Celebrating staff retention and staff achievements is something that here at MVIS we are incredibly proud to be able to do. All of our team hold an integral part in maintaining our high standards and services, and being the leading VMS provider UK wide, we believe that it is our team that make us stand out from the rest within the industry.

In 2019 we decided to take on a new member of the Operations department to help our then Assistant Operations Manager, Dom Bridge, with his increased workload as our fleet grew to over 500 units and new builds were being developed in our Matlock HQ  in order to ensure that we were able to keep our market leading title, across the whole of the UK.

Mizzy came to us in August 2019 for an interview and it was decided that she was going to be a perfect addition to the team. With experience in customer relations and fast learning attributes, she was able to build and develop relationships with new and existing customers. Her confidence and charismatic personality has seen Mizzy being complimented and praised by customers and her team alike and which has made her a valued member our incredible work force.

We would like to say a big thankyou to Mizzy for the hard work that she has put into developing herself into her role over the last two years. We couldn’t hope for a better team here at MVIS, the commitment and dedication to each department is never over looked.

Back in February this year, we celebrated the 21^st birthday of one of our team members, Tillie Woolliscroft. This month marks 5 years since Tillie has been with MVIS and we thought there was no better opportunity to review her progress since turning 21!

In February, we shone a spotlight on Tillie’s professional progress her time with us. Since then, she has gone on to achieve even more, not just for the company, but also for her own development.

Tillie began working at MVIS as an apprentice back in 2016 aged only 16, working under the supervision of Dom Bridge as a Customer Service and Operations apprentice.

During this time, Tillie also took on the role of bringing our more creative campaigns to life, particularly those around Christmas time. It was her affinity for these creative tasks that gave then General Manager, now Commercial and Operations Director at MVIS, Anne Ashman the idea to transition Tillie into a role that made more use of these skills. Whilst Tillie’s customer service skills were impeccable, it was understood that her professional development would be better channeled in a role that brought her artistic flair to the surface in a more ‘hands-on’ way.

As a result, it was decided in late 2019 that Tillie would transition into the newly formed Marketing department as Marketing Assistant, working under the guidance and training of Marketing Manager, Sean Brown.

Tillie’s professional development has taken a high priority internally in order to better utilise the obvious creative talent she has. This has involved approaching her development in several different ways, including CDP academic training, personal study and on the job experience.

Since February, Tillie has taken her development to the next level, by enrolling onto a Digital Marketing Level 3 Apprenticeship course as well as progressing along the Adobe training program she started earlier in the year.

Through her consistent commitment to her work, Tillie has developed an entirely new skills set that makes the most out of her talents in a way that her previous role only facilitated in a limited capacity.

Working in a marketing role has allowed Tillie to expand her knowledge and experience of marketing disciplines such as web design, SEO, social media and even copy writing, making her a versatile member of staff and a skilled marketer.

Sean comments, “It is so rewarding seeing Tillie develop. Even since February I have seen a huge improvement on her already fantastic grounding in her skills. The more time goes on, the more proficient Tillie becomes. I’m excited to seeing what the future holds as she develops her skills further.”

Anne Ashman adds, “In the 5 years Tillie has worked with us, I have seen her grow from a timid youngster into a strong and independent woman who has achieved so much. We are all so proud to have Tillie as part of the MVIS family.”

Everyone at MVIS congratulates Tillie on this amazing milestone as we look forward to the next one!

In the 9 years MVIS have been serving the UK’s messaging needs, we have grown as a company, expanding our team to better accommodate demand for our products and services. The MVIS management team are no exception and has seen new team members join the ranks in recent years.

Long standing management team members also continue to train and upskill, understanding that as the business and economy changes, so too should employees so everyone can continue to uphold standards of safety and quality in every area of the business.

In this post, we take a look at the MVIS management team and what they bring to the company at a time when it is at its biggest.

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Anne Ashman – UK Group Commercial and Operations Director

Anne Ashman has been with the company since it started as Colour Mobile VMS back in 2011. Originally starting with us as Office Manager, Anne has climbed in the ranks over the years to her current position of UK Group Commercial and Operations Director, overseeing both UK companies and the teams within them as well as serving as a member of the executive management team, representing the UK companies and their staff to the owners of the group companies.

As the central nexus for the MVIS and Bartco UK machines, Anne’s quick thinking and problem-solving skills are a valuable asset for the companies as a whole and her leadership skills have always been an asset when it comes to leading her team and especially stepping up as a leader during the pandemic.

