A Huddersfield signage company is marking 20 years in service by announcing the takeover of the business by two long-standing employees.

Keven Mitchell has been director of  FASTSIGN S Huddersfield  for almost five years, but as the company enters its milestone 20th anniversary, he is handing over the keys to Harry Latham, production manager, and Simon Meehan, centre manager.

Keven is stepping back from his position – a move that was part of the business’s wider strategy when he acquired it in 2018.

Simon has over three decades’ worth of experience in the signage industry, working with high-street roll-outs to bespoke creations. He began at FASTSIGNS Huddersfield 10 years ago, starting in sales and customer relations, working on the shop floor and installing signage. He’s built a strong relationship with customers across the community.

Harry, a digital signage specialist, has been at FASTSIGNS Huddersfield for five years and works closely with Simon to deliver projects for customers across the education, healthcare, local government, construction and retail industries.

The Huddersfield franchise plays a pivotal role in the wider FASTSIGNS network, currently made up of 25 centres across the UK. The centre, based on Hoyer Industrial Park, Leeds Road, has more technical output than others centres and, as such, supports teams around the country, including FASTSIGNS Crawley, Birmingham, Gloucester and Milton Keynes.

Talking about handing over the business, Keven, said:

“Four and a half years ago, when I acquired the business, Simon and Harry were already key to its success. I came in to drive forward the business, and put in place strategies that could future-proof the company.

“Harry and Simon were both eager to learn and had an excellent foundation of knowledge of the business, its operation and the wider market. From the start, I knew my role wasn’t going to be for the long-term and that, with their expertise, and the support of the FASTSIGNS UK network, I could eventually leave the centre in good hands.”

While Keven is to take a step back from his current role, he will be on-hand to support Harry and Simon  on a consultancy basis, offering insight on strategy as they look to scale the business.

Commenting on what the future holds for the centre, Simon, added:

“What a milestone year this is. Not only does the centre celebrate two decades working within the community, Harry and I are also taking the reins from our friend and colleague, Keven, who has led the centre’s success over the past five years.

“Our plan for the next 12-months is to keep the foundation of the centre in place, alongside our talented workforce. Moving forward, we’re aiming to attract new clients, while still offering our current customers the very best quality of product and experience. We’d like to thank Keven for his service, and all that we’ve learnt during his time with us, and we look forward to being a part of the centre’s next chapter.”