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From the domed roof of the Welsh assembly to the glass Spinnaker Tower in Portsmouth, Lakesmere鈥檚 specialist roofing design has been behind some of the most iconic structures of recent times.

This involvement, which currently includes work on Bovis Lend Lease鈥檚 Unilever House in Blackfriars, central London, and Laing O鈥橰ourke鈥檚 Coventry Arena, is made all the more striking by the fact that 13 years ago the Winchester-based company was a niche firm less than one-10th of its current size. Mark Davey, the managing director, staged a management buyout of the original Lakesmere division from local company Walcon in 1993 together with business partner Geoff Dennis, who is now financial director of the company. At the time, the firm鈥檚 turnover was 拢2.7m, compared with its current figure of 拢33m.

鈥淲e didn鈥檛 envisage anything like this,鈥� Davey admits, looking at a mindmap on his office wall that refers to high-profile repeat clients including BAA, Laing O鈥橰ourke and HBG. 鈥淲e thought the company would reach a regional level, but it just kept growing.鈥�

That growth has seen Lakesmere expand beyond its southern base to Manchester and Glasgow, with plans for a fourth office in Birmingham in the new year. At present, the firm does not have plans to work in Europe, although Davey is keeping an open mind. 鈥淲e鈥檝e worked in the Isle of Man, the Shetland Islands and the Orkney Islands. If you can work in these places, you can work in most.鈥�

To keep up with its order book, Lakesmere is also having to expand its staff: from 17 employees at the start, the firm has grown to 170 and the number is set to rise further next year. The firm employs 45 designers, more than any other roofing specialist in the UK. It has traditionally taken on workers direct from college courses and trained specifically to deliver its 鈥渂uilding envelope鈥� 鈥� a single package from design through to fitting, with no outsourcing of work.

It is now finding the need to bring in a number of senior staff from elsewhere. 鈥淚t鈥檚 difficult to bring in good people,鈥� says Davey. 鈥淏ut we have been bringing in one or two at senior level. It means we can have the benefit of external experience in a relatively specialised market.鈥�

Davey鈥檚 caution over staff selection reflects the position Lakesmere has built up as a highly specialised contractor, rather than simply another roofing company. Its 鈥渆nvelope solutions鈥� are a source of pride for the company and mean it appeals to clients who are looking for a one-stop shop. However, Davey recognises this approach also carries more risk. He says: 鈥淭he strategy means that the client effectively downloads its risk onto us, but it just means we have to be more certain to get it right.鈥�

The firm has increased its tender conversion rate from about one in nine to about one in three since gaining its independence. A mark of its success is that it has been consulted by troubleshooters attempting to help out other, less successful companies in the roofing sector.

In the past year, profit has almost doubled to 拢886,900.

Davey has also decided to invest in the firm鈥檚 branding. Having appointed a marketing consultant last year, he is determined to make the firm, as well as its projects, a focal point for the industry with a rebranding early in the new year to raise the profile of the firm鈥檚 envelope work.

When asked if this push for recognition could have come sooner, he replies with characteristic caution: 鈥淚f I鈥檝e ever learned anything, it鈥檚 that you don鈥檛 say you can do something before you can do it. You have to prove yourself first or you鈥檒l shoot yourself in the foot.鈥