How The Casey Group is redefining construction by putting employee wellbeing and community initiatives first
In an industry where success is predominantly measured in margins and contract values, The Casey Group (Casey) has made a clear choice to do things differently. The Rochdale-based construction and civil engineering firm specialises in building refurbishment, infrastructure, and new-build housing and has built its ten-year vision around three commitments: to be a workplace for its people to thrive, to be a resilient business, and a force for good in the communities it serves. The company’s belief in these core principles underpins everything it does – from how sites are run to how clients are served.
Much of Casey’s success is rooted in the story of P Casey & Co Ltd – the firm’s largest subsidiary, which delivers building refurbishment and new build housing. Over the past decade, P Casey & Co Ltd has grown significantly, and in April this year it reached an important milestone. As the focus shifted to the next stage of the journey, the decision was taken to strengthen and expand the internal leadership structure, building on the existing director role held by Alan Taylor to create a broader internal board of directors to guide the business forward. Rather than look externally, that leadership was built from within. “We’re really proud that all three of those appointments were made from within the business,” elaborates CEO Chris Casey, who joins us alongside COO, Paul Byrne and Executive Director, Phil Jones, a year on from our last conversation with the leadership team.
“Phil is our Executive Director, who joined us back in 2011 as a trainee quantity surveyor and progressed through roles to Commercial Manager,” adds Paul. “He’s focused on translating strategy into cross-departmental action and driving collaboration and growth. Brian Knowles, our Operations Director for Building Refurbishment, joined in 2016 as a Contracts Manager and has been instrumental in driving transformational change, with a big commitment to building safety and service excellence. And James Reeveley, our Operations Director for New Build Housing, also joined in 2016 and has overseen the delivery of 800 new-build homes in his time at Casey. Together, these three individuals bring 35 years of experience at The Casey Group. This approach is working extremely well and we’re really excited about the future.”
Complex project delivery
With a combined annual turnover of this subsidiary alone now forecast at over £80 million, the results are beginning to speak for themselves. “We’ve been set up to deliver that growth for the last 12 to 24 months,” highlights Phil. “The industry will be more than familiar with the challenges posed by the Building Safety Regulator and the delays within the Gateway 2 process. Some of our projects were delayed by well over 52 weeks. However, we now have nine successful Gateway applications and another seven ongoing. That, combined with delays and uncertainty in the transition to the new Social and Affordable Homes programme, slowed parts of the new-build pipeline; however, we are well positioned to accelerate delivery as conditions improve. It’s all about getting back on track.”
Avro Hollows in Manchester is one of the group’s largest live contracts and one of several impressive flagship projects. Comprising of four high-rise tower blocks on one estate, combined with two low-rise blocks, the client is Manchester City Council. Phil explains more about the project in terms of stakeholder engagement: “There is significant stakeholder complexity on this scheme – residents living in their homes throughout the works, a tenant management organisation, Building Control visiting monthly, and the Building Safety Regulator. It’s a complex decarbonisation and regeneration scheme, including external wall insulation, new windows, new balconies, a new roof and a new internal heating system, with all four high-rise blocks now fully scaffolded on a very tight footprint. It’s a complex and challenging site, but one we’re really embracing.”
Prioritising people
As founding patrons of Madhlo Youth Zone – a vital youth charity based in Oldham – the company founded and built their memorial garden earlier this year, creating a space to help young people spend more time outdoors, connect with nature and learn practical skills. “Peter Casey, our founder, was one of the primary supporters of Madhlo when it first came into being,” reflects Chris. “We carry out a lot of work in Oldham, and when a piece of unused land became available next to their site, we jumped at the opportunity to connect with the charity and help deliver a memorial garden there. It’s entirely in line with our purpose of improving lives and getting involved in the surrounding communities.”
On technology and automation, The Casey Group has been leaning into AI by using it to develop an integrated management system, known as BuildSync360, which is now being trialled across the business. “We’re really excited about what BuildSync360 can bring us, and what it can offer our clients in terms of managing the golden thread element of building safety, without having to outsource,” reveals Chris. “We’ve been listening to our clients’ needs, understanding what information they require, and owning the system so that it works for us and for them.”
Alongside refreshing innovation, the group’s delivery of contracting expertise and its dedication to employee wellbeing has led to deserved recognition within the industry. Not only has it won Contractor of the Year at both the Northern Housing Awards and the Sunday Express Awards, more recently, The Casey Group has won Excellence in Company Culture and Employee Development at the Northern Housing Awards. In addition, it has been shortlisted for Construction Employer of the Year at the Employers Excellence Awards 2026. “I think the recognition reflects our commitment to our employees – creating a workplace where people thrive – and that focus then improves our service across every other area. For us, it always comes back to people first,” emphasizes Paul.
Championing mental health
Promoting and advocating for mental health is at the heart of The Casey Group’s culture, illustrating its commitment to putting people first – most notably, its biennial Wellbeing Day. “The construction industry can traditionally be construed as quite a macho environment where we don’t talk about anything, so four years ago, we introduced our Wellbeing Day,” explains Chris. “It involves closing all our sites and bringing everybody together at one central venue.” The event hosts guest speakers, with the first being ex-Special Forces soldier Jason Fox, who featured on popular television show Who Dares Wins. “He has his own mental health story and we thought: if a Special Forces soldier can open up about his struggles, surely we can talk about our own difficulties in the construction sector,” continues Chris. “This year, Sally Gunnell is our guest speaker and we’re holding the day at the Etihad Stadium, with a focus on health, fitness and domestic abuse.”
“It’s a really powerful day,” contributes Phil. “Colleagues stand up on stage in front of 250 staff members and talk bravely and openly about the challenges they’ve faced in their own personal lives. We’ve somehow created a culture where people feel comfortable doing that, and it’s something we’re incredibly proud of. Topics over the years have covered mental health, physical health, sleep, menopause, and women in construction.”
Paul adds: “Supporting all of that, we have become a signatory of BS 3480 – the UK’s first national standard for suicide awareness, prevention and postvention in the workplace. It’s a pledge to assign leadership, train managers, strengthen our policies, and support any affected staff. Given the horrific suicide rates among men in construction, this is incredibly important to us.”
As it continues this crucial focus on mental health awareness and suicide prevention, the firm’s further priorities lie in scaling community investment, and securing and developing the next generation at The Casey Group. “We’re significantly increasing our apprentice intake,” Chris discloses. “When we recruit, we are absolutely inundated with candidates – we recently advertised one apprenticeship role and received over 400 applications! The demand is there, but the challenge now is sourcing experienced, senior talent, which is where we’re feeling the squeeze most.”
“Going forward, we’re increasing the budget for our Improving Lives Fund, from £900,000 last year to £1.3 million in the coming year, which will allow us to complete many more projects for great causes,” finalises Paul. “Elsewhere in the group, we’re also building a dedicated business unit for biodiversity net gain, which we recognise as a key constraint within the planning process – this will enable us to help our clients move faster and improve viability on new-build schemes. Additionally, we’re developing our own house types to drive efficiencies and deliver better value for money.”
As it looks ahead, The Casey Group is clear on its direction: delivering quality, supporting communities and putting people first – every step of the way.