Middlesbrough Centre Square development helping businesses to scale new heights

A Stockton scaffolding company says working on a new landmark development will both build its reputation and provide a foundation for its apprentices’ careers.

JMAC Scaffolding is one of a dozen North East businesses involved in the construction of the four-storey 6 Centre Square in the heart of Middlesbrough. When it is finished early next year it will become the regional HQ of insurance giant AXA UK and 450 of its staff will move there.

They will join around 1,000 office workers who are already based in Centre Square’s two completed buildings.

Work on the new multi-million pound building began in January. The main contractor is Bowmer+Kirkland, which has a North East regional office near Sunderland. It has sub-contracted 90 per cent of the project to businesses based in the region. Together they will receive £6.25m.

More than 60 per cent of the work has gone to companies, such as JMAC, which are located within 30 miles of Middlesbrough. Those contracts are worth £4.4m.

JMAC construction director Aaron Kitson commented: “We’d wanted to work with Bowmer+Kirkland for a long time and we were also determined to be involved in one of the biggest projects in Middlesbrough, which is right on our doorstep.”

JMAC was founded by James McCarthy Senior in 1981. His grandson Luis is the current managing director for JMAC Group, which includes JMAC Scaffolding and JMAC Safety Systems.

The JMAC Group employs 170 people from the Teesside area, including five apprentices, and plans to recruit a further five apprentices later this year. JMAC is looking to increase its apprentice intake to between 15 and 20 per year.

Aaron, who joined the company as a scaffolder and rose through the ranks to become a director, continued: “Our best scaffolders are ones that we’ve home grown. We bring them through, we train them ourselves and within five years we shouldn’t have any problems with a shortage of skilled labour.”

The Centre Square development was launched six years ago by developer Ashall Projects in partnership with Middlesbrough Council.

Managing director Mark Ashall added: “The benefits are already being felt – from the young scaffolders starting out on their careers to the professional services companies looking forward to growing their businesses after moving into Centre Square.”

By Matthew Neville – Correspondent, Bdaily

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