Nomination just the business for fledgling firm
SURVEYOR NEIL TO COMPETE FOR UK HONOUR
A TEESSIDE surveyor is ‘blown away’ to represent the North East in the UK finals of the prestigious Federation of Small Business (FSB) Awards.
Neil Trewick, director of Trew Surveying Ltd, has been shortlisted in the UK finals after winning the North East Award for Best Self Employed/Freelancer last month and is now hoping to be declared the best in the UK.
Neil, 38, who lives in Ingleby Barwick with his wife Lucy and their dog Olive, said: “I was absolutely blown away when I heard I had won the FSB North East Award.
“Now to have the chance of being crowned the best in the whole of the UK is beyond words and would be a real feather in the cap for my young business.
“I know us Teessiders tend not to fare well on a national scale but I’m hoping I can break the mould and bring the trophy back with me!
“Our region knows how good our people are, now it’s time for the rest of the UK to take notice.”
Trew Surveying’s rise hasn’t gone completely under the radar and Neil is proud to have won the award for Best New Sole Trader at the 2022 and 2023 Tees Business Awards, in addition to being shortlisted in the final 10 for the RICS Residential Surveyor of the Year Award in 2023.
Organised by the Federation of Small Businesses, known as FSB, these national awards showcase talent in small to medium-sized businesses in the UK and recognise those who have demonstrated excellence in their particular category.
The awards are now in their 50th year and competition across the 12 categories is tough, with 12 regional winners battling it out for each top prize.
The winners will be announced at a gala awards ceremony on Thursday, May 9 at the iconic Winter Gardens Empress Ballroom in Blackpool.
Neil’s surveying story has been something of a rollercoaster ride so far.
After he was made redundant in March 2022 when his employer went into liquidation, Neil took the decision to become self-employed and just days later, Trew Surveying Ltd was open for business.
Neil recalled: “I’d finished my Monday jobs for the firm I worked for and in the afternoon, we all learned via a Zoom call that the company had gone into liquidation and we were unemployed.
“It was only a month before I was due to get married, and not even the craziest person would set up his own business a month before his wedding, but it was just what I needed to do.
“I spent the first two weeks carrying out surveys for free for clients who had lost their money to my previous employer but due to the leads I was generating, I was quietly confident I could at least start to make a living.
“As it happens, it’s completely taken off, so I’m not complaining anymore, things happen for a reason!”
Two years on from those whirlwind first weeks, Trew Surveying is now an established local business with a growing brand getting known through sponsorships with Ingleby Barwick Golf Club, Hurworth Albion Under12s and Middlesbrough FC.
With Trew Surveying’s current growth and over 1,200 surveys completed so far, Neil is already looking at how to expand.
He said: “I’m currently carrying the workload of three people and I probably need an admin or accounts assistant, and in peak months, a second surveyor.
“There also may be a second business coming soon – watch this space!”
To learn more about Trew Surveying’s services visit the website: www. trewsurveying.co.uk