MacArthur know how to spread the net further afield
MIKE GADSDEN, M & P GADSDEN
Recruiting staff in a town like Barrow can be an interesting experience. Local folk gravitate towards the shipyard which employs more than 7,500 staff.
So a small, specialist engineering company with a team of ten has a challenge which isn’t faced in many towns of a similar size.
That’s why M & P Gadsden, consulting engineers, have welcomed the assistance of MacArthur Recruitment in helping them to find specialist staff.
M & P Gadsden, based on the Meetings Industrial Estate in Barrow, was founded by Mark Gadsden more than 30 years ago. He’d worked for a couple of large London boroughs as Barrow Borough Council, which gave him a special insight alongside a wealth of experience in all aspects of the industry.
He’s still the managing director, while his son Mike is the director overseeing the day to day operation of the business now.
Their small team has the talent and the ability to tackle a wide range of projects. On the civil engineering side their portfolio has included carparks and highways as well as private developments.
They can tackle drainage issues, and deal with foundations and retaining walls, and being beside the sea it’s natural that they have maritime experience: jetty design, port and dock development. And being in Cumbria, it’s natural that they have flood defence experience too!
M & P Gadsden also carry out structural work involving steel, concrete and timber; and architectural services from housebuilding through commercial (offices and hotels) to industrial developments such as warehouses, storage and waste transfer stations.
So finding the right staff is a critical responsibility. Until two years ago the company recruited mainly young apprentices, advertising locally.
“But when we needed to appoint like-for-like positions, we realised the benefit of using a recruitment company,” says Mike.
MacArthur fitted the bill ideally. “They have the expertise to know where to look for the sort of staff that we need,” says Mike. “It saves us a lot of time, because they have excellent links and networks, and we get far more options. In our field, there are not so many people living locally, but MacArthur know how to spread the net further afield.”
It’s the first time M & P Gadsden have used a recruitment agent, and they are impressed with the way that MacArthur communicate and keep them informed at every stage of the process. “We would happily recommend them for anyone who needs specialist employees,” says Mike.