Throughout Anne’s time with MVIS and Bartco UK, she has been responsible for writing and implementing the strategies, policies and procedures, along with recruiting all the staff in the teams that have led the companies to such success over the years. Anne’s dedication to ‘best practise’ also oversees the quality the team delivers to our customers, with her ‘pet hate’ being bad service, Anne often pulls the team up if she feels we are not giving the best service we can as a company.

Anne also places a huge priority on the physical and mental safety of her teams, resulting in a very focused approach to training and qualifications. If our teams are not trained properly, it can cost lives – and not just their lives.

If the incorrect information, for example, is displayed on one of our traffic signs, or if the information is presented in a way that is not compliant with legal frameworks, it could result in a highly dangerous outcome for our team and the wider public.

Anne takes these potential consequences very seriously and understands that this responsibility can’t be matched with a ‘catch all’ or lazy approach to training.

By supporting the development of staff in the way that we do, Anne also offers them a level of job satisfaction that keeps employees with the companies long term and creates consistency for the benefit of customers, stakeholders and the staff themselves.

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Graeme Lee – Sales Director

Graeme Lee started back in 2012 after the Olympics project when the company had a minimal customer database.

Since then, Graeme has worked hard to ensure the company’s growth. Being a major player in getting MVIS and Bartco UK to where it is now, he has recently been promoted to Sales Director in recognition of his work. As Sales Director, Graeme is required to manage the new sales team, ensuring that they are working to their best and the company is utilising each person’s skillset.

During his time with the company, Graeme has attended trade shows and built strong relationships through customer visits and contact. He has single-handedly built a large customer database and made traction with all the major tier 1 contracts, which clearly shows in our Major Projects Timeline.

Graeme is not only well liked and trusted within the company, but also within the industry. He brings with him a wealth of knowledge of over 15+ years of working within the rental and sales highways and TM industry.

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Dom Bridge – Operations Manager

Dom Bridge started with MVIS in 2013 as an admin apprentice and over the years has completed several courses, including his CMI Level 5 Diploma in Management and Leadership.

Having been involved in as much delivery planning for events, major projects, high speed works and TM has equipped Dom with a solid knowledge of how the organisation works and how things are supposed to be done.

Dom’s reliability, attention to detail, organisation skills and unshakeable attitude really does make him exceptional in the role of Operations Manager.

Nothing is too much trouble for him, and he will always find a solution for our customer’s enquiries. His peers all speak highly of him and he really is Anne’s right-hand person, working with her on the ISO systems since they were achieved and making sure all staff work to the processes in place.

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Mark Ashbee – London Depot Manager

 

Mark Ashbee joined us in 2015 and has since used his hard-working attributes in helping lead our southern depot to success by enforcing his strong work ethic within his team and always offering a hand, no matter how large the task.

Mark’s main job roles include; delivering, servicing and collecting our portable VMS units along with helping on sales innovation depot visits. Over the past 6 years we have been often credited for Mark’s polite and attentive attitude towards our customers and other staff members.

Mark’s attitude and eagerness in the field is what comes to mind when thinking about MVIS growth and expansion. He embodies the MVIS ethos in his work and there is no one more fitting than Mark for the role of London Depot Manager. Ensuring the smooth running of a depot is a big task but Mark has never failed to keep MVIS rising above our competitors.

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Sean Brown – Marketing Manager

Sean Brown started with the group back in late 2019 to help build the companies’ in-house marketing department after years of agency management.

Since starting, Sean has taken on a wide range of responsibilities and implemented new systems, policies and upgrades relevant to our marketing and sales departments. Sean is also responsible for the development of the marketing team to ensure that we have strong marketing skills in-house.

With over 8 years marketing management experience and specialising in marketing infrastructure, he has a spectrum of skills useful to the company that previously weren’t honed in-house, allowing MVIS and Bartco UK to be more creative, responsive and dynamic than ever.

Sean has also taken a leading role in our Lead Generation operations over the past year. As demand for our products and services changed during the pandemic, Sean was on-hand to not only produce the material for new products, but also re-brand existing products with relevant selling points and benefits to better accommodate the new applications for our technology.

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Tom Hooton – Research and Development Manager

Joining Bartco UK in 2014, Tom Hooton has both grown within the company and helped the company grow, being instrumental in ground-breaking changes to our ITS solutions that have helped to drive the company forward. Whether it’s developing new products and solutions or find ways to improve our existing units with our warehouse team, we know that Tom is there to pass on his knowledge and experience to all departments, having time and patience for his co-workers.

