Leven Consult Ltd
Leven Consult are a strategic consultancy that assist clients with planning, project management and associated civil and structural engineering works.
I met with the owner Michael on his very first day on the Terry Dicken Business Park, to find out more. Let’s start with how Michael found his way into the industry.
Highest standards of craftsmanship
“I just sort of fell into it really. My Grandfather was a master bricklayer and travelled all over the world. I was fascinated with the stories he told and the interesting items he brought back from places like Africa. So when I saw a bricklaying course that also included things like welding, mathematics, and structures I thought I’d give it a go. Turns out, I did not enjoy bricklaying but thankfully I found the analysis side fascinating.”
That’s the technical maths bit to me and you ?
“Unfortunately, my Grandfather didn’t get to see me graduate which is a shame as he’d have been fascinated with what I’d learnt. I’ve been very lucky in my career that structural engineering work has taken me all over the world and I’ve played a role in the construction of some iconic structures.
The Tyne Tunnel, the Infinity Bridge, the Shard and Palm Island to name just a few.”
A calculated risk
“After spending over 25 years working for larger organisations I decided to go it alone and in Jan 2020 Leven Consult was born. I’d always had an ambition to run my own company and to do it in my own way. There is so much red tape to get through in larger organisations and, as I like taking calculated risks, it became frustrating. So I spent a lot of time building my own connections first, and when the time came to launch Leven Consult, our order book quickly filled up.”
Standing out from the crowd
“The projects we are working on are helping the business to grow. We have two in the team today and we’re now looking to add another two, multi discipline engineers. That’s what makes us different from most consultancies. We have the expertise to be able to have a much deeper involvement in projects i.e. from concept right through to delivery.
We work with all types and sizes of clients – from domestic housing estates to large industrial projects and we serve all sorts of clients from architects to developers, to planners and builders. It’s not just new structures either. We often help clients who need to expand their current premises. We help them to understand what the effect of an extension will have on the current structure and how to effectively manage that process with a full understanding of the risks involved.”
Skills to pay the bills
“Our ideal structural engineering works projects would be for companies in the energy sectors, the likes of Huntsman, Sabic and ConocoPhillips for example. In these types of high risk projects you need top quality skills and that’s what we bring. Our combined expertise means that we can bring more value to the client. For example, not many civil and structural consultants can also offer fabrication drawings. We can because we have the experience, software and expertise. The added benefit to the client is that they deal with one, experienced company rather than several.”
Supporting local
“I am a keen advocate of supporting local businesses. We do lots of work with architects and through that network I was introduced to the BNI networking group. Members meet weekly to discuss business and support each others businesses by sharing referrals. I’m looking forward to meeting more companies on the park and seeing where opportunities lie”
How kind of Michael to lead me nicely into the segment about the business park! So what was it about the park that attracted him?
Calling all builders, architects, planners and developers on the business park
“The Terry Dicken Business Park was recommended to me. It’s local to home, perfectly adequate for what I need now and it’s very cost effective. As soon as I visited I was impressed. It’s obvious there’s lots of synergy between our business and others nearby, so I’m looking forward to the opportunity to collaborate with the other tenants. Mark is super nice too. I felt really at ease as soon as I met him.”
What’s not to like about Mark Dicken?!
So, that concludes today’s Feature Friday fix. If you are looking to build a new structure or have plans to extend your current premises, Leven Consult can be found at Unit 14, Roseberry Court, Terry Dicken Business Park, Ellerbeck Way, Stokesley, TS9 5QT.
Or visit their website
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