THE Thomas Vale Group of companies is one of the most respected in the UK with more than 750 local people employed on local projects, and it is clear to see how their strategies and core ethos separate them from their competitors.

Since the management buy-out in 1992, the Thomas Vale Group has grown from a small regional construction company to a major Midlands construction group.

This has resulted in an annual turnover exceeding £250 million and an estimated forward workload over the next four to five years of well in excess of £550 million, brought about by the success of partnership working.

It has recently become the only incumbent contractor to be retained on the new multi-million pound Constructing West Midlands Framework being led by Birmingham City Council.

This four-year framework, which can be extended to eight years, has an estimated value of £3billion and will be used by Birmingham City Council as well as being available to all public sector bodies within the West Midlands.

The existing framework – which comes to an end this month –has seen the contractor produce it’s largest project to date, the £38 million Woodcock Street office block for Birmingham City Council.

More locally it secured the West Midlands Constructors Framework last year through Worcestershire County Council; this is a four-year framework worth in excess of £180 million.

The first projects awarded to Thomas Vale were Stourport Primary School, which is due to complete in November, and St George’s Primary School, Kidderminster, due to complete in August next year.

In June this year, Wyre Forest District Council awarded Thomas Vale Construction the contract to build its new £6.9 million headquarters on Finepoint Business Park.

The contractor has linked in with local schools – Stourport High School, Burlish Park Primary School, Sutton Park Primary School and Birchen Coppice Primary School – to produce hoarding artwork for the site which runs parallel with Minster Road.

It has also chosen The Emily Jordan Foundation as its partner charity for the project, and students from the foundation will be producing artwork for the hoardings and visiting the site regularly to build up their own photographic portfolios of the build.

Tony Hyde, managing director of Thomas Vale Group commented: “As a local Worcestershire man, and as a local business, we are extremely proud to be working in partnership with Worcestershire County Council and Wyre Forest District Council in order to deliver real tangible benefits for the people of Worcestershire and beyond.

“These partnerships will secure and create hundreds of jobs across the region as well as providing other local supply chain partners with a continued workload in order to secure the economic status of the area.”