Power of relationship building

In an age of new media and technological advancement, relationship building still remains an incredibly powerful building block for business growth.

Clevedon based pace is a communications organisation that is demonstrating the power of relationships and the success it can bring.

pace provide creative design, branding, printing, signage, exhibition display and web services, and has built an impressive client list including several international corporations.

And as MD Nicholas Cleeve explains, it is relationship building that has driven and underpinned this success story: “We have always put a premium on building relationships.

“We actively encourage our clients to spend time with us here, working alongside our team helping develop their own projects.

“This collaborative and partnership approach is empowering for the client and consistently delivers high quality results.”

Strong community ethos

“The most rewarding relationships are often with community organisations.

“We frequently host meetings for staff and residents of our supported housing clients, which are not only very productive but always great fun.

“We also provide free seminars and tutorials specifically for the communications personnel of a variety of organisations.”

Education

pace works closely with local schools and is keen to bridge the gap between business and education, pioneering initiatives for students that help develop and improve employment opportunities, preparing these young people for their future in the competitive job markets that await them after education.

Nick elaborates: “As both a parent and a business leader I wanted to involve pace where we could best make a difference.

“A recent project saw us working together with students from a selection of schools as they created and produced their ‘Alternative Sixth Form Prospectus’

“A Prospectus by sixth formers for sixth formers, written to put a fresh spin on a publication usually designed by adults, who we recognise aren’t the only decision makers when it comes to choosing where the students studied for their A levels.

“In terms of end product and student engagement, the results have been simply inspirational.”

Commercially astute

Putting community and relationships at the heart of the business has helped pace achieve year on year growth and avoid having to reduce the workforce when the recession hit.

Nick comments: “We reviewed the pace value proposition and looked at how we could continue to offer the highest service levels in terms of quality and performance whilst controlling costs.

“We needed to understand what our clients wanted from us and what new services we could offer to support them.

“We embarked on a capital equipment investment programme, became more innovative in our client approach, and continued to build on our reputation as a trusted and reliable partner.

“As a consequence service levels have remained incredibly high as we ensured that we have limited any need to outsource.”

The future

Nick says that the future will see them further embracing the exciting communication developments in social media and integrating digital advancements further into the business.

He comments: “We have brought younger members of staff into the business to drive this forward. We want to remain current, immediate and ahead of industry trends.

“We never rest on our laurels and are excited about future developments in creative communications that are on our horizon.

“We’ve spent years building our brand and of all of the things we have achieved the one of which I am most proud is without doubt the pace team.

Nick concludes: “I love working with this team of professionals who on a daily basis underpin the pace achievements with their professionalism and dedication.”