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Head-to-Head: Oxon Conversions

November 9th 2016

How a Harwell building firm grew and excelled through tough times in the industry.

Having successfully survived one of the most challenging periods for the building industry, specialist loft and renovation firm Oxon Conversions is set to expand further with a move to Harwell Innovation Centre. Founded in 2005 by Greg Lester, Ian Woodward and Mark Busby, Oxon Conversions manages new builds and renovations across the whole of Oxfordshire. The recent move to the centre was not one taken lightly by the company directors. Originally hands-on Greg, Ian and Mark, were each trying to work on-site all day while taking responsibility for different elements of the business in the evenings – but the move turned out to be the best decision they ever made.

“Moving to Harwell Innovation Centre has seen our efficiency increase by approximately 20%. Each partner now has a clear role and this has improved productivity tremendously because there are no half measures or getting bogged down with the challenges of running a business from home after a hard day on-site.”

Greg Lester, Co-Founder of Oxon Conversions

Since moving to Harwell Innovation Centre in November, Greg has come ‘off the tools’ and manages the day-to-day business of the firm. Because of the move, he now has the time to focus on driving further business growth in the specialist build and eco-home sector.

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January 11th 2020

Head-to-Head: Future Trees Trust

Future Trees Trust moved into the Innovation Centre back in June 2019.  They have been a welcome addition to both the centre and the campus community. I caught up with Dr Jo Clark in December to find out a little bit about the work that the trust do. Future Trees […]

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November 1st 2019

Head-to-Head: Orbastro

Orbastro moved into the Innovation Centre back in May 2019. This was the first dedicated office space they had occupied. Since then, they have really flourished, and the business has grown from strength to strength. I caught up with Ash earlier this month to ask him to tell us a […]

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August 6th 2019

Head-to-Head: Simplexity Analysis

Simplexity Analysis was founded in 2014 by Chris Evett and Thomas Pearson. They were looking to take forward interesting analysis and design projects for a range of technology and government clients, especially those looking to understand the defence and security sector. Chris was a former analyst in the UK Ministry […]

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