As we mark our 30th anniversary, we take this opportunity to celebrate the journey that has shaped us into a leading multi-disciplinary consultancy firm, inviting our Founding Partners to share their insights and memories on the evolution of Focus, including challenges and triumphs along the way.

Established in 1994, with Kevin Osbon, Karl Marriott and Ian Stevens at the helm, Focus was founded on the principles of marrying public sector funding, such as the European Regional Development Fund as it was then, with the newly established Lottery Funds, to provide catalysts to regeneration through capital projects, beginning with the Galleries of Justice in the Lace Market area of Nottingham. These early projects laid the foundation for Focus’ core services in Project Management and Economic Growth that provided a bedrock on which we expanded into Building Surveying, Quantity Surveying, and Sustainability.

Looking back, Ian recalls those early days with humour and nostalgia “When the new limited company was formed we were given a bottle of champagne, a plate to affix to your registered office and a company seal to impress people with your own embossed paper, as in medieval times. The champagne is 30 years gone, but the other relics remain”.

Ian also remembers how Focus made its mark with an intricate, if not overly elaborate, marketing brochure: “It was once described as ‘nauseatingly pretentious’ which I take as a compliment”, he quips, adding that it was designed to catch attention – much like their Lucky NASA Space Pen, which he says had a 100% success rate in securing grants back in the 1990s when they had to be personally signed by the client.

The Vision:

Our philosophy centres around delivering exceptional value through a combination of expertise, creativity, an unwavering commitment to excellence and high-quality services that prioritise value over price. These values are supported by the company’s commitment to sustainable growth, geographical expansion, and ensuring every team member shares in the company’s success.

As we look forward, Focus remains committed to a sustainable future for the Built Environment, offering a single point of service for our Clients and delivering excellence in economic development, construction, and sustainability.

Sustained Growth:

Building on our core services, Focus soon expanded to include other areas of expertise starting with building surveying and quantity surveying, closely followed by the development of sustainability specialisms, born out of the team’s passion to create a built environment that not only looked good and served our clients’ needs, but also contributes positively to its surroundings.

Having grown steadily over the past 30 years from humble beginnings in Kevin’s Nottingham-based dining room, Focus, with over 40 qualified personnel, now operates nationwide from offices in Nottingham, Leicester and London, with a £6 million annual turnover. We manage more than £300 million of construction projects each year providing services across all project stages and across numerous market sectors from heritage and culture to housing, health, and local authorities.

Kevin shares some of Focus’ key milestones that he is especially proud of:

• A combined business turnover of over £100 million
• Created and delivered in excess of £4.5 billion of projects and programmes
• Successfully assisted clients to secure in excess of £1 billion of grant aid towards these projects and programmes
• Supported over 18,000 construction jobs based on latest industry data
• Realised social value contributions of cicra £500k towards community and charitable initiatives through the efforts of the Focus team.

Kevin Osbon:

“Walt Disney famously said that ‘You can design and create, and build the most wonderful place in the world. But it takes people to make the dream a reality.’  The Focus dream truly has become a reality!  My heartfelt thanks to every member of the Focus team both past and present for their contribution on this amazing journey and to their own support networks of family and friends for providing the foundation on which these remarkable milestones have been achieved. I am excited to see how the Focus journey unfolds over the next 30 years, hopefully I am about to see it!”

Karl Marriott:

“Amongst Focus’ many and varied achievements perhaps one stands out; its culture. The businesses culture provides the foundation upon which all other aspects are built. We have always embraced, indeed sought, talented and dynamic people. I also believe we have provided an environment where such people can flourish and grow both professionally and personally. To have witnessed this over the last 30 years is possibly the most rewarding aspect of all. Each and every individual who is, or has been, a member of the Focus team has brought something and contributed to the organisational culture, and therefore been instrumental in its success.”

Ian Stevens:

“Focus has always been about the meeting of minds, then the channelling of energy into the agreed path.  You can’t leave a footprint by walking on tiptoe or sitting on your arse.  Thank you to one and all for your contributions over the years.”