Chris Tremlett, TREE

Chris Tremlett, founder of TREE used to be a sales and marketing manager for an energy company which specialises in energy saving, but was made redundant in March 2009. From this point Chris decided to set up his own business, a social enterprise called TREE (The Renewable Energy Experts).

He had to re-analyse his own skills and combine his own knowledge in his search for employment. He realised the potential for TREE due to his own previous experience in the heating and plumbing trade that he had worked in for several years and, with the increase in popularity of “going green” he decided to become a government accredited energy assessor.

Now Chris was fully committed to making his business a success, and due to an advert in the Yorkshire Evening Post for Sharing the Success, part of the Governments Local Enterprise Growth Initiative (LEGI) designed to help promote enterprise in disadvantaged communities, he was signposted to the Biz Centre in Chapeltown road.

From here he was put on several courses designed around business and enterprise. He was able to talk to like minded people and really benefit his business and himself. All the advice from the business support team was tailored to Chris’s needs and gained him the qualifications he needed to be a domestic energy assessor. So with the help of the training and the initial support from Inam Ratyal, TREE really began to grow the roots for success.

The social enterprise that is a not for profit organisation also gained £3,500 from Unltd, a charitable organisation, to help with start up costs.

Chris said “If I hadn’t got in touch with Urban Biz, I wouldn’t have known that there were social enterprise funds available, and wouldn’t have made the contacts I have today. Since becoming a member of the Biz Centre, I have met Jack, a like minded business person, and now we are working together for TREE. The support has been brilliant.