Beginning his journey with us as Delivery and Maintenance Support, Tom has continuously developed within his role over the past 7 years, most recently taking on a Level 5 Apprenticeship in Management to accompany his role as Research and Development Manager, which he was promoted to from Technical Supervisor earlier in the year.

His initiative, determination and ability to think outside of the box has seen Tom develop his knowledge in using CAD software and with this has developed new, bespoke solutions. Tom also holds on-site cards such as his CSCS and Highways England Passport and he has a hands-on approach when it comes to understanding all of our units.

Being with us for 7 years shows Tom’s dedication to his role here with us. Monitoring the industry for the newest innovations, gaps in the market and other opportunities, he ensures that he is aware of the latest technologies so that we can stay cutting edge, competitive and of course, helpful to our customers. 

Over the past few months, our UK Group Commercial and Operations Director, Anne Ashman has been hard at work training for a 75 mile walk with the National Forest which will be completed over 3 days including camping in order to raise awareness and funds for three charities close to her heart. These charities are:

National Arboretum Memorial Company

DMRC Benevolent Fund

National Forest Company

Raising money for charity isn’t something new to Anne. In 2017 she and our newly appointed Research and Development Manager, Tom Hooton took part in running 100 miles for Sands, a charity dedicated to supporting those affected by stillbirth and neonatal death and together raised over £5000 for this incredible charity.

Since then, Anne has organised multiple ways in both giving back to the community as well as fundraising for local charities within MVIS such as a carboot that we were able to raise over £300 and are currently holding a 4 week company `bake off` all for Ashgate hospice care.

Anne has written on her fundraising page “To finish at the Arboretum will be amazing. Being brought up having had a grandad who fought in WW2 and the sacrifices that were made to give us the freedom we have, also the freedom I have discovered this last year out walking in the beautiful scenery makes me want to give something to the 3 charities”.

Understanding the importance of mental health and how fitness can have a huge impact on our mental and physical wellbeing, here at MVIS and Bartco UK we encourage a healthy lifestyle and have activities in place to try and get each of the team involved in taking advantage of the opportunities that we offer. In 2019 we entered our staff in a Corporate Sports Day local to our Matlock HQ and have since held activities such as our monthly litter pick and sponsored works for charities. As well as physical activity, we provide our team with fruit, this fruit is free to all of our staff and we encourage them to take advantage. With Anne taking part in this challenge she has inspired the team to increase their own fitness goals and work towards leading healthier lifestyles.

Anne`s dedication towards her charity work has seen her maintaining a strict schedule of continuous training, even when she went on a two-week vacation she was taking long trails each morning to maintain her fitness and motivation.

If you would like to donate towards Anne`s challenge and support these 3 charities, then please follow the link below. Good Luck Anne and bring on the next challenge!

https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/AnneAshman1/2 

 

Here at MVIS and Bartco UK we always take pride in our incredibly talented team. When it comes to staff development, we appreciate the devotion that the team put into their own careers and company progression. We are proud to say that this week we have had 3 members of the team excel in further training and pass qualifications that help the company keep its reputation of excellent customer service.

Liam Griffiths joined us in 2019 as a Workshop technician. His ability to build and fix units was apparent from day one, he soon became capable of managing his workload.  Liam`s strong work ethic saw him redirected to the delivery and maintenance team this year. With Liam settling into his role as part of the delivery team, we wanted to further enhance his attributions to the company by enrolling him in a 4 ½ day towing course.

This course not only provides a faster, more efficient service to our customers but to also reduces the quantity of trips in the vehicles by delivering multiple signs in one journey – yet another contribution from the company in reducing our carbon footprint. Liam is now fully qualified to tow out portable units UK-wide, this being a perfect example of how the team goes above and beyond to fulfill the customer’s demands daily.

Another member of the team who has recently developed in her career is Pip Wood. Pip undertook the International Trade Operations & Procedures (ITOPS) course. This course provides training and knowledge on operating administrational procedures in an international trade environment.  Since joining the companies Pip has achieved her first-year apprenticeship and has since begun her second apprenticeship course to expand her professional development.

Finally, UK group Commercial and Operations Director, Anne Ashman has achieved her PRINCE2 foundation and practitioner certification. This course is to offer the correct skills needed when it comes to project management. Working with MVIS for 10 years, Anne’s extensive experience when it comes to managing a successful team has meant that we have been able to evolve and continue to grow within the industry. This course is to provide Anne with the extended skills which are needed to help MVIS/ Bartco UK further evolve within the competitive industry that we strive in.

