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Unite
Driven by a strong vision
Spotting a niche in the market is the entrepreneur's greatest gift, and Nicholas Porter's eye is pretty sharp. He is the founder and chief executive of Unite, one of the UK's leading providers of student and "key worker" accommodation services. Porter says his aim was to provide a complete package to the client 鈥� Unite produces architectural drawings, prefabricates bedroom and bathroom units, is project manager and construction manager to its own development and it services the buildings.

Porter set up Unite in 1991 after he realised that universities were suffering from what he calls a "management headache" in providing accommodation for their students. "As a private landlord, I was trying to organise the letting of some flats to the University of the West of England, which was dealing with the needs of about 4000 students. I could see there was a lack of quality affordable housing in the South-west and therefore a big gap in the market," he says.

Porter undertook a series of housing projects for the university between 1991-1994, on the client's condition that Porter also managed the units 鈥� and the concept of Unite was born.

Its growth has been rapid. The early years were spent consolidating in the South-west. In 1998, it went into a joint venture with the Peabody Trust in London to provide accommodation for NHS staff. The company now manages 24,000 beds and employs 370 staff.

Porter explains his company's success: "The other directors and I have a strong vision of what we want to achieve. We have also been selective about who we employ. Unite is a bit like a profit-making public business 鈥� a lot of people want to join us because our motives are not only financial," he says. "It's a people business for real people's accommodation needs."

Porter has looked to prefabrication to keep costs low. Unite builds all its bedroom and bathroom units off-site, delivering them as sealed units already fitted with data cabling for internet access and smart-card entry systems.

Last year, the company moved onto the London Stock Exchange's official list. Between 1999 and 2000, its turnover jumped by 63% to 拢30m. Since January 2001, the business has grown by 25%. Unite is the preferred bidder for two projects with the universities of Northumbria and Portsmouth, together worth 拢30m. Porter aims to own and manage 60,000 beds by 2003.

Judges for the award were unanimous in their verdict. They said: "They had some great ideas, spotting several gaps in the market. That's one great characteristic of a successful entrepreneur. The other is to see those ideas through and emerge as market leader. Unite has done that, too. This is a true success story."

Porter is upbeat about the company's outlook. "There are 1.5m students in this country 鈥� the market is huge. Our reputation for providing a quality service continues to grow and we are determined to keep breaking the mould in the provision of affordable accommodation," he says.