Specialist insurance business says Mamhilad Park Estate is the perfect place to put down roots and grow

Success story: Quote Detective Managing Director David Harlow (left) with Russell Nutman, Property Manager Johnsey Estates at the phone-based insurance firm’s new location at Mamhilad Park Estate, Pontypool

The flexibility of Mamhilad Park Estate is enabling a booming insurance business to double in size without leaving its home.

Rapidly expanding Gwent specialist insurance broker Quote Detective needed larger premises and was able to find these on the Pontypool business park.

The specialist ‘phone based insurance business, which has plans to boost its workforce up to 100 by the end of next year, is moving to a bespoke office location on the park to accommodate its growing business.

The insurance broker, which arrived at Mamhilad Park Estate with 12 staff after it outgrew its previous premises is owned by Next Risk solutions Ltd. The business works with leading businesses in the world of insurance broking and online quote comparison sites.

Quote Detective has moved to interim offices, doubling the space it currently has, as its new long term headquarters is being completed ready for early 2019.

Johnsey Estate Chief Executive James Crawford said:” We have seen Quote Detective grow ever since they moved into their first office space at Mamhilad Park Estate. We have been with them every step of the way ensuring that they are happy and have what they need.

“The business arrived at Mamhilad Park Estate relatively small having outgrown its previous base. They have grown as they expected since arriving here and we have been happy to accommodate that growth. Quote Detetctive are now ready for a more permanent location where they have taken a five year lease to consolidate their business and also to provide space into which to grow in a cental location.

“This leaves us with the task of finding new tenants for the modern, connected space that they have vacated. Ideally what we aim to do is to find a replacement business to take the space and replicate the success of a business like Quote Detective.

“Currently we have 90 per cent of our small offices let, it’s the larger space such as that being made available with the expansion of this business which we are now targeting to fill. We have a created a model of success which we now want to replicate.”

Quote Detective Chief Executive David Harlow said: “We’re very pleased with how we have been able to move into the new office space as an interim measure ahead of a permanent move for the entire team to new premises which are being created to our own specification and design in another building at Mamhilad Park Estate.

“Johnsey Estates have bent over backwards to accommodate our requirements. When we first moved in Mamhilad Park Estate we had just 12 people and as we have grown and have taken on additional staff so our needs have been accommodated by the landlord. We’ve built up an understanding with Johnsey Estates over the time we’ve been here; they know where we’re going in terms of the business and what we want and consistently deliver on our requirements.

“The move to the interim office was seamless and went without a hitch. It was case of moving staff in here and simply plugging in out kit and away we went. We have about 25 people in customer service and administration in the new office with some 55 staff remaining in our original space handling sales, renewals and management.

“The interim office is brand new and exactly how we want. We’re now looking forward to all coming together in the new space in the spring of 2019. The new office, on which we’ve taken a five year lease, will have the capacity to accommodate 150 people so there’ll be room for growth

Taila Steel is HR, training and quality Officer at Quote Detective. In addition Taila acts as a ‘Cultural Ambassador’ for Quote Detective, with the responsibility of communicating company culture and values to new staff.

Taila said:”The semi-rural location of Mamhilad Park Estate is well connected by road, and allows us to find dedicated staff within our local areas of Pontypool and Cwmbran. Due to the improvements on the Heads of the Valleys dual carriageways, we are seeing an influx in talented staff from further afield. We expect to employ 100 staff members by the end of 2019.

“Mamhilad Park Estate offers security to the businesses within as it is surrounded by security gates, has guards and fob key access as well as free parking in the expansive visitors’ car park, a café, gym and nursery.”