Andy's Story

Losing your biggest customer is a bad day for any business. When that customer is a multinational construction firm, who you supply 40% of its business in grounds maintenance, the scenario could quickly become a business nightmare.

For Andy Bradley, managing director at Flora-tec, the knock-on effect of the Carillon collapse in 2018 could have been terminal. Flora-tec worked with Carillion for 14 year, providing interior and exterior plants and landscaping services. But after the firm ceased trading, making headline news and resulting in the largest ever trading liquidation in the UK, it sent shockwaves through the supply chain. Carillions’s liabilities reached nearly £7 billion and insolvencies in construction firms rose by 20%. For Flora-tec and Andy, it seemed inevitable that they would be impacted. 

In a scenario like this, there was only one thing to do: Call in the strength, support and experience from his Vistage group.

“The group is very committed to one another, we’ll help each other in a crisis whether that’s a business or personal crisis; they’re always there for you”

Having been a Vistage member for over six years, Andy turned almost immediately to his Vistage group members for support on what to do next. 

He explains that, “The group is very diverse, it includes lawyers, accountants and others who have set up their own businesses so everyone had advice which was helpful. The group spent lots of time working through this issue with me, offering support and help in their own time outside of the regular meetings.”

In addition to the backing of his group, Andy also received extensive one-to-one support from his Vistage Chair, John Watkinson, who says,  “I was talking to Andy on almost a daily basis for a period of time discussing next steps and actions but it was Andy that did the work and ultimately, Andy that lead the turnaround of the business.”

Turning a corner — and a profit

Six months months after losing Carilion, Flora-tec recovered well and continues to be profitable. Despite taking a substantial initial loss, the majority of Carillion contracts were retained and are now spread across multiple clients as opposed to just one. This diversification helped sure up the business and create a strong foundation for the future. 

Andy continues to give regular updates to his Vistage group each month as the business enters a new phase of life.

Key to turning this corner was Vistage, which gave Andy a peer group, a friendship group, a consultancy and ultimately a sense check for difficult business decisions, during a tough time. 

“To have that group of people you see regularly and you can go back to the outside of the business is fantastic and they do bring you back to reality sometimes.”

Despite it being a difficult year for the company, there were silver linings for Andy. He notes how the staff rallied around, got stuck in, gained new business. As a result, the business is now far more robust. 

“In the darkest moments, you don’t think that you’re going to survive but we have a lot more confidence heading forward. We have a number of new clients and I can see the business growing into new areas”