Monday Interview: Jeff Bearcroft, managing director of Tate Consulting

Engineering and management consultancy services business Tate Consulting works with some of the very large scheme developers across Yorkshire and beyond and is set for further growth.

“We have got a good platform for growth and we see that continuing,” said managing director Jeff Bearcroft, who has been at the helm for four years.

The firm is Leeds-based and is a spin-out from Harrogate. “Our turnover is around £3m and we believe it’ll be at £4m-£5m within a very short order. We think we can get up to £10m in the medium term.

“We are always making sure that we deliver and people value us because we do what we say. It’s about delivering very good quality engineering.

“We have a culture of being innovative and forward looking. We always remember that people are the most important thing in our business.”

Tate Consulting has more than 25 engineers and the firm has secured contracts and JVs with some large-scale projects across Yorkshire and beyond. This includes the £300m SOYO scheme in Leeds with Moda Living and Caddick Construction, as well as the Lexington project in Liverpool and a cardboard manufacturing facility in Ellesmere Port.

“We are very ambitious and always looking for organic growth. One of the great things we are able to do is get involved with such a wide range of exciting and large projects. Residential and mixed use schemes – that is where we are specialists,” added Bearcroft.

He said it was a busy property marketplace at present, with appetite from foreign investors due to the depreciation of the pound. In terms of the logistics sector, he described it as an “interesting and mixed picture.”

Bearcroft said: “We have certainly found that some of our clients are seeing an opportunity to consolidate and always working to provide extra stimulation to push things forward.”

And of the Build To Rent sector, Bearcroft predicts a huge further expansion and investment in such schemes by developers in the coming years as consumers struggle to get on the housing ladder. “That whole market is a real growth area for our clients and for us.

“It is an incredibly exiting and rewarding sector to work in, delivering large-scale projects is a great feeling You come to work and realise you are doing something valuable for society as well as building a business.”

Bearcroft said he always strives for him team to enjoy coming to work and feel challenged and motivated. “We are in an environment where people value being creative. It is a buzzy atmosphere.”

However, Bearcroft said one of the obstacles in the business was when clients approached the firm very late into a project, when it is hard to add value to what has already been put in place.

Outside of work, Bearcroft said he enjoyed walking and taking in the Yorkshire countryside, including the North Yorkshire Moors. “Leeds is a vibrant place with a choice of bars and restaurants; it is a wonderful place to live and work.”