Water pipe business bursting with pride

Oct 4 2007 by Iain Laing, The Journal

A WATER pipe business from the North-East has been named as one of the country’s 10 best new businesses.

Hexham-based SA Utilities has made it to the finals of the 2007 HSBC Start-Up Stars Awards. They are the only North-East company in the UK-wide showcase for the most promising start-up businesses.

Now owners Stephen Willey and Andy Powell have their sights set on the top title, but first they will have to convince the judges that (SA Utilities) has the vital “X” factor that deserves the first prize of £25,000.

Chief operating officer for HSBC Commercial Banking, Simon Wainwright, said: “Last year, HSBC helped the entrepreneurs behind nearly 96,675 new businesses get started – that’s one every six minutes – so we understand what it takes to set up a new venture and go it alone.

“We hope the success of SA Utilities in this year’s HSBC Start-Up Stars Awards will help it go from strength to strength, as well as prove to other budding entrepreneurs that business dreams really can be turned into reality.”

Stephen, 38, and Andy, 49, set up SA Utilities to help businesses cut the amount of water they lose from pipe leakage.

They specialise in the installation, replacement and refurbishment of water pipes, as well as slip lining, pipe bursting and moling and with over 20 years combined experience in the business they quickly built up a strong client base.

SA Utilities has expanded much faster than the two directors anticipated, growing from just six employees to a team of 35 and increasing turnover by a factor of five in less than three years.

Over that period, the business has laid more pipes in Northumberland than any of its competitors and provided a vital new water supply to the Hexham area.