Shropshire firm is fighting fit with help of grant
An innovative company which has supplied training equipment for the Army, Navy, and the Olympic Village has moved into a new home and is taking on 10 new staff.
BeaverFit, which is based in Walkmills, near Church Stretton, was launched in 2010 when the British Armed Forces asked boss Tom Beaver to build a training rig that can be moved to wherever troops are stationed.
The experienced welder and metal worker created the Commander rig, which can be moved and reinstalled in different locations.
Now the business has grown to employ nine people, as well as its four directors, and is on the move after outgrowing its initial premises.
The company has been awarded £34,000 under the Redundant Buildings Grant Scheme run by the Marches Local Enterprise Partnership, and used the money to expand into an old farm building beside its headquarters.
Mr Beaver, himself a keen athlete who has completed more than 30 marathons and 10 ultra-marathons, including the worlds toughest triathlon Enduroman's Arch to Arc, said: "As the business grew, we found ourselves split across two sites, one in Walkmills and rented space in Shrewsbury.
"However, in order to provide a professional image to potential clients, we realised the need to create a single location that combined our headquarters including office, training and meetings spaces, whilst still offering sufficient space to showcase the products, all of which would continue to be manufactured on site. A redundant farm building at our Walkmills base provided the solution we were seeking."
The company is considered to be the world leader in its field, offering the largest range of functional training rigs in the world.
It has also manufactured the world's biggest rig, and counts among its clients the Olympic Village, the RAF, the Royal Navy, the British Army, Reebok Sports Club, Jumeirah Beach Hotel Dubai and gyms around the world.
