Property and garden maintenance company, Maple Maintenance Ltd, has been named the winner of this year's Build Ayrshire programme, delivered by hub South West Scotland (hub SW).

Based in Skelmorlie, North Ayrshire, the company offers full property maintenance for local authorities, landlords and homeowners, as well as landscaping and gardening services and ad hoc maintenance support.

Now in its sixth year, hub SW's successful Build programme offers businesses in the construction sector the opportunity to gain valuable advice and support from industry experts to help them grow and achieve their market goals.

Delivered over eight weeks, the free programme comprised weekly sessions focusing on different themes. Attendees learn about all aspects of business management, from developing a strategy and navigating procurement and finance, to creating a marketing and social media plan.

This year's Build Ayrshire programme kicked off on 8 February with the final taking place at Ayrshire College earlier this month. To close the programme, participants were asked to present to a panel of judges and hub South West's Tier 1 contractors on the benefits and impact of the programme on their business and how they feel they will be able grow in the future.

Malcolm Duncan from Maple Maintenance Ltd, said: "We launched Maple Maintenance in 2014 and have gradually grown into a successful Ayrshire business. We have always had ambitions to grow even further but I realised to do this we needed some help to refresh our business strategy and priorities.

"From the very first session, the Build Ayrshire programme was helpful and we were able to make changes almost immediately. The weekly sessions were a great opportunity to network with fellow Ayrshire businesses, as well as Tier 1 contractors who we will hopefully be able to build good relationships with.

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"Taking part in the Build Ayrshire programme was a fantastic experience and one which has given us a real appetite to implement positive changes. We are now building our strategy for expansion, with plans to introduce new products and services, recruit and enhance our online presence. Winning this award has renewed our confidence and ambition to build a really successful business."

Mark Houston, Supply Chain Development Manager at hub South West Scotland, said: "Malcolm, Rachel and Carl from Maple Maintenance were able to effectively demonstrate and articulate how they benefitted from every session of the Build Ayrshire programme and explained clearly how they would apply what they had learned to their business. It's fantastic to see how the support and insight they received will help re-shape their strategy and achieve their goal of winning more commercial contracts.

"Our free Build programme is designed to help local businesses develop an effective and achievable plan for the future, building the foundations they will need to secure their position in the wider market.

"The quality and commitment of this year's Build Ayrshire participants was outstanding and we thoroughly enjoyed working with them. We are delighted to present this award to Malcolm and his team who are very worthy winners."

Companies participating in the programme are able to gain expert insight into tendering and receive first-hand introductions to leading Tier One contractors, allowing them to grow their connections with key players across the industry.

Janice Russell, Managing Director of McTaggart Construction, who was on the judging panel for the first time, said: "All the companies which took part clearly put significant time and effort into their presentations and were able to demonstrate how the programme helped them both as individuals and professionally. It was fantastic to see a wide range of businesses take part, from larger, more established companies to smaller start-ups.

"Maple Maintenance was a real stand out candidate as they were clearly able to demonstrate what they had learned from the programme and how they had immediately applied changes to the business. There was also a clear plan in place for their future growth which was really exciting to see. The enthusiasm they felt was evident and the benefits to their business really shone through.

"It was a pleasure taking part in this year's Build Ayrshire programme and I look forward to supporting the hub SW team as they continue to champion local construction businesses to be the best they can be."

Claire Baird, CEO of Ayrshire Chamber of Commerce, said: "We have worked closely with the team at hub SW for a number of years and are hugely supportive of the Build Ayrshire programme. Not only does it offer local construction businesses valuable access to industry mentoring and advice in order to help them grow, it also helps boost the local economy.

"The Build Ayrshire programme really does offer a fantastic opportunity to help grow your business and we would encourage any construction company to seriously consider taking part."

hub SW is a public-private partnership which provides services to public sector businesses allowing for cost-efficient and sustainable design and construction of community infrastructure projects across the South West of Scotland.

Since it was formed in 2012, hub South West Scotland has delivered over 35 projects worth £398m. In addition, 435 jobs and 404 apprentices have been created, with 281 work experience placements also offered across the county.