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A Caerphilly-based IT firm with 20 members of staff has become employee-owned.

Excellence IT, which specialises in fully-managed IT support, infrastructure, and cyber security, was set up by Andrew Beer and Andy Green back in 2002.

Based on Pontygwindy Industrial Estate, the firm works with large Welsh businesses such as Halo Foods, Edwards Coaches and Cwmpas by supporting their IT services.

Explaining the reasons behind becoming employee-owned, co-founder Mr Beer said it’s “time to pass the baton of our company to the younger generation within our business”.

He continued: “There has been an increased trend in the IT service industry for smaller businesses to be consolidated into bigger companies, and so a trade sale didn’t appeal to us.

“We were concerned that all of our big contracts would be swallowed up and could risk Excellence staff losing their jobs – something that we really didn’t want to happen as we want to keep those skilled jobs in Wales.”

Mr Beer and Mr Green have no immediate plans to leave the company, and said it would be business as usual for the firm.

However, the duo are aiming to start stepping back in three to five years time to let the younger members of the team move up into management roles.

Mr Beer explained: “There are no plans to take our foot off the gas just yet, we want to ensure that this transition into employee ownership works for all and secures the future of the business. That is our priority right now.

“The move has been received positively by many in the business. Although there was some uncertainty initially, having learned more about the benefits of employee ownership the team is now fully on board and is excited about the future, just as we are.”

As part of the firm’s transition, it received support from the Employee Ownership Wales service, which is run by Cwmpas, which is part of the Welsh Government-funded Social Business Wales.

Branwen Ellis, specialist employee-ownership consultant for Cwmpas, said: “Andrew and Andy had a clear vision for the future of the business, that included them in the medium term, but with the view that to secure Excellence IT’s future, as well as that of its employees, it had to make provision for its future management and ownership.

“That’s exactly what they have done with this EOT and it’s a perfect fit for Excellence IT.”

For more information about employee ownership, visit: https://employeeownershipwales.co.uk/.