Sunderland firm Desco's vital role in Olympia redevelopment and new Tottenham Hotspur stadium

Staff at Desco celebrate the firm's 20th anniversary.

Founded by Paul Marshall and Marco Ambelez in 1998, Desco has grown from just seven members of staff to more than 120 employees today, with offices in Sunderland, Leeds, central London and Croydon, as well as Doha and Manilla.

With its headquarters at Azure House on Sunderland’s Doxford International Business Park, Desco has increased its annual turnover from £1million in 1998 to more than £10million in 2018.

It boasts an enviable portfolio of clients and flagship projects at home and abroad.

The leading mechanical, electrical and public health (MEP) consulting engineering practice is behind many of the North East’s best-loved building projects.

They include Nissan, Newcastle Helix, Stephenson Quarter, the Vaux regeneration project, The Word, Intu MetroCentre, as well as Park View Student Village for Newcastle University.

Outside the North East, Desco is part of the team working on the £700million Olympia London Exhibition Centre redevelopment and the new £400million stadium for Tottenham Hotspur.

“We’ve come a long way since we set up the practice in 1998 and we can all feel very proud of our achievements over the last 20 years, winning awards for our work and some major contracts on flagship developments,” said Paul.

“It’s extremely satisfying to be able to celebrate two decades in business, and our 20th anniversary marks the start of a new and exciting phase for us all at Desco as we continue to accelerate our growth strategy as part of the larger group.

“We have a fantastic client base and a growing team of talented staff, and we’d like to thank them all for their support over the last two decades.”

Operations director Kevin Hall said: “The North East boasts a fine tradition of engineering excellence, and Desco’s success at home and abroad is a tribute to that.

“We’re delighted to mark our 20th anniversary, and we are confident that we will see many more major opportunities ahead. We are looking forward to further growth.”