One of the Midlands’ leading construction groups has announced double B Corp success as it heads towards ambitious £400m revenue targets by 2030.
Staffordshire-based Tara Group’s strong commitment to the communities it operates in has been recognised with open-market housing developer Cameron Homes and affordable housing developer Keon Homes achieving the global standard for environmental performance, public transparency and legal accountability.
Both companies scored highly across governance, customer engagement and reducing their carbon footprint, not to mention the way they invest significantly in developing their employees and helping bridge the skills gap in construction through a range of new educational initiatives.
The B Corp accreditation, which was completed in just ten months, will also further align the group against the social values of its clients, including housing associations and local authorities looking to make the right decision for their sites.
Julie Caudle, Chief Operating Officer at the Tara Group, commented: “Last year, we launched a new set of values called HEART, which are guiding principles that shape every big and small decision we make and help create an employee experience that people really value.
“This was a fantastic starting point for the B Corp assessment. It meant that the foundations and the culture were already in place, and we just had to fine tune certain areas, including accountability and how we report our positive impact.”
She continued: “We have exciting plans in place to grow the footprint of the group, with the recent launch of the strategic land promotion business and the execution of our five-year plan that will see us move towards £400m in annual revenues.”
Established in 2018, Keon Homes is one of the UK’s fastest growing affordable housing developers.
In that time, it has delivered over 1000 homes across 20 different communities, working closely with ten housing associations and several local authorities on complex housing developments.
The business, which has been involved in bringing Phase 3 of Birmingham’s Port Loop and New Park Village in Wolverhampton to life, scored 120 points during the B Corp assessment, well above the 80-point threshold.
It was specifically praised for the way it has helped regenerate underserved communities across the West Midlands.
Cameron Homes also impressed assessors with the way it approached its B Corp accreditation, scoring 115 points.
The HBF 5* housebuilder is on target to construct 200 quality homes this year, across ten live developments in Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire and Worcestershire.
All these schemes are being built using a strong local supply chain, with a commitment to continually reducing environmental footprint and creating employment opportunities for young people.
The philanthropic legacy of Tara Group’s founder and former chairman Noel Sweeney was also highlighted for the way it donates over £500,000 per year to local charitable causes and community groups.
Julie Caudle went on to add: “B Corp is an important milestone in our journey, but we are not stopping there. Using the good practices demanded by the standard, we’ll continue to invest in meeting our ESG and Net Zero goals, as well as connecting even deeper with the local communities we operate in.
“Chasetown Civil Engineering announced its B Corp accreditation earlier this month, so with Cameron Homes and Keon Homes’ successful assessments, it means the entire Tara Group is operating at the highest levels of environmental and social governance.”
She concluded: “It is a massive achievement. Construction and civils are underrepresented sectors when it comes to this global standard…we’re doing out bit to change the narrative for our industry.”
