Latest news with #RobertDavies
Business News Wales
03-06-2025
- Business
- Business News Wales
Expert Support sees Cardiff Infrastructure Consultancy Reach £1m Milestone
Volos are experts in highway infrastructure design, project management, and quantity surveying Cardiff-based infrastructure consultancy, Volos is set to hit £1 million in turnover, powered by strategic guidance from Business Wales fuelling its rapid growth. Experts in highway infrastructure design, project management, and quantity surveying, Volos has quickly built a strong track record, delivering major local authority projects across South Wales and England, with key support from Business Wales. Established in 2021 by Liam Shields and Ollie Marsh, Volos is now poised to surpass £1 million in turnover for its financial year ending 2025, as it secures places on tendering frameworks that offer the potential to unlock new revenue from large-scale civil engineering and highways works. With 95% of its operations focused on the public sector, Volos' growing team of 10 professionals has significantly benefited from Business Wales' tailored support in tendering, HR, and business management. This guidance has enabled the company to secure key funding, refine its operations, expand its workforce, and win major contracts and frameworks. Business Wales has also helped Volos navigate complex procurement frameworks, allowing the company to successfully bid for and secure high-value local authority contracts. Most recently, the company has secured a place on the Specialist Consultancy Services South West Wales Regional Contractors Framework, which opens the door to major projects with Carmarthenshire County Council, Ceredigion County Council, Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council, Pembrokeshire County Council, Powys County Council and Swansea Council. Outside of Wales, Volos has also secured a place on the Provision of Specialist Consultancy Services Framework, which allows the company to bid for projects with Surrey County Council. Commenting on the growth of Volos and the Business Wales guidance that supported it, Volos Director, Liam Shields, said: 'We're extremely proud to see the hard work of our professionals and the partnerships we've created with our clients across the public sector deliver these exceptional results. No matter the scale or complexity of our clients' goals, we've created a team with the knowledge and expertise to deliver on any project. 'However, it's important to recognise how crucial the external support we have received from Robert Davies and his colleagues at Business Wales continues to contribute towards our success and growth. The intricacies of founding and structuring a business are immense, so having their wide range of expertise available to us is truly invaluable. If you're an expert in what you do, but feel you need assistance to make your company a reality, I'd urge you to explore how Business Wales can help.' Volos first turned to Business Wales in 2024 to explore funding opportunities. Their Business Adviser, Robert Davies, identified the Cardiff Growth Fund as a potential source of financial support. With Robert's guidance to prepare a successful application, Volos secured over £10,000 in match funding to invest in a customised project management system, which now serves as the backbone of Volos' operations, streamlining client projects, HR, and billing. Business Wales' HR experts were instrumental to Volos achieving certification as a Living Wage Employer and formalising employment contracts that supported the firm's rapid expansion to a team of over 10 highly qualified specialists. The consultancy is also investing in the future, with its first graduate apprentice and several employees receiving company backing to pursue university qualifications. Recognising the significance of language and culture, Volos additionally sought assistance to develop a Welsh language policy to reinforce the company's commitment to bilingualism in its operations. The ability of Volos' growing team to compete for major contracts is further strengthened by becoming a signatory to Business Wales' Green Growth Pledge and expert guidance to develop carbon reduction plans and environmental credentials, which are key to securing places on valuable public frameworks. According to Business Wales, Volos' trajectory to sustained success demonstrates how strategic guidance can turn ambition into achievement. Business Adviser, Robert Davies, explains: 'Across Wales there are hundreds of experts who are passionate about what they do and the results they could achieve as entrepreneurs and leaders growing companies. 'Often, overcoming the hurdles holding back those ambitions simply takes external support to help access expert resources and guidance needed, and these are readily available to Welsh businesses. Volos is a perfect example of how a driven team of experts can realise that potential and unlock growth with the right assistance in place. I hope the success of Liam, Ollie and their team will inspire others to contact Business Wales to access the support that is freely at their disposal.' Business Wales is funded by Welsh Government. For more information and support to help your business discover opportunities, and to speak to a specialist adviser, contact Business Wales. Visit or call 03000 6 03000. Rydym yn croesawu galwadau'n Gymraeg – we welcome calls in Welsh.
