in the aftermath, we’ve heard people reaffirm their pride in working for a group that is making a difference.
“At SBS, we see ourselves as a solutions provider – not just a contractor. This means being innovative, dynamic, conscientious, and always going the extra mile. I think the engagement day was very worthwhile, as it reminded everyone and allowed them to discuss what makes them unique.”
