BUILD Q4 2026 Opening its doors just weeks before the world was plunged into lockdown, Lodestone Projects was forced to display the resilience and adaptability SMEs often come to inhabit almost immediately. Specialising in small and medium value schemes, it has grown sustainably year on year as a result, and today delivers projects up to £5 million in value. All of these projects benefit from the experience its team have working with major corporations and SMEs alike. They have taken the best attributes from both and combined them into a model that is unrivalled in this space. Essentially, Lodestone embodies the technical expertise, project controls, and governance of a major organisation, blending this with the agility, dynamism and proactive, solutions-focused approach expected from an SME. This has helped position Lodestone as the specialist of choice for household names across the UK. Blue-chip companies are drawn to it because its focus is not on turnover, but on service and delivery. “At our scale, customers choose to work with a contractor because they want to rather than because they need to, so the ask and expectation here is that we deliver a consumer experience which is truly memorable.” The company’s work in the education sector deserves a particular mention, as within the first couple of years of the business opening, education clients made up more than 40% of its work. Starting with Huddersfield University, who opted to renovate its estate at a time when most of its staff and students were working remotely, Lodestone would go on to work with the University of Leeds, Leeds Beckett University, University of York, Notre Dame College, and even complete a two-year project with Shipley College. Regardless if a project is for one of these institutions, a real estate company, a global manufacturer, or anything in between, Josh and the team recognise that delivering projects on time, safely, and to the highest levels of quality is the standard they must meet, whilst also ensuring the customer’s journey and experience is unrivalled. This is especially important in today’s social-media focused world, which has resulted in the oversaturation of the UK’s fit-out/design and build market. As a result, standing out for the right reasons is more important than ever. An extension of this is AI, and Josh told us how customers increasingly ask the team how they use these tools. He explained: “We want to leverage the power of AI to improve efficiencies and output, without diluting quality and content. We have projects ongoing exploring how we can adopt this across every area of the business. The key for me is analysing and presenting data in a way which allows a person to make an informed decision, as well as improving delivery and experience.” The customer experience and focus on continued partnership is clearly at the heart of everything this Yorkshire contractor does, and this is why it implemented a new leadership structure earlier this year, supporting its growth and development in the longer term. Josh has recently become MD, meaning he leads the business’ day to day. Founder Richard Hall has moved into a chairman role, stepping back from active leadership but remaining involved and mentoring Josh, supporting management and guiding growth and success, alongside co-director Matt Ellis. These shifts have taken place alongside the company being appointed to a major banking framework, accelerating its governance and systems so that it may continue to meet its clients’ requirements. Lodestone has also just delivered two of its largest schemes to date with the construction of two waste management facilities and is excited about how it can develop relationships with these clients as we move into 2027 and beyond. Finally, touching on its wider plans for the future, Josh commented about the importance of scale and control as Lodestone grows. In the company’s infancy, culture and delivery has been controlled as leadership is involved in everything. However, as demand rises and its number of people grows, it is crucial that the company does not water down the personal service and outstanding experience it is renowned for, a key factor in the organisation’s recent restructure to ensure this is maintained With Josh and co. at the helm, Lodestone Projects remains in good hands and continues to evolve and deliver projects for huge companies across the UK. More on its work can be found below. Contact: Hayley Smith Company: Lodestone Projects Web Address: https://lodestone-projects.co.uk/ Lodestone Projects was born when Richard Hall, Matt Ellis, and Josh Donnelly combined their interior fit-out expertise with a passion for refurbishment projects. Over the last six years, this refurbishment and fit-out specialist has worked with organisations large and small across the UK, providing them all with world-class delivery and a personal touch. As it is named the Most Innovative Refurbishment & Fit-Out Company 2026 – Yorkshire, Josh Donnelly shared more on Lodestone’s journey and its successes. World-Class Delivery with a Personal Touch Photo Credit: Andy McAteer Photo Credit: John Kees Photography.
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