On the 16th November 2007 Ascensor was born; incorporated primarily to resell technology that was working so well in its sister company – an online retail business selling toys and games.
Now, eight years on, it’s a good time to look back and reflect on the hard work and great times we’ve had in getting to today. From our first full-time team member Donna (who has been and is completely instrumental in our striving for total quality and consistency in the ever-changing environment we operate in) to this year’s under-graduate intake, I have always had the benefit of working with an amazing team. This year we have strengthened our team with dedicated project management and have introduced digital services management to support clients post-live; both of these key roles enable us to deliver complex projects on time and on budget and then allow us to help clients in getting the most out of their websites, once live.
A solid team is an essential motivator in a highly competitive local employment market – this happens naturally at Ascensor. As well as the now well-established last-Friday of the month fuddle (where we all bring in food and the nominated fun co-ordinator masters a quiz or a game) we have discovered a collective passion for badminton. We have set-up a court in our adjoining warehouse and each week we have a tournament in a local sports centre. This year our summer party involved a beach (in our new breakout area), a cocktail making master-class (thanks to Mix n’ Twist) and value-based team games hosted by the amazing Pro Development, before we headed out into Leeds.
We have always worked to support local charities, both in terms of fund-raising and also the provision of subsidised work. This year we have been working with PR agency MacComs who have helped us gain some great coverage in the press about the support we give to the 3rd sector. We have also just arranged to do a fundraising badminto’athon to raise money for the Laura Crane Youth Cancer Charity as a corporate Santa on the 11th December, watch our social media for info.
In our industry experience is key and as each year goes by we learn more and more about the evolution of technology, the importance of essential third parties (Google, Amazon, Social Media channels) and by working with clients across all sectors we are able to apply this learning in a lateral way to each new client we secure. As such, our client base has gotten stronger and stronger over the years and we have the privilege to support businesses from start-up (often through our entry-level Ascensor Air products) to larger businesses who need ongoing development and digital marketing.
2014-15 has been a record year for Ascensor where we will have doubled the company’s value. We continue to be supported by Tendo ensuring accountability and monitoring of our key business growth indicators. Last year’s acquisitions of Refreshing Web Design and also Extreme Coding in Poland has allowed us to quickly add new clients and also significantly increase our capacity. We now have the experience in App development and have two projects currently underway, due for release next year. We have also developed several intranets that are enhancing internal communications inside some of our larger clients. Our achievements this year have been recently recognised and we are proud to have won the Eaton Smith business of the month award for October.
Our sister company Smarter Retail is now into its second year and is growing rapidly through the sales of homewares and gifts via the online shopping portals and websites. This business presents our best case study and showcases how an idea can turn into a thriving online business, all powered through Ascensor technology and marketing.
More than ever I am looking forward to the next year of business, building on our solid growth, maximising the opportunities that come from the evolution of digital technology and continuing to work with great people, thank you to everyone involved!
Andrew Firth