Our Company

The analogy of a clock fits well with our Company; we are all part of the same working mechanism.  No matter how big or small, we are the mechanism, it cannot work correctly or efficiently without us all working together.

Martin Ravenscroft receiving an award for 15 years of service.

Company History

Waller Associates Limited was incorporated in July, 2000, but we have been around a lot longer than that!  Waller Services was founded in 1975 by my father, Bill Waller.  He worked as, among other things, a Bill Poster as his father had done before him.  But he felt extremely restricted working for one company and decided to take the step to become self employed and Waller Services was born. Times were very hard to begin with but with perseverance and hard work, Bill slowly built the company up over the years to become the biggest bill posting subcontractor in the South East.

In 1993, after lengthy discussions with my parents, I decided to set up a separate construction company, Waller Building Services.  I had completed my training as a Quantity Surveyor with a local building firm but I, like my father, had the desire and the need to run a business of my own.  Over the next few years the company grew and it was in July, 2000, when the decision was made for Waller Building Services to become a Limited company.  Waller Associates Limited was set up and Waller Building Services became a trading division within that company.

In the meantime, my brother Andy had taken over the management of Waller Services.  To assist in that company’s stability it also became Limited in 2003.

Waller Building Services had branched into property development and on one of the larger projects which it was particularly proud of, we did not really want to sell it on.  In 2008, Andy and I, along with a third party investor, set up Waller Property Services.  This company was set up for two reasons:

1. To built a portfolio of  rental properties using the initial development site as leverage.
2. Once enough properties were owned, then Waller Property Services would become a rental agent in its own right.

Waller Associates Limited & Waller Property Services, along with private investments by the directors, have built up a reasonable portfolio.  This has ensured the stability of both companies through rental income and a high level of fixed assets.

As we all are aware, 2008 through to 2010 have been particularly difficult due to the recession.  This had variable affects on the individual companies:

• Waller Building Services (now a trading division of Waller Associates Limited) was hardly affected by the recession.  This was due to a number of factors but mainly because of the following reasons;
  • it operates with fairly low overheads
  • its rental income helped bolster it through the downturn
  • it was fortunate enough to secure some excellent contracts with existing clients
  • it continued to invest in the development market both in house and with outside investors
• Waller Property Services continued to tick over through this period.  It’s portfolio did not grow but, due to the drop in interest rates, was able to lower its rental prices to ensure most properties were continually rented.
• Waller Services (now a trading division of Waller Services Limited) had been struggling due to the down turn.  The recession had caused a drop in advertising generally which meant the agencies it worked for were tightening their belts to such an extent that the bill posting rates and the new payment terms they were imposing made it unviable to continue trading with these companies.  The industry had changed to such an extent that my father no longer recognised it and, to be honest, we no longer wanted to work for these corporations.  However, there were still some private companies that had the same working ethos as ourselves but the revenue stream from these was not enough to maintain the company so the decision was made to incorporate it into Waller Associates Limited.  Andy still looks after these clients personally but also has trained as a fully qualified Quantity Surveyor.  He now is an integral part of the management of Waller Associates Limited.

In 2010, an opportunity arose that dove tailed well with the existing company structure.  A long established local Glazing company went into administration which produced the need for a commercial and domestic glazing supplier in the area.  Their commercial glazing manger, Paul Hayward, liked the way we operated as a company and a new division was formed, Waller Glazing Services. Unlike any other glazing company which has traded the same way for the past 50 years, our vision is to be  the most advanced, forward thinking glazing company around with a state of the art workshop and clients having the ability to obtain quotes, request surveys and make purchases on line through our E-commerce website.  Still in its infancy, the glazing division is showing extremely good growth reaching all its monthly targets.

The past couple of years have been extremely exciting for me and I am looking forward to the future.  Our 10 year company Plan envisages growth within every part of the business.  The Building Division is looking at continued growth to a £4 million turnover with the Glazing Division seeing growth to around £1.5 million together with three high street outlets for the general public.

Our attitude towards our customers is the same now as it was when we were founded in 1975; to do the best job we can and to have an honest and open relationship with our customers. As we grow, this ethos, along with our vision and beliefs, will ensure that we not only have a company that we are proud of but we enjoy working for!