Jeakins Weir celebrated its 50th birthday on February 12th, 2023!
Jeakins Weir Ltd was founded by James Weir and John Jeakins in 1973, initially to deliver housing projects for Corby Development Corporation. The company went on to build around 1,000 houses in the town. When Corby became an Enterprise Area 1980, Jeakins Weir diversified and began to build industrial units for The Commission for New Towns.
Keen to proactively move the business into new areas, the company successfully applied for term contracts with the Government Property Services Agency. This saw Jeakins Weir working on new-build and refurbishment projects on military bases and airfields throughout the Midlands and East of England. It precipitated a huge uplift in the company’s workload.
Anticipating future demand for more housing in the 1990’s, Jeakins Weir invested in purchasing land in Rutland, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough. This opened the door to developing speculative housing projects in these areas. The company further diversified into school building projects and other public-sector construction and refurbishment works.
At the start of the new millennium, the company began to win more contracts through local government procurement frameworks. These framework contracts remain an important source of work for the business.
Today, the company is led by James Weir’s sons, Alistair and Jamie. They have been with the company since the 1990’s and, in the early 2000’s, Alistair became Managing Director and Jamie became Director of Responsive Repairs. They work alongside long-serving Company Secretary, Sulu Chauhan, who joined in 1982.
Alistair Weir said: “I’m proud to report that as we mark our 50th anniversary, the business is going from strength to strength. We are extremely fortunate to have so many talented, dedicated and loyal people within our business. As my late father noted when reflecting on the company’s 45th anniversary: ‘Competition is strong, but a company that provides a trouble-free service and value for money to its clients should always be in demand, and although there are plenty of challenges, a well-run company will succeed.’ Those sentiments hold true today. And if we continue to focus on those core values, there’s no reason why Jeakins Weir cannot thrive for another 50 years and beyond.”