50 Years Strong

Posted by Jo Whelan

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where it all started Our Story Formed in 1972, by Chairman John J Whelan, Natta Building Company is a privately owned Limited Company. John learnt the business from the ground up starting as a pipe-layer and ground-worker before trading in his shovel for a JCB. 1972 2022 HUMBLE BEGINNINGS STARTING OUT From those humble beginnings, Natta quickly gained a reputation for being able to tackle complex groundworks. First major contract awarded at British Car Auctions in Blackbushe. Today, Natta still adopts those ‘hands-on’ principles which were responsible for its early success. 1972 1980 Natta Country Homes 1982 During those formative years the company continued to grow year on year. In 1982 John diversified into housing development. Securing his first major property deal in Liskeard, Cornwall, he created the second company within the Group, Natta Country Homes. learn more 1980 1990 natta plant 1988 With continued growth, in 1988, Natta Plant was created. John realised that to compete at the next level and to keep hire costs down, owning machinery was key. Today the Group owns one of the largest private plant fleets in Southern England. learn more 1980 1990 expanding the family business 1992 John E Whelan joined the family business in 1992. After many summer holidays working on site, he graduated from university before becoming part of the Natta team. Following in his father's footsteps, he worked his way up whilst developing an in-depth knowledge of construction. He learnt all the aspects of work required to deliver a successful project. 1990 2000 construction industry safety training centre 2004 In 2004, John E Whelan added a construction training business, CISTC. Understanding that one of the keys to success is the need for highly-skilled workers - how best to ensure this than by training and growing our own talented workforce. Today CISTC not only provides Natta employees with the skills they need but also offers a wide range of construction courses directly to the industry. learn more 2000 2010 surrey training group 2017 Following on from the success of CISTC, we noticed that within the Surrey and West Sussex area there was a direct need for companies within the construction industry to improve their staff training and development. To help bridge this gap, partnering with CITB, in 2017 the Surrey Training Group was formed. learn more 2010 2022 Natta geo-environmental contracting 2018 With our extensive Groundworks and Civil Engineering experience, Natta has encountered and managed many conditions across UK soils, using remediation where necessary to deliver construction on time. Natta's Geo-Environmental division was created to market our offering to the industry with a stronger cohesive approach. learn more 2010 2022 Natta utilities division 2019 In our Group's one-stop-solution capability, we are able to provide full package construction for the on and off site installation of gas, electric and water. Our accreditations enable us to install utilities in conjunction with main infrastructure, which can be a problematic interface. learn more 2010 2022 Natta steel 2019 Steel Management was acquired by the Natta Group in 2019. The acquisition, now rebranded to Natta Steel, gives the Group another specialism for the industry. Natta Steel specialises in the design, fabrication and installation of all things steel for commercial, industrial and residential projects. learn more 2010 2022 picked up a few awards recognitions Recognised for our industry-leading work over the years, we are proud to have won several coveted awards. These include ‘Best Independent Living Scheme’ at the Pinders Design Awards for our care home development in Northampton, Gold awards at the internationally renowned, RoSPA Health & Safety Awards as well as 'Supply Chain Partner of the Year' by Wates Group last year. 2010 2022 safety first - proudest achievement 6,000,000+ Over the years, we have continued to enforce our most important site safety message of 'Safe Home Every Day'. Having now reached over 6,000,000 hours worked without a reportable accident, our first-class safety record is our proudest achievement to date. 2017 2022 50 years strong 2022 With our robust senior management team and our dedicated and resilient workforce we are well placed to accelerate our growth and turnover in the coming years. We can't wait to see what the future holds for the Natta Group - here's to the next 50 years! 2022
Today we are excited to announce a momentous milestone for the Natta Group as we celebrate our 50th anniversary! We are beyond proud that Natta Building Company is now in its 50^th year of trading!

From Humble Beginnings

The company was started in March 1972 by Chairman John J Whelan. John was born in Listowel, Ireland and learnt the business from the ground up. Starting as a pipe-layer and groundworker, he then traded in a shovel for a JCB.

John moved to Fleet, Hampshire in the mid-60s where he started his own construction company, J J Whelan Esq before forming Natta Building Company.

Natta quickly grew and achieved a reputation for being able to tackle complex groundworks. The company has continued to grow year on year and has become renowned for its innovation and expertise in a variety of sectors.

Over those formative decades, John J Whelan expanded the Natta Group with the formation of Natta Country Homes Ltd and Natta Plant in the 80s.

Expanding the Family Business

Johns’ son, John E Whelan joined the family business in 1992. After many summer holidays working on site, he graduated from university with a BSC Hons in Building Management and Post Grad in Construction Management before becoming part of the Natta team.

Similar to his father, John worked his way up the company whilst developing an in-depth knowledge of construction. He also learnt all the aspects of work required to deliver a successful project.

In 2004, he introduced a construction training business, CISTC, to the Natta group of businesses.  Understanding that one of the keys to success is the need for highly-skilled workers. How best to ensure this, than by training and growing our own talented workforce in-house. John spotted this gap, showing his appreciation of the skills required within the industry to level up in the business. In 2017, The Group built a new award-winning training centre. Based at our Head Office complex, it is our first zero-carbon build.

Following these successes, John formally became Managing Director of Natta Building, Natta Plant and CISTC in 2007.

In Recent Years

The company has been recognised for its industry-leading work over the last decade, winning several coveted awards. This includes ‘Best Independent Living Scheme’ at the Pinders Design Awards for our work at The Hawthorns retirement development in Northampton. We have also received the Gold award at the internationally renowned, RoSPA Health & Safety Awards as well as being awarded ‘Supply Chain Partner of the Year’ by Wates Group last year.

With the company’s continued success, the Natta Group has grown to include the Surrey Training Group, Natta Geo-Environmental, Natta Utilities and Natta Steel.  Over the years, we have continued to enforce our most important site safety message of ‘Safe Home Every Day’. Having now reached over 5,400,000 hours worked without a reportable accident, our first-class safety record is our proudest achievement to date.

The company has grown the size of the projects undertaken as both main and subcontractor. Recently, our projects have included work with clients such as Crest Nicholson, Legal & General, Skanska, St Modwen, Vivid Homes and Wates.

It is an exciting time for Natta as we expand our works into the Modular sector, Data Centre development and the Battery Storage field. Most recently we completed our first in house property development in Cuddesdon, Dove House Park, 

With our robust senior management team and our dedicated and resilient workforce, we are well placed to accelerate our growth and turnover in the coming years. We can’t wait to see what the future holds for the Natta Group – here’s to the next 50 years!