2023 has been a momentous year – the WHO declared an end to the global COVID-19 health emergency, India successfully landed on the moon, and worldwide inflation has finally started to come down. Despite the economic turmoil, and with workers and services slowly returning to their pre-pandemic levels, Vanguard has seen a period of tremendous growth and opportunity.
It’s been a busy time for us, packed full of expansions, new roles, and exciting adventures, and as the year closes, it’s worthwhile to reflect on how the year turned out. Where did we find success? What did we achieve? And, at the end of the day, what didn’t go as planned?
At Vanguard, we follow our core virtues of Humility, Passion, and People First, and as a result, we’re always looking for ways to improve our service and processes. The best way to do that is to learn from experience, and while we already have 21 years in the cleaning industry, we wouldn’t be where we are today without constantly learning and improving who we are and what we provide.
In our latest article, we’ll cast our minds back and examine just what made the year so incredible for us, and how that shapes up for an even better year in 2024.
Here are just 5 of our best moments from 2023, and how they helped propel Vanguard forward.
In March 2023, Vanguard underwent an exciting new change. The company was acquired by Churchill Support Services, a soft services solution provider firm based in Chorley, Lancashire. Churchill’s executives became group executives, overseeing both companies and adding their expertise to the already robust Vanguard leadership. This heralded a new era for Churchill and Vanguard, with a combined 50-year pedigree being brought to the helm by the two sister companies.
Churchill Support Services began their journey a few years earlier than Vanguard, being founded as Churchill Security in 1996. Offering an extensive range of physical security services to prospective clients, they have since expanded into facility management and energy. At every turn, they shared Vanguard’s focus on people, and with virtues that aligned so closely, joining forces made perfect sense. We even released a press release to commemorate the deal.
Today, both companies work side by side, with hundreds of employees at their disposal, offering different services under the same umbrella. We aim to support each other’s growth in the upcoming years, and are excited to see what this new chapter will bring for Vanguard.
Vanguard’s director James Crompton, who was responsible for the inception of the business, has remained to support its growth during the acquisition period. However, it was recently announced that Churchill’s very own Luke Toker will take over the reins, becoming responsible for the day to day running of Vanguard.
Luke started at Churchill as National Operations Manager in 2018, and has since served in a number of roles, including Head Of Operations and Business Development Manager. His achievements at Churchill are numerous, such as leading the operations team through the COVID-19 pandemic, which presented unique and unforeseen challenges. His leadership helped Churchill consistently score 144/145 on Security Industry Authority (SIA) audits, resulting in them being crowned as the #1 ACS-Approved Contractor in the UK.
The team extends a warm welcome to Luke, and given his sterling track record at Churchill, look forward to seeing what his leadership will bring to the company.
Having started as a medical cleaning company, Vanguard has expanded its range of services into other sectors and industries. While we previously focused on cleaning doctor’s surgeries, clinics, and medical centres, Vanguard has attained the expertise and experience to branch out and clean other facilities, including but not limited to hospitality, retail, industrial, educational, and office-based premises.
At the same time, we now have capacity to offer more numerous and in-depth services, such as extensive deep cleans, floor and window cleaning, washroom services, and specialist cleaning. We pride ourselves on offering custom, tailormade contracts for each individual business, taking into account service type, schedule, and budget when crafting a cleaning package. With more services and sectors now on offer, we’re able to provide a more thorough and bespoke service, addressing any and all areas of concern a client may have.
2023 has been a big year for technology, and Vanguard was no different. With the implementation of new systems and new ways of working, we vastly improved our productivity and collaboration, helping us launch into the new year with a bang. Alongside this, we reduced our paper-based processes and lowered waste, in line with our commitment to become a more environmentally conscious company.
Additionally, as part of introducing a more robust senior management team, we had three members of staff secure well-earned promotions. This helped us forge a strong senior management team, and was a brand-new change for the business, setting the foundations for future growth as we expand.
With the acquisition bringing a number of new changes to the company, one we are particularly excited for is the introduction of our new virtues: Humility, Passion, and People First. These are the core virtues that encapsulate who we are, inspiring us to deliver our service with integrity and dedication. We also introduced our “We’re Here” progromme to help our employees mental health.
A recent example of how we put People First is completing the Firewalk challenge for charity. Our colleagues faced their fears and walked barefoot across searing coals to raise money for St Kentigern Hospice, an organisation that provides palliative care for those with terminal illnesses. While the coals may have reached a daunting 800 degrees, we pressed forward and did one better, managing to raise a whole £850! This is just one example of our new virtues being embraced by our brilliant staff.
As the year ends and we transition to 2024, here’s what to expect from Vanguard:
With plenty to look forward to in the new year, we hope you join us for the journey, as we continue to develop and do what we do best – clean.
To get a kickstart on the new year cleaning, be sure to receive a free, no obligation quote from our professional team at Vanguard.
