THE world’s renewable energy charge is being pioneered by two North East Lincolnshire entrepreneurs, who have grown a multi-million-pound business in just four years.
In doing so, the founders of myenergi have placed this area at the forefront of the global appetite for green solutions – and they have committed their future here, with plans for purpose-built premises at the new Stallingborough Business Park.
The company recently confirmed its intention to become the Park’s anchor tenant. Moving from their present base, which they have hopelessly outgrown, the 15,500 sq ft unit will be myenergi’s flagship headquarters, incorporating office space with product development, manufacture and research. There is also an option to construct a large warehouse on the adjoining site as part of the firm’s phase two development plans.
The move has delighted the teams within North East Lincolnshire Council and its regeneration partner ENGIE, which are behind the creation of Stallingborough Business Park – a part of the £42m South Humber Industrial Investment Programme, (SHIIP). The premises’ construction is aided by a £950k grant through the Local Growth Fund, Humber Growth Deal grant programme, secured by the Humber Local Enterprise Partnership as part of the Government’s commitment to the Northern Powerhouse.
For myenergi’s co-founders managing director Lee Sutton, and Jordan Brompton, this move is a realisation of their dream to remain in the region and continue to grow their burgeoning business here, both providing and attracting opportunity. With little suitable space for them when they started their search in North East Lincolnshire, there was a risk they would go elsewhere.
“By 2021 we are looking to a staff of between 100 and 120, from our current 60 and these jobs will not just be for the product itself, but in HR, marketing, sales and technical expertise. It’s such a huge opportunity,” said Jordan.
“We are both local people with family and friends here and staying local was really important to us, to share our success here and to be a part of the energy estuary – it feels right, and we are thrilled. We had been searching for new premises, but there was nothing locally that met our needs, until we were made aware of this opportunity and those involved could not have been any more helpful,” she added.
Jordan lives in Cleethorpes and is a former student at Waltham Tollbar and Lee is a Nunsthorpe lad, and former pupil at Hereford, now Ormiston Maritime Academy. Business colleagues since Lee established his initial enterprise of installing solar panels, Jordan said ‘yes’ to joining with Lee once again when he devised his plan for myenergi.
From its small beginnings at the Church View Business Park, Binbrook, the combination of Lee’s technical wizardry, complemented by Jordan’s sales drive and determination has provided a winning base on which the firm has secured international success, with support from former Tesco chief executive Sir Terry Leahy and fund manager Bill Currie.
With Dr Chris Horne on board as Commercial Director, the trio set about devising, manufacturing and marketing devices that feed power generated from solar panels or turbines into homes and business, with the excess fed into the national grid.
Myenergi pioneered such inventions, which shone in a relatively stagnant sector. Giving devices modern names for a modern market, it was ‘zappi’ that truly catapulted the firm onto the global sales marketplace. A meeting with Robert Llewellyn, the former Red Dwarf actor, who now fronts the YouTube channel Fully Charged, saw him endorse zappi and orders went through the roof.
International researchers and technical experts now travel to myenergi, and with sales extended across the world output is set to quadruple in the next two years.
“This is just the start, there is so much more and staying in the area means that local people can and will benefit. People need to be excited by this sector, we want to grow and develop, taking people with us on our journey,” said Jordan.
Prior to the building of the new premises, myenergi will be moving from Binbrook to the former 37,000 sq ft Wickes premises on Alexandra Retail Park, Grimsby.
The move to the new Stallingborough Business Park was facilitated by the Economic Development team at North East Lincolnshire Council, and their partners at ENGIE as they progress the SHIIP programme, which includes the complete development of the Park, improvements to the A1173 adjacent road, the construction of a new link road nearby and the creation of the only mitigation site of its kind in Europe. For more, go to www.investnel.co.uk.