Sharon Seville, owner of recruitment company F1rst Commercial Recruitment, is one of Orbit Development’s newest customers. The staffing specialists made the move from Manchester City Centre to Regent House in Stockport. Sharon tells us why, below.
Tell us about your new office:
We’ve moved into a suite of circa 300 sq ft on the 10th floor of Regent House. The space is great, it fits our staff comfortably and there’s a seperate meeting room area for candidate screening.
How long have you been in Regent House?
We moved in on January 4th and it feels like we have been here for an age. We’ve settle in incredibly well, been made to feel very welcome, the facilities whilst we were sorting out our IT and comms were second to none and I don’t have a grumble about anything. I think Orbit have made our transition from central Manchester to central Stockport very easy and almost seamless. They even allowed us to move in our equipment over Christmas to try and get a head start for the New Year.
Where did you move from?
We moved from Deansgate in central Manchester
What appealed to you about Regent House?
Working in central Manchester is great, it’s vibrant, easily accessible from pretty much everywhere, everyone knows it and our location was prestigious. However, after 6 years commuting from Marple to Manchester and having to juggle the school run, leave early for football practice or scouts, arrive late every other day because I was fighting the ever increasing static traffic in an out of the city, I’d pretty much decided I needed to get a much better work/life balance and remove at least ‘some’ of the stresses that come with running a business. Recruitment is a tough enough job without adding more than 2.5 hours onto your working day of typically 10 hours anyway.
I’ve known Jo Shippen from Hatters Promotions (another Orbit customer) for a number of years and she recommended I take a look at Regent House. When I did view it, it became very easy to see why she promoted it so well! It has all the things I looked for in our last property; easily accessible for our clients and candidates, very easy to find, great transport links, right in the heart of Stockport town centre, an iconic building and in a town that is both local to me and doing so much in terms of regeneration that it’s hard not to get caught up in the excitement of what it will become! Ultimately it was an easy decision to move to Stockport.
Sharon with Jo Shippen, of Hatters Promotions, in Regent House’s business hub
Has it lived up to its billing?
Initially I was worried that with me living in Stockport for over 20 years I might be taking the location for granted. The building is iconic and can be seen from pretty much everywhere so it was very second nature to me. The acid test was whether our candidates and clients could get to us easily. I am pleased to report; yes, they absolutely can! Heaton Lane multi story car park is right facing us, the bus station is next to Regent House and the train station is a stone’s throw away. (Closer than Piccadilly train and bus stations in comparison to our old office!) The main reception wouldn’t look out of place in a central Manchester building, the lifts are plenty and fast, the amenities are plentiful and it is a generally well kempt building. The addition of a cafe when the Travelodge opens will most certainly be an added bonus when it is completed!
How have you found dealing with Orbit and Emerson on the move in and ongoing service?
I have to say, we have been in serviced offices for 5 years prior to our last property and Orbit/Emerson have most definitely outstripped their respective competition in my eyes. They have responded quickly, efficiently and are all very personable, friendly and clearly keen to help. The ladies on the 11th floor reception never seem to be able to do enough to help you and they greet our visitors very professionally and are very prompt with messages. The chaps on the main reception are also very diligent, friendly and personable. Always willing to help. The sales team and management are also first on hand when needed and I cannot recommend them highly enough.
Soon after I moved here a ‘Meet Your Neighbour’ event was held in the business lounge called The Hub. This gave us a chance to meet other tenants, there was a presentation on what was happening in Stockport, the facilities that the building has to offer and also covered the wider community information in order to promote Stockport; including the SKOne card that Orbit offer their tenants.
I have also recently been asked to attend a focus group that is undertaken every two years on our views/suggestions/ideas/observations for the building, company and local offering. For me, this just highlighted how important Orbit is to Stockport town centre, how much they are prepared to listen to the people in their buildings and how much knowledge they are able to share with the council in order to shape a better place to be and work.
To find out more about Regent House, including our current availability, please click here.
