12: Geotechnical Engineering & Marine Surveys
Sales 2007: £6.7m Sales 2004: £488k Annual growth: 140%
If you were to require a soil boring to determine whether an underwater site could support the spud cans of your jack-up vessel, Geotechnical Engineering & Marine Surveys (GEMS) would be your first port of call.
Yes, it’s Greek to us, too. Suffice to say, GEMS specialises in marine and land-based surveys for the construction and engineering industries. Business is good, with 140 per cent compound growth and a latest turnover of £6.7m. Margins stand at six per cent: £419,000. The company is based in Bath, though most projects are carried out overseas – from the harbours of Zeebrugge in Belgium to the Korle Lagoon in Ghana. Founder and Dutch-native Johan Deschuyter launched the company in 2002 and currently heads up the Belgium office.