Staff commitment is something we have found to be vital and we encourage the team to strive for the highest achievements that they can master, to continue to provide the award-winning service and genuine 5  colour portable VMS and Intelligent Transport Systems that we have become known for within the industry. 

 

This month we are celebrating the anniversary of two of our longest serving members of the team, Graeme Lee and Dom Bridge. With over 24 years of experience in the industry between them both, we are proud to boast of our award-winning customer service and keen eye for detail within the fast-paced business which we operate in.

Joining the team in 2012, Graeme’s knowledge and experience in sales quickly saw him forming relationships with clients and has continued to maintain and develop these through his last 9 years with us here at MVIS. Understanding the importance of customer service, quality trading and value in company to client relationships, Graeme’s loyalty and dedication to the company has led him to ultimately being promoted to our Sales Director, and is now overseeing our ever growing sales department, as we see MVIS grow and expand.

Next, we have Dom Bridge. Beginning his career here at MVIS as an admin apprentice and joining our first apprenticeship scheme, Dom began to grow and develop his career ambitions. This has led him to achieve his Chartered Manager level 5 qualification, after 6 years of applying himself to both job and multiple courses. Dom was promoted to Operations Manager in 2020. This promotion being well deserved, Dom`s advanced understanding of the industry and commitment to his own personal growth, as well as that of the company, is something that we are incredibly proud of here at MVIS.

MVIS would like to say a big `Thank you` to our incredible team, and an even bigger thank you to Graeme and Dom for their devotion to us over the years, as we understand that we are only as good as each individual which is behind us, and we are incredibly lucky to have our remarkable team at the heart of MVIS.

      

 

 

Here at MVIS and Bartco UK, we have spent 9 years building and devoting ourselves to not only being the UK`s #1 producer and distributor of VMS units, but we have also spent countless hours in training and developing young people’s abilities when it comes to working within a competitive industry.

We have had 9 staff members join us at an apprentice level, and a further 8 of these continued with us after the completion of their apprentices. Not only do we offer apprenticeship programs, but we also hold work experience places yearly as part of our corporate social responsibility.  Being able to offer jobs and chances to the next generation is how we feel we have been able to strive within the industry and bring new fresh ideas to the table, such as our first-of-its-kind Genuine HD Quattro Unit. Designed and developed here in the UK.

One of our team who has continued to strive with us is our very own, Cain Gregory. Joining us in 2016 for a week of work experience, Cain showed us how he was able to excel within our industry, and our then general manager, Anne Ashman was so impressed with his quick learning and positive approach to working within our fast-paced industry that she offered him a permanent place on our apprenticeship program for the following year.

Being with us for the past 4 years, Cain has achieved multiple certificates and qualifications, his determination to learn and focus is something that we are incredibly proud of. This work ethic has just seen him completing his apprenticeship and has since approached his line manager and requested further courses and qualifications in order to yet again improve himself and his career to greater ability.

Cain is now working towards the completion of a CAD qualification and a Supervisor course. This attitude has seen Cain being awarded the Employee of the month certification, nominated by our UK Group Commercial and Operations Manager, thanking him for stepping up during Covid and taking on the workload of some of our other team members who were in isolation, all alongside completing his apprenticeship.

Cain has shown himself time and time again to be an integral part of our award-winning team, and we could not be prouder to have him continue with us now that his apprenticeship is complete! A big congratulations to Cain for all of his hard work and determination over the last 4 years, and we can’t wait to see what the future has install for such a positive, hard-working individual!

Promoting from within is something that we are proud to boast of here at MVIS and Bartco UK. Understanding that our team is at the forefront of our fast-growing business, we are always looking for ways that we can offer personal and professional development to all our incredible staff members.

With this being said, we are proud to announce that our former Technical Development Supervisor, Tom Hooton, has been promoted to Research and Development Manager!

Joining us in 2014, Tom has not only grown within the company but has also been instrumental in groundbreaking changes. Whether it’s developing new solutions, such as our Original Bartco HD Compact unit, or finding ways of improving our Intelligent Transport Units and integrations with our warehouse team, we know that Tom is always at hand to pass on his knowledge and experience to any department, having time and appreciation for all of his co-workers.

