Six months ago, Tidy Green Clean entered a new chapter as its management team took ownership of the business through a management buyout.
At the time, the MBO marked an important milestone for TGC. But while the announcement represented a significant change in the structure of the business, it was never intended to change what makes Tidy Green Clean what it is.
Six months on, members of the management team, Andrew Alleway, David Moncur, Lisa Williams, Scott Melville, Grant Peterkin and Igors Krumins, reflect on what has happened since, what has changed behind the scenes and what comes next.
A New Chapter, Built on Strong Foundations
For Andrew, the management buyout was about creating the right structure for TGC’s continued development while protecting the values that have shaped the business.
“The MBO was about putting the right foundations in place for the next stage of TGC’s journey. We have a strong business, a great team and a clear set of values, and this gives us the opportunity to build on those foundations for the future.”
Six months on, the biggest changes haven’t necessarily been visible from the outside. The management team has taken on greater shared responsibility for the future of the business, bringing together different experience, knowledge and perspectives.
“The last six months have been a really positive period for the business,” says Lisa Williams. “There has been a strong sense of everyone pulling together, and it’s been great to see the wider team embrace the changes while continuing to focus on delivering the high standards our customers expect.”
That sense of shared responsibility is one of the most important aspects of TGC’s new chapter.
“What stands out to me is the shared commitment across the management team,” says Grant Peterkin. “We all bring different experience and perspectives, but we’re working towards the same goal of building a stronger business for the future.”
Growth With Purpose
Growth has been a key part of TGC’s story in recent years, but the aim isn’t simply to become bigger.
The business has continued to expand its regional presence, with the Glasgow & West region recently reaching more than £1 million in new contracts. At the same time, TGC has been looking at where it can broaden its capabilities and respond to changing customer requirements.
One example has been the introduction of Construction Cleaning and Letting Agent Cleaning.
While both sit naturally alongside TGC’s existing expertise, they bring their own challenges and require a different approach to service delivery. Construction cleaning can involve demanding handover deadlines, changing site conditions and working alongside other contractors, while letting agent cleaning often requires flexibility and quick turnaround to prepare properties for new tenants.
Expanding into these areas gives TGC the opportunity to take its existing expertise into new sectors while developing services around the specific requirements of different customers.
For Andrew, this forms part of a wider approach to growth.
“We’re looking at where we can add genuine value for customers and where our expertise can translate into new opportunities. But growth has to be supported by the right people, systems and standards if we’re going to do it properly.”
The development of new services is just one part of a wider period of progress for the business, with regional growth, new appointments and continued investment in people all contributing to TGC’s next phase.
Growing Without Losing What Matters
For a service business, growth brings an important question: how do you get bigger without losing the things that made the business successful in the first place?
As TGC expands its regional presence, customer base and range of services, maintaining consistency becomes increasingly important.
That means investing in strong management, clear processes, effective communication, training and quality monitoring, ensuring that growth is supported by the right foundations.
For Igors Krumins, maintaining standards throughout that growth is key.
“Growth brings opportunities, but it also brings responsibility. For me, it’s important that as TGC develops, we continue to do the things that have earned our customers’ trust and never lose sight of the standards we set ourselves.”
It’s a balance the management team is conscious of as TGC moves forward. The objective isn’t simply to win more work, but to build a business capable of delivering consistently high standards as its reach increases.
The People Behind the Next Chapter
The MBO has also coincided with continued development across the wider TGC team, including internal promotions and new appointments.
That reflects an important part of TGC’s approach to growth: creating opportunities for people to develop alongside the business.
For Lisa, Scott, Grant and Igors, the strength of the new structure comes from the different experience and perspectives within the management team.
“For me, the MBO has created an exciting opportunity to build on the momentum we already have,” says Scott Melville. “There’s a real ambition within the team, and I think that puts TGC in a strong position for the next stage of its growth.”
That ambition extends beyond the management team itself. As the business develops, creating opportunities for people across TGC to grow with it will remain an important part of the journey.
Looking Ahead
So, what does the next six months, and beyond, look like?
For Operations Director David Moncur, the priority is making sure the business continues to develop in a way that is both sustainable and properly supported.
“We’ve got a great opportunity in front of us. The focus now is on building on what we’ve achieved, continuing to improve how we operate and making sure we’re ready to support the next stage of growth.”
For the wider management team, the opportunities will continue to span regional development, new services, people and sustainability.
But there is a shared understanding that the next chapter isn’t about changing TGC’s identity. It’s about strengthening what already works and continuing to evolve where there is an opportunity to do better.
A management buyout is a significant moment, but ultimately, the real measure of its success is what happens next. Six months in, Tidy Green Clean is continuing to grow while staying true to the principles that have shaped the business: People, Standards and Environment.
The next chapter is well underway, and it’s being shaped collectively by the people responsible for taking TGC forward.
Tidy Green Clean is the leading environmentally focused national cleaning operation for blue-chip organisations, delivering healthy, hygienic environments everywhere. It equips its Regional Directors with the knowledge, training and support to be successful business owners, making the business model unique within the facilities management industry. The company achieved ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 certification in under three years and is a SafeContractor, Disability Confident employer and Achilles UVDB Silver accredited supplier.
Rooted in green practices and technologies, Tidy Green Clean was the first commercial cleaning business in Scotland to achieve Carbon Negative status via Carbon-Zero in 2021. The business is focused on understanding its customers and employees and on achieving success without compromising the wellbeing of people or the planet. Tidy Green Clean is also a Registered Service Provider with the Living Wage Foundation.