PWGF has been springboard to more success for Whetman Pinks
It has been a remarkable year for all at Whetmans. A Gold Medal at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in Jubilee year, followed by a massive boost of funding and now success in the Employer of the Year category of the Western Morning News 2012 Business Awards.
Since being awarded £50,000 by the Plymouth University and Western Morning News Growth Fund (PWGF) in March this year, the family-run company has already taken on eight new members of staff (three full-time and five seasonal) bringing their total number of employees to 40.
The specialist flower breeder and propagator has received huge support from Plymouth University where staff encouraged the company to enter the the Western Morning News 2012 Business Awards.
"We are immensely proud to have won this section," says MD Carolyn Bourne. "I prefer to think of as Employees of the Year."
Director Edward Bourne says all the PWGF projects at the nursery near Dawlish are now finished and without exception showing their worth in what has been a very busy season.
"In particular the new Despatch corridor has been a huge help. The training room extension to the staff canteen has also been much used as we are doing apprentice training with Bicton College some of which involves their staff coming here and using that facility.
"Rather less glamorous was the installation of three phase electricity, but it has enabled future expansion" he says.
He added the PWGF has enabled the appointment of Josie Leech, a trainee Technical Manager, who has since won the International Plant Propagators' Society's 'Six Pack' award. The IPPS were looking to sponsor six people new to production horticulture who would benefit from attending their Annual Conference, which this year will be held at East Malling Research Station.
Josie then went on to win the International Exchange Award which will give her the opportunity to visit an IPPS region in North America. The IPPS committee selected the person who, in their opinion, could best act as an 'ambassador' for Great Britain and Ireland.
Other appointments or promotions include Ashley Kite as Trainee Systems Analyst; George Bailey as Maintenance Assistant; and Piotr Koslowski as IT Manager
Since being established in 1936, Whetman Pinks has grown to become the UK's leading breeder and propagator of award winning Pinks and Dianthus, with a wholesale business supplying both UK and overseas markets.
The company's research and development department is constantly working to create new varieties of Dianthus, sowing 18,000 seeds a year of which two or three per annum will be brought to market. Seed-sowing to commercialisation for a new cultivar takes a minimum of 8 years, involving comprehensive testing to ensure the plant is suitable for its intended use.
In 2011, Whetman Pinks' Dianthus 'Memories' won first prize at the Horticultural Trades Association (HTA) National Plant Show and was runner up for plant of the year at the 2012 RHS Chelsea Flower Show, where the nursery also won Gold for their display.
'Memories' has now been added to Whetman Pinks' 2012 catalogue, with the royalty on each plant sold being donated to Alzheimer's Society until December 2013.
MD Carolyn Bourne said: "The PWGF award has been immensely helpful in allowing us to focus on improving technologies and facilities at our nursery, which will enable us to become a more profitable business in the future. Improved facilities have enabled us to be more efficient and fulfil orders that had not been possible to satisfy last year. Increased business has resulted in the need to recruit extra technical and production staff. Three of these have been enrolled in formal horticultural training programmes, thereby benefiting the company with their ability to apply new knowledge and practical skills in the workplace.
"We are dedicated to creating sustainable jobs for local people, and have an excellent relationship with our staff. We believe that staff should work hard and play hard, and I think this is why we have a very low turnover rate - the average length of employment here is over thirteen years.
"Our long term plan is to continue adding to our intellectual property portfolio. Licences to propagate are granted worldwide, in particular to the US and Canada, Japan, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand as well as the European market. At the minute export accounts for 25 per cent of our business, earning foreign income to be spent in the South West which we intend to increase in the future. In this industry, there is generally less support available in the UK than elsewhere, which is why we are even more thrilled with the investment from PWGF to help us grow the business."
Launched by Business Secretary Vince Cable in July 2011, the PWGF has awarded grants to 20 small and medium-sized businesses in the South West, totalling £915,000.
Decisions to award funding are made following a rigorous appraisal process, involving a volunteer panel of experienced people from the investment and wider business communities.
The PWGF is a part of GAIN (the Growth Acceleration and Investment Network), founded by Plymouth University, Plymouth City Council and Tamar Science Park to accelerate the creation, growth and investment in high quality businesses and ideas to create wealth and jobs in the South West peninsula.
An important part of GAIN's activity is to provide businesses with access to new business and growth opportunities, including finance and investment advice on grants and investment opportunities run by GAIN partners and external funds.
Professor Julian Beer, Pro Vice Chancellor at Plymouth University, said: "We received a huge number of applications for PWGF grants, but had to award the funding to the companies which we felt could really benefit from and which were best placed to deliver growth and job creation. It is fantastic to see Whetman Pinks already taking on eight new members of staff, and I hope their expansion plans are a great success.
"The PWGF funding has now all been awarded, but as it has been so successful, creating 90 new full time jobs across 20 companies and pulling in a further £1.3m in additional investment, we are now bidding for a further £3.9m from the Regional Growth Fund to run a similar scheme but on a much larger scale. If the bid is successful, we would be looking to hold the next round of awards in early 2013, with a goal of creating 350 new jobs and leveraging in excess of £5m in private sector investment."
Picture: Whetman Pinks directors Carolyn and Edward Bourne celebrate with staff. Credit Steven Haywood
