30th Anniversary
Grass Roots celebrates 30th Anniversary milestone
1 April 2010
Multi award-winning business services company Grass Roots Group PLC is celebrating its 30th anniversary this month. The company, which began in April 1980 with just five employees, has grown to become a world force in communication, education, measurement, reward and event based services, operating in 16 different countries with a turnover in excess of £265m.
The Grass Roots Group was founded by Chairman and Chief Executive David Evans, an entrepreneur with an advertising background. While working for US-owned motivation agency Maritz, Evans saw an opportunity for a radical business model built upon the principles of a motivated team of employees operating in the midst of a unique family culture. Grass Roots was born.
The group has its headquarters and nine trading subsidiaries in the UK plus a further 16 trading subsidiaries across Europe, the Americas and Asia Pacific.
Today, Grass Roots is headquartered in the small town community of Tring in Hertfordshire from which it draws a large proportion of its staff and worldwide, the company employees over 1,000 people serving 2,100 active clients, including 41 of the FTSE top 100 and 62 of the world’s top 100 brands.
Evans said: “I’ve been advised that very few companies reach a 30th birthday. Born in a recession and having lived through many externally generated economic crises and a few of our own, to get here is an important moment for the company.”
In its 30 year history, Grass Roots has achieved numerous awards and accolades, including Sales Training Programme/Initiative of the Year at the National Sales Awards in 2009, collecting Gold for Best Motivation Programme at the 2009 ISP awards, and Community Business of the Year and Environmental Award in Dacorum Council's Business Excellence Awards 2008.
Further highlighting the company’s commitment to its employees, Grass Roots UK has appeared in the Sunday Times’ 100 Best Mid-Sized Companies To Work For for the last four years in succession.
Evans’ dedication to the community was recognised in 2008 when he was awarded an MBE for services to corporate social responsibility. Only three people have had this citation in the history of the Order and Government sources, which suggests that David’s is the first MBE where social responsibility is the single reference.
