Enterprise Consultancy Landsker Enterprise Options Celebrates 20 Years
Landsker Business Solutions Ltd., a Whitland-based management consultancy, is celebrating 20 years of serving businesses across Wales.
At a time when many businesses have faced some of their greatest troubles, Landsker has not only managed to stay successful, but has helped hundreds of businesses stay afloat and thrive by offering a full range of Provides business support, including fundraising and developing marketing strategies, business planning, HR and diversification.
In the late 1990s, Landsker Managing Director Jeremy Bowen Rees returned to Wales after a successful career in London. The Internet had opened up great opportunities for rural entrepreneurs and created an environment for business consultants to work effectively in helping rural areas. These advisors now had a good understanding of big business and rural communities so they could help rural business owners expand and explore new opportunities.
In its early days, Landsker was known as Jeremy Rees and Associates, a consultancy operating in the UK and abroad, in the fields of change management and organizational development. In 2001, however, everything changed after the tragic incident at the World Trade Center in New York. This led to major changes in the financial services sector that resulted in the loss of four contracts overnight. Landsker was forced to change his tactics and reinvent himself by looking for work in Wales.
“At this point in our journey as a company, things looked scary, everything changed overnight, but it was the jump start we needed to make the most of what was right on our doorstep.” said Jeremy Bowen Rees, executive director. “After two years of contracting with a third party, we have started contracting directly with the Welsh Government and eliminating the middleman, allowing us to directly support and positively influence SMEs across Wales.”
2005 was a pivotal year for Landsker and brought about significant changes, the first of which saw the hiring of their first employee, David Selwyn, who has since been Technical Director at Landsker Business Solutions Ltd.
David Selwyn, Technical Director, said:
‘Having had the opportunity to be with Landsker from the start, it has been a very exciting journey to watch the company grow. I have worked closely with hundreds of companies over the years and seeing each company grow stronger has made me really proud of what we have achieved. ‘
A second major change was the decision to build the business center in Llwynybrain, Whitland. The business center, which opened in 2006, now houses the twelve Landsker employees as well as several shareholders and tenants.
Since then, Landsker has grown into one of, if not the leading independent consultancy in Wales, supporting existing and start-up businesses and is accredited in more Welsh government and other funded programs than any other private business consultancy in Wales. Landsker has supported over 2,500 businesses, raised over £ 130 million in customer funding, launched more than 550 new businesses and helped create nearly 5,000 jobs in Wales.