Western Telegraph
12-05-2025
- Business
- Western Telegraph
Search for Pembrokeshire farming long service workers
The President and Trustees of the Pembrokeshire Agricultural Society wish to offer inscribed Awards to both male and female workers who have not received a Pembrokeshire Agricultural Society Long Service Award previously. There were three recipients for the inscribed Awards at last year's County Show: Gary Barber who has been employed by Pembrokeshire Farmers Hunt for 33 years; Robert Davies who works for Michael Morris and Sally Rees who works for Tom Goddard & Sons in Camrose. The 2025 Long Service Awards presentation will take place on Wednesday, 20 August from 4pm, in the President's Pavilion at the Pembrokeshire County Show and the award recipient and guest will receive complimentary entry tickets to the show. Tim and Margaret Johns, joint Presidents of the Pembrokeshire Agricultural Society this year said: 'It gives us great pleasure as a Society to reward those who have been employed for such a significant amount of time by one employer in the county. We recognise what an achievement this is and it deserves an award. "We are very much looking forward to receiving applications for this year's Long Service Award. The decision of the committee will be final.' Conditions of the Award being given are: 1. The recipient must, on the first day of the Annual Show, have been in service for 25 years on the same farm continuously, or continuously in the service of the same employer within Pembrokeshire. 2. The employer must be a member of the Pembrokeshire Agricultural Society for the present year. For those eligible to apply please complete the online application form and return it by 31 July 2025. If you are unable to complete the form online please contact the Show office on: 01437 764331. To apply online please click here: Long Service Award | Pembrokeshire County Show | Pembs Agricultural Society Pembrokeshire County Show, the largest county agricultural show in Wales, will take place on 20 and 21 August 2025. Earlybird e-tickets and Society membership details are available on the website at
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
CUPHD warns community of a deadly disease
CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, Ill. (WCIA) — A disease that can be harmful to people and animals is back in Champaign County. Now, the public health district is doing what they can to make sure people in the area are being cautious. It's called tularemia, or rabbit fever. It's a disease caused by bacteria and could possibly be deadly. Typically, almost every year there's a report of an animal testing positive for tularemia. Champaign City Council approves multi-million-dollar Garden Hills bid Robert Davies is the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District's director of planning and research. Davies said there were several sick squirrels found in Urbana recently and some had died. After finding out one of them had tularemia, they had to take action. 'When this happens, we like to to raise awareness. You know, that it's in the community and that there are things that we can do to prevent exposure,' Davies said. Both people and animals can catch the disease. It can be life threatening to humans and pets like dogs, cats, livestock and more. 'Avoid mowing over dead animals. Let's say if you mow over an infected dead animal, it can be aerosolized and you can breathe it in. That's one way of contracting it,' Davies said. Illinois residents worried about food assistance being cut in a SNAP He said you should also stay away from wildlife, drink water from a safe source, and stop pets from eating wild animals to name a few. Symptoms can range from a mild to severe flu-like sickness for both people and animals. That's why Davies said you should always be cautious. 'Just because it was detected in Urbana doesn't mean it's not, you know, in other places. Like I said, in previous years, we've had reports come from Champaign, Urbana and Savoy. So the message is the same,' Davies said. The health district said if you believe you may have the disease, make sure you contact your doctor. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Harlingen cuts $2 million in software costs; expands teacher incentive program
Apr. 4—HARLINGEN — School district officials are cutting about $2 million in software costs as they plan their new budget expected to come with employee raises and an expanded teacher incentive program. Now, officials are continuing to review the district's proposed budgets while working with the human services and payroll departments to develop the new compensation plan. "We're projecting final budget numbers, we're studying options for all staff members, preparing multiple scenarios and keeping track of our pending state legislation for additional resources," Ida Ambriz, the district's interim assistant superintendent of business services, told board members during a meeting Tuesday. Across the state, the focus is on Senate Bill 26, passed by the Senate while awaiting House approval, expected to bring $5 billion in state funding earmarked for teacher raises. As part of the bill, teachers with at least three years of service are projected to receive $2,500 raises while those with five or more years are expected to get $5,500. Meanwhile, the bill's expected to expand the state's teacher merit pay program, known as the Teacher Incentive Allotment, which offers bonuses based on classroom performance and student achievement. Across Texas, the state's selected the district to become one of six tapped as part of the TIA's expansion, officials said. Now, 715 district teachers are eligible for the program whose expansion is expected to open up to at least 586 more teachers, they said. "This is a way to reward excellence in education with our teachers," Robert Davies, the district's athletic director, told board members. "Teachers who choose to participate in the program essentially earn distinction for their abilities." The program's also aimed at helping recruit teachers. "This is a way for us as a school district to be able to recruit and retain the best and brightest in the state, maybe even in the country," Davies said. "Imagine a whole school district filled with people like that, with those types of thoughts going on in their heads, being able to reach our kids. This is going to help us do that." This year, 426 teachers became TIA designees, Dalia Garcia, the district's assistant superintendent for instructional education, told board members. "We are bringing in about $5 million for the district in designation awards," she said. The incentive program here is topping districts across South Texas, school board member Ricky Leal said. "This is awesome," he said. "I would think that HCISD, pound for pound, is bringing home more TIA certifications than, I would venture to say, all of South Texas," he said, before pointing to the program's expansion. "This will enhance that," Leal said. As they plan next year's budget, officials are working to cut expenses across the district. In areas such as instructional software purchases and license renewals, they're projecting $1.17 million in savings, Garcia told board members. As part of a needs assessment, officials are "reviewing usability, cost effectiveness, alignment and looking at the potential overlap of services," she said. While working on the new budget's software license renewals, they're planning $98,931 in savings, Garcia said. "That's $1.1 million, $1.2 million going back to our people," Leal said. "You're making that happen." Earlier in the school year, officials cut at least $7.2 million under the district's new fiscal plan, aiming to rebuild the budget's fund balance after former Superintendent J.A. Gonzalez's administration pulled $23.2 million in cash reserves to cover operating costs including unbudgeted expenses. "It gives this board confidence that we're being fiscally responsible and being prudent with all our taxpayer money and using our dollars more effectively and efficiently towards instruction and towards the benefit of our students," board member Dr. Nolan Perez told officials. Featured Local Savings
