Monday, 13th December 2021

Shoothill 2021: A Year In Review

2021 will be remembered as the year of change for Shoothill. We moved office for the first time in over 12 years and welcomed 4 new members of staff, in a time where COVID restrictions were constantly coming and going. The arrival of new business and the substantial growth of Shoothill subsidiary Housebuilder Pro has led to a successful year. Shoothill are constantly bringing updates and changes to existing clients’ systems, while also working on new business. Let’s take a closer look at some highlights.

To start off the year, we were named as finalists in the Go:Tech Awards for the ‘COVID-19 Tech Business Hero’ category for our work with PPE Exchange, a project launched in early 2020 in response to the outbreak of coronavirus. We also welcomed Katie Trimmer, who joined us as a Business Development Consultant. Katie has since brought significant amounts of business to Shoothill.

In March, a year on from the announcement of the first lockdown, we moved office. This was a necessary step for the company with the arrival of new staff and a shift to working from home for a large percentage of the workforce. For over 12 years Shoothill were stationed at Battlefield Enterprise Park in Shrewsbury but are now based near Abbey Foregate, right in the centre of Shrewsbury town.

In July, we signed a contract with West Midlands Police VRU (Violence Reduction Unit) that involved the development and launch of a tool that allow the police to monitor trends in crime relating to geographical location, making it easier for them to identify the root cause of criminal activity. This project involved the implementation of data visualisation tools that help identify areas within the West Midlands that are the most susceptible to violence (that causes injury). In May, Shoothill came runner-up at the British Data Awards alongside Openreach, an achievement we are particularly proud of. We also welcomed software developer, Luke Askew, who, since his arrival, has played a key role in the building of a variety of commercial software systems.

The arrival of the summer months saw the arrival of a multitude of new projects. In June, we worked on a ‘secret project’, one that involved members of our team travelling to London to install interactive installations as part of a global marketing campaign for an internationally recognised brand. These systems added unique elements of fun in-store for tens of thousands of customers a day over a 4-week period, adding value to the retail experience.

The foundations for a contract with ARH Group were also put in place during this period, which led to the design and development of a progressive web application – an Android app that allow ARH engineers to record and submit their timesheets for the beneficial reporting of labour costs and summaries.

On completion of his degree, once-Shoothill-apprentice Josh Welch was promoted to Operations Manager, playing a key role in the coordination of the development team.

We also secured a contract with Darwin Group, a construction company also based in Shrewsbury. Darwin’s system is currently in the development stages. During the month of September, Liam Kelsall joined the Design team, playing a key role in the design of Shoothill’s commercial software.

Where are we now?

In October, we signed a deal with start-up Healthappy for the development of an app, a firm that looks to change the way employers and employees think about mental and physical health. In November, Shoothill welcomed another software developer, Alex Muntean. Alex arrived and has since enrolled on an apprenticeship while simultaneously contributing to the efforts of the development team – an addition very much welcomed, particularly during this busy time of year.

Towards the end of November, Shoothill helped deliver the platform ‘3PL Exchange’, a system we designed and built for Southgate Global, a firm that delivers a superb level of distributor-focused packaging innovation. You can learn more about the platform here.

With so much changed in such a short period of time, the thought of where we could be a year from now is quite exciting. Here’s to another year of success!

Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, from the team at Shoothill.