A SUNDERLAND recruitment firm is going from strength-to-strength following team expansion and the launch of its new website.
Andrew Gartland and Helen Walton, directors of JB Contract Services, created the business in 2016, capitalising on their wealth of experience in the recruitment industry.
The two are now hard at work expanding their client portfolio, increasing the office team, and building an online presence with the support of Sunderland City Council.
Andrew said: “The council has been really helpful in terms of improving our digital marketing output. Our new website has just been launched, which will provide a great platform for both clients and job-seekers to find information on the team and our services.”
The firm of five is aiming to take on more clients while building its team of consultants to boost in-house expertise.
Helen said: “While Andrew and I have backgrounds in construction recruitment, we were keen to ensure that JB Contract Services does not specialise in just one field. We also work within the commercial, IT software and engineering sectors.
“Our two new recruits offer their own areas of specialism – in commercial recruitment and trades and labour. Having a team of expert consultants from different fields is important for us to be able to build our network and move into different industries. As well as our two new consultants, we have also taken an apprentice on board.”
Andrew added: “In the future, once we have built our client base and established ourselves further, we hope to be able to take on more apprentices and graduates, giving them the opportunity to learn in the encouraging environment of our firm.”
JB Contract Services may be a relatively new recruitment agency, but with its wealth of experience and already impressive client portfolio, it’s set to make a mark in Sunderland.
Andrew said: “After 16 years of working in big corporate recruitment agencies in Newcastle, we were both keen to base our own bespoke business in Sunderland. Helen and I both have young families and it’s great to live and work in one city – and Sunderland offers great office spaces in the heart of the city centre, so it has definitely been the right decision for us.
“We started our business with a phone and a laptop working from Helen’s dining room before moving to our first office, and as we’ve added to the team we’ve moved into a larger office within the same building. It’s great to know that we are in a place that can accommodate our plans for further team expansion.”
JB Contract Services is based at the Hope Street Xchange, home to a large number of innovation-led businesses.
Cllr Graeme Miller, leader of Sunderland City Council, said: “It’s great that JB Contract Services decided to make Sunderland its base. The team is doing brilliant work by focussing on some of the industries that are integral to Sunderland’s sustainability and future growth.
“I think the team has the potential to grow alongside these developing sectors within the city. I’m excited to see what the future holds for the firm, both in terms of its own expansion and its ability to help jobseekers in the region find the perfect placement.”
Sunderland’s economy has benefitted from high levels of investment and growth. By 2024 Sunderland will see more than £1.5billion of regeneration delivered as part of a masterplan aimed at boosting jobs, infrastructure and cultural assets in the city.
Sunderland has the sixth fastest growing economy in the country over the past quarter, seeing its GVA jump 1.5% to £5.7bn.
To find out more about JB Contract Services, visit: www.jbcontractservices.co.uk
To find out more about Sunderland’s burgeoning businesses, visit www.makeitsunderland.com or call 0191 561 1194 or follow @MakeItSund. Or for more on Sunderland Software City, visit www.sunderlandsoftwarecity.com or call 0845 872 8575.