Environmental consultancy converts former doctor’s surgery for new laboratory
An expanding environmental consultancy has converted a former doctor’s surgery into a new office and laboratory in the centre of Hereford.
EMS – Environmental Management Solutions received more than £22,000 from a grant programme supported by the Marches Local Enterprise Partnership for the project, which has enabled the business to introduce new services and add to its workforce.
The company – which specialises in asbestos surveying and consultancy, geotechnical and geo-environmental investigations and water safety services – was established in 2003 and has expanded from a two-person-team to a multi-departmental organisation working throughout the UK and Europe.
Jamie Perkins-Best, director of EMS, said: “The new offices in King Street provide much required extra space for EMS, which has steadily grown year by year since 2003.
“We recently added air testing, monitoring and laboratory services to our repertoire of environmental consultancy services through the acquisition of Cardiff-based consultancy NG Associates.
“The new office will provide a designated space for this division to allow EMS to set up a UKAS accredited asbestos testing laboratory, the first of its kind in Herefordshire. This will allow EMS to test asbestos samples in-house and hopefully bring more business into Herefordshire and the Marches area. The acquisition of NG Associates and the move to larger premises has already allowed EMS to recruit two new members of staff in Hereford and another part-time member of staff in Cardiff. It is envisaged that the opening of the laboratory in Hereford will create at least one other additional job opportunity in the near future.”
He added that the move to King Street also provided designated office space for sister company EMS Water, which had taken on two full time members of staff during 2020 in response to continuing increase in workload and gained several UK-based legionella contracts.
MBIG programme manager Caroline Cattle said: “We are delighted to have been able to help EMS to renovate and move into these new offices. The company has a track record of success having grown consistently over nearly 20 years and we look forward to it continuing to expand and create new jobs and opportunities in the future.”
