An Inverness-based specialist house builder has invested £400,000 in the last year to help increase orders in the north and north-east of Scotland.
Roy Homes, which exports house-construction kits to locations as far away as the Falklands, said it has splashed the cash on a recruitment drive, staff training, and software.
The firm, which also takes care of securing planning permission and building warrants for clients, has created 10 new jobs since the start of 2015.
It now has 40 full-time employees on its books and creates work for 100 contractors.
And the firm has made four key appointments to bolster its operations in Moray and the Highlands.
Roy Homes, which turned over £8million in 2015, believes the new management team will help the company branch out further into Aberdeenshire.
The business recently started building its first home in Aberdeenshire – in New Deer – and has had a large number of enquiries from the region.
The new appointments include that of Martin Roy, nephew of founder Peter Roy, who has been taken on as the new operations director.
It will be his second stint at the business, having first worked for Roy Homes in 2003.
Kenneth Webster, who has worked on high profile projects such as Heathrow Terminal 5, has taken on the mantle of commercial manager.
Furthermore, two new sales and marketing managers have been hired in Katrina Calder and Mark Crawford.
In total, the company has a dozen sites under construction with a further 10 waiting for the green light.
Managing director Chris Barnett said: “The focus over the past two years has been recruiting a strong team to take us to the next level in terms of growth and turnover.
“I feel like we are now in a very strong position and we plan to grow our house building, timber frame kit supply and our land divisions over the next three years.”
The strengthening of the top order is also expected to allow Mr Barnett to step back from the day-to-day running of the company to concentrate on land acquisition and projects overseas.
Meanwhile, the holding company for Aberdeen-based plumbers’ merchant William Wilson narrowed its losses in the year to July 31, 2015.
Accounts just released by Companies House show William Wilson Holdings made pre-tax profits losses of £355,000 compared with losses of £1million the year before.
No turnover figures were given for the business, which is a subsidiary of building material company Wolseley.
William Wilson has 22 branches, including outlets in Aberdeen, Aviemore, Elgin, Fort William, Fraserburgh, Inverness, Inverurie, Kirkwall, Portree, Stornoway and Thurso.
