The LAING Group's roots can be traced back to mid 19th Century Cumbria, around 1848.  In 1894, John William Laing joined the company at the age of 14.  He is regarded as the founder member of the business as we know it today.  His influence continues more than a century later.  Laing provide project development, financing, construction and design services both in the Uk and overseas.  They also build and develop homes in the UK and America.  They have built Nuclear power stations and the M1 motorway in the UK, and also hospitals and large housing estates.  Laing employ more than 8,500 people world wide, and has a turnover exceeding $2.5 billion.

  HYDER

                          TARMAC
One of Europe's largest construction and heavy building materials serves groups, with growing world wide activities, particularly in the Pacific Rim, North America and South East Asia.  It all began in 1901, when Nottingham's county surveyor - Mr. E. Purnell Hooley was passing a local ironworks and saw a barrel of tar had spilled on the road from a passing dray.  The tar had been covered with waste slag from the ironworks to prevent a sticky mess.  Hooley seized on the idea of devising a British patent for mixing tar with slag and eventually creating the material he called Tarmac.  Sir Alfred Hickman bought the idea, and re-launched the company as Tarmac in 1905.  Today, Tarmac is a household name.  The company has an annual turnover of almost £3 billion, employs around 24,000 people, and has operations or offices in over 30 countries.