UK: One of the leading refrigeration contractors Space Engineering Services is celebrating its 25th anniversary next month with a party for its 600 staff.
The company was set up by friends and engineers Terry O'Sullivan and Roger Bryant in Bristol in 1988. More than two decades later, the firm is now an industry leader with its forward-thinking approach to helping the environment, developing staff and advancing new technology.

Chairman Rick Taylor, 49, has worked for the company, which has bases across Bristol, the UK and Europe, since 1995. Before that, he was employed as the office junior at a previous company, also owned by Terry O'Sullivan, at the very beginning of his 30 year career in the industry.

'I started as the tea boy. Now I am the chairman and I have had the privilege of seeing the remarkable progress we have made over the years,' said Rick.
He said: 'In my early days, there were only about 20 staff altogether and we were small fish in a big ocean.

'Since those early days sales have risen to over £100m. We now employ more than 600 people and have earned ourselves an international reputation for what we do and how we do it'.

Space Engineering supplies refrigeration, mechanical and electrical services to some of the country's biggest brand names - from M&S, Tesco, and Sainsbury's to Yeo Valley and Ginsters.

They also provide air-conditioning and heating solutions to factories and offices across the UK and Europe.

Rick said: 'The most rewarding part of my job has been helping to build the team and witnessing the success of such a dedicated group of people. I am very proud that we are able to provide so many people with sustainable careers and supporting 600 families - particularly during difficult economic times.

'The business might have grown but I see the same camaraderie among staff as there was when I first started. It's nice to think that, despite becoming as big as we are, we have not forgotten our roots. We still have our main offices in Bristol and we are very proud to provide crucial support to the economy in the South West.'

Rick Taylor - along with partners John Hollingdale and Barry Stevenson - bought the company from its founders in 2005. Since then, the partners have continued to build on Space Engineering's success.

The firm has expanded into Europe -they recently installed refrigeration systems at a concept M&S store in Melantrich, Czech Republic - and are in the early stages of planning a move into Asia.

Space Engineering is also leading the way in the industry by developing state-of-the-art CO2 refrigeration systems and pioneering biomass boiler technologies.