A £2,000 redundancy cheque was the initial capital investment that led to the growth of one of the largest independent recruitment agencies in the Midlands.

After taking voluntary redundancy from his job as a fork-lift truck driver, Joe Powell used the money to set up business in a tiny Worcester office.

Twelve years later, Backup Staff has grown into a network with nine branch offices and an annual turnover of more than £11 million, with plans for more expansion during the present financial year.

The agency deals with temporary and permanent placements in industrial, office, driving and catering sectors.

Managing director Joe Powell says he believes the business has gone from strength to strength because it was built on a foundation of honesty, integrity, communication and trust.

Recognising that its success is dependent on its employees, he has also pioneered a structured internal and external training programme.

This helped the company achieve Investors in People recognition in 1999, which has been confirmed in 2002.