Tom began his journey with us as Technical Support and has continuously developed within his role over the past 7 years. Seeing this new promotion as a way of further investment in his career, Tom has taken on a level 5 apprenticeship in management to see himself excel in this new managerial role. His initiative, determination and ability to think outside of the box has seen Tom develop his knowledge in using CAD software and with this has developed new, bespoke solutions like our most recent solutions, the Works Egress, soon to be available for hire through our MVIS Ltd.

Holding his on-site cards such as his CSCS and Highways England Passport, Tom has a hands-on approach when it comes to understanding all of our units and this means that he has been able to improve and develop some of our technically advanced solutions with Bartco UK, with an example being our highly versatile SIP unit.

Over the past year, Covid-19 has not stopped Tom and the rest of the team from going above and beyond to provide the best for our customers. Back in June 2020, we were able to announce our latest version of the HD Compact VMS Unit which offers added developments such as solar power and a new highly extended maintenance-free run-time. This project was overseen by Tom and the Technical department.

After speaking with Tom about his new job role, he stated “I am very grateful for the opportunity and am looking forward to the challenge that It will bring. I also appreciate the trust that has been put in me as this company has been so good to me, putting trust and giving me opportunities that I will forever be grateful for. This is my proudest achievement to date in my career and I can’t wait to prove myself for the role.”

Being with us for 7 years shows Tom’s dedication to his role here at Bartco UK. Monitoring the market for the newest innovations and being able to develop them into bigger, better solutions means that our team can live up to our reputation.

Anne Ashman said “We are proud to have such a highly driven team here at MVIS and Bartco UK and would like to say a big congratulations on his new role and Thankyou to Tom for his dedication and hard work over the past 7 years! “ 

 

Towards the end of May this year, we published a post highlighting one of our training policies that has seen a lot of success in recent months.

We mentioned in May:

“Over the years, MVIS and Bartco UK have always prioritised training and staff development. We do this for a number of a reasons, least of not which is to ensure our team’s ability to do their job is second to none, leaving us with the best trained workforce in the industry.

Part of this is our policy to provide staff with cross-departmental training in the form of a ‘day in the life’ of other team members to make sure that each employee appreciates that everyone is valuable. Such a policy also allows the team to have an insight into just what it takes to make things happen in other departments, and the role their part plays in relation to other people’s jobs.”

Since then, we have had a number of team members go through this training so that staff from all departments have a strong insight into the inner workings of other departments.

This method of training has been a proven success for us in the past and is often used for employees who have just started with us. This has the added benefit of giving these team members a deeper insight into the whole organisation and the way we work rather than just their own department.

However, over the past 18 months, there have been some significant changes to the way we all work due to COVID, requiring us to take another look at everyone’s training and understanding of each other’s roles so that the team can gain an appreciation for the new ways we have all had to change.

This time for the training it was the Bartco UK team, who are split between the workshop staff and the office staff, both having seen huge changes to the way they work during the pandemic, calling for a renewed understanding of each other’s roles.

Tim Hill, Workshop Supervisor for Bartco UK commented, “In the workshop, we have seen huge changes to the way we do our jobs during COVID, and now I fully appreciate just how much everyone else’s jobs have had to change. It’s been great not just for me, but for the whole workshop team to see how things are done in different departments and how everyone’s roles work together to keep things running smoothly.”

Pip Wood, Purchasing and Stock Control for Bartco UK added, “Swapping roles with the workshop department was highly insightful, learning where the stock items I pick are placed and used in our trailers as really heightened my knowledge. I appreciate what they do as a job more and I feel that this was a great team-building exercise, making our relationship at work even stronger.”

Celebrating Anniversaries within MVIS is something that we are proud to promote. With a retention rate that we are not shy to boast of, we understand the importance of staff wellbeing and equal opportunity within any industry and therefore strive for our team’s accomplishments across the board.

Joining us 4 years ago with experience in high-speed road areas, Jon Larkins came to us with knowledge on road safety and teamwork when on-site. Since being with us, his training has been amplified and is now using his 4 years of knowledge in training our new delivery driver, Liam Griffiths in both on-site works and personal management. Understanding both the risks and safety procedures while working on high speed works is vital in our industry to avoid consequences caused by miscommunication.

Never shying away from a job, Jon has been all over the UK delivering and performing maintenance tasks to our over 600 units and has seen the company grow. In-turn, Jon has developed himself and grown with MVIS as a vital member of our Delivery and Maintenance team. With countless testimonials from both customer and colleagues alike, Jon has made an impression within MVIS as someone who carries the values and attributes that we look for in all of our team #teamMVIS.