Chester telecom firm beats credit crunch with expansion plan

Dec 18 2008 by Laurie Stocks-Moore, Chester Chronicle

NEW jobs are on the way at a Saltney telecommunications firm which says its efforts to help customers save money are enabling it to beat the credit crunch and look to expand in 2009.

Parkway Telecom, based in Saltney’s Central Trade Park, specialises in four key areas of telephone systems, mobile phones, low cost routing and vehicle tracking, and it aims to provide customers with a “one-stop shop” solution to their business communication needs.

Managing director Paul Maddocks said turnover in the company was £750,000 last year and was on course to hit the £1.2m mark in the current financial year to January 31, 2009.

He said Parkway’s strategic partnerships with leading industry names including Vodafone and Alcatel-Lucent had been central to the firm’s ability to drive growth over the last 12 months.

“We have not been directly affected by the credit crunch at this moment in time, perhaps because of the fact that a large part of our service is an ability to deliver day-to-day cost savings for our clients, which in the current economic climate is even more important to them,” he said.

“The company celebrated its eighth birthday recently and over the past year has probably enjoyed its best 12 months trading so far.

“That has effectively set the platform for further growth and development next year.”

Parkway says it intends to mount a recruitment drive early next year. It currently employs 10 people but will be looking for another two engineers and two sales and accounts managers.

Parkway’s clients range from small businesses in North Wales to blue chip companies dotted around the UK.

It says a move to its present premises at Saltney has raised the profile of the company in the local community.

“For the first time we have had some prominence on a main road – previously we were on business parks,” added Mr Maddocks.

“We have achieved some drive-past recognition and that has resulted in some people calling into the business after seeing our window adverts and looking us up on the internet.”

The company will launch an eCommerce-enabled website early next year.