About Strand Group

We provide cleaning, document management, scanning and facilities services to a wide range of local businesses including education, the Isle of Man Government, major financial institutions, retail and leisure outlets.

Our business started back in 1988 as a commercial window cleaning service, with just two full time employees. We've come a long way since those early days and today the Strand Group is one of the Island's largest privately owned companies, operating from facilities in the Island's capital and employing more than 90 staff.

Our approach

The Strand Group is committed to continual improvement, and through ongoing investment in our people, processes and procedures we deliver quality and value for all our customers. We act with integrity and treat employees, suppliers and clients with honesty and respect at all times.

We are a member of the British Institute of Cleaning Science, and are IPAF and ISO accredited. For the last ten years we have also been awarded SAFEContractor status.

Environmental policy

We take our responsibility to the environment seriously and have developed a dedicated Environmental Policy to help minimise the impact of our business upon the local and wider environment, which includes:

• The use of bio-degradable cleaning products
• The avoidance of CFCs, solvents and chlorinated products
• The use of recycled paper tissue products wherever possible

Once securely shredded, all documentation collected by our Secure Document Destruction division is shipped to the UK for recycling into products such as toilet tissue.

Our people

The Strand Group team has grown to some 100, benefiting from industry competitive salaries. Our cleaning services team are trained to British Institute of Science (BISCs) standards with our high level access team being trained to International Powered Access Federation (IPAF) standards

We appreciate that our employees are our most important assets and we take great pride in the fact that many of them have been with us for more than a decade.

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  Dave Rourke

  Deputy Operations Director Strand Facilities Services Ltd

  Dave joined Strand in 2008 from Abbey National Offshore plc where he managed the company's property portfolio in both the Isle of Man and Jersey. He was previously with Barclays Bank plc and has over 12 years experience in facilities management. As operations director of Strand Facilities Services he is responsible for providing facilities solutions to a wide range of corporate customers, along with hoist hire service to contractors island-wide.

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  Gill Hellowell

  Director Strand Group

  Left School at 17 and worked, for several years, at the UK Inland Revenue.

  Married John in 1979 and moved to Isle of Man 1988. After 12 months working elsewhere on the Island, decided to join John again in the family business, accounting and any other jobs that needed doing. Continued to work part time (office based).

  Responsible for all accounts control and acts as company secretary for the group.

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  Helen Van Der Westhuizen

  Sales & Client Relationship Manager

  Helen, who joined the team in 2010, offers more than 16 years of experience from high profile sales and client relations roles in both the real estate and travel industries. Her diversified sales and skills set is invaluable when dealing with client contracts and she has the added advantage of liaising at senior levels, both within the company and with clients.

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  John Hellowell

  Chairman Strand Group

  A gritty and determined Yorkshireman, John showed his entrepreneurial spirit from the early age of 15 as a licensed Hawker of Food, selling fruit, veg and eggs from a delivery cycle. With the profits from this venture he started a full-time business in 1974, making waterproof clothing capable of withstanding the worst weather conditions, the idea coming from his experience in mountaineering. In 1988 he sold the business to a subsidiary of the Granada Group plc and he and his wife Gill moved to the Isle of Man. The following year they started Strand Cleaners after buying up a local window cleaning round in Douglas. Over the years the business has expanded and diversified and is now one of the Island's largest privately owned companies in terms of numbers employed.

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  Lourdes Otxoa de Alda

  Operations Director Storall Ltd

  From its conception in 2002, Lourdes has been responsible for managing Storall and nurturing what was a fledgling business into its present successful position as one of the Island's leading secure archive, document storage and scanning services companies.

  Lourdes holds a degree in programming from her native Basque country and has since gone on to successfully complete an access programming course to intermediate level. More recently, she has completed an intensive Leadership Trust course.

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  Pam Kelly

  Operations Director Strand Facilities Services Ltd

  Pam's background is hotel and front of house management. Before joining Strand Cleaners in 1995 Pam was the Domestic Bursar at King Williams College, Castletown. During in Pam's time at Strand the company has expanded significantly from a cleaning services business to a multi disciplined services organisation. Initially joining the company as its first supervisor, rising to Operations Manager, in 1997. As the business expanded in 2004 Pam was appointed Operations Director with responsibilities for the Cleaning and Support Services side of the business.

  Pam was responsible for the introduction of the first British Institute of Cleaning Science (BICSc) training facility on the Isle of Man in 1995. Today the company still boasts its dedicated training facility where all staff are trained to Industry recognised qualifications.

  Pam's vast knowledge of the Facilities Services Industry brings a wealth of expertise to the Company. In 2005 Pam was made a Member of the British Institute of Cleaning Science in recognition of her work in the Industry.

  Outside work Pam is involved with the charity PAWS providing therapy with dogs to senior and disabled persons in our community.

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  Carol Gregory

  Operations Director, Krypton Contract Cleaning Limited

  Carol joined Kryptons in August 2002 as Manager after transferring from the original parent company, Clucas Plc where she worked for 17 years in the laundry office as Sales Ledger Manager.

  After a successful transition to the Strand Group, she has now joined a dynamic office environment within the operations department.

  As Operations Director she is responsible for liasing with clients, quoting and tendering for work and recruitment of staff.

  As part of the Strand Group, she is the Information Security Representative for ISO 27001.

  Away from work, Carol enjoys being part of a large, close knit family and is happily married to Gordon.

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  Ricardo Amaral

  Operations Manager, Strand Facilities Services Ltd

  Worked in Portugal on Borgstena Automotive Textiles in the inspection department.

  Joined Strand Cleaners Ltd in August of 2002 as a cleaner, on my first year was promoted to Team Leader.

  October of 2003 I have became a supervisor and performed this roll until January of 2007, moving on to be the Senior Supervisor until August 2011.

  During this period I attended Leadership Trust course, BICSc Courses to gain knowledge on cleaning procedures and also attended a course on Prochem Europe specialising in Carpet and Upholstery cleaning.

  In August 2011 was invited to join the office base operations, and take over the training roll in our Training School, and manage day to day operations.

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