Aberdeenshire steel, cladding and sheet metal specialists, KR Group scooped a double win at the recent Trades Awards.
The construction and engineering firm, based in Newburgh, won the Sustainability in Construction award, while team member, Caitlin Bremner picked up the Rising Star accolade.
More than 400 construction professionals gathered for the black-tie ceremony on the November 1 at Ardoe House, hosted by local STV presenter, Chris Harvey.
Creative marketing agency, Mearns and Gill coordinate the awards, which shine a spotlight on the remarkable people, projects, and businesses making an impact in construction across the region. In its 12th year, the event saw awards in 12 categories for businesses and individuals.
KR Group’s Caitlin Bremner (centre) accepting her Rising Star award with host Chris Harvey (right), sponsored by Joe Boyle from Joe Boyle Project Management Consultancy (left)
KR Group claimed the Sustainability in Construction title after taking steps to embed sustainability across the business, including development of the ‘KRBON Reduction’ project, which repurposes waste cladding panels into high-performance insulation. Over 5 years, since its inception in 2022, the team are aiming to divert 202,500m2 of cladding panels from landfill, saving 7,736 tonnes of Co2eq.
Following the win, KRBON project manager, Ellen Delph said: “We are honoured to win the Sustainability in Construction award. It’s important to us that we run the business with integrity and do what’s best for the community, locally and globally.”
With a small but mighty team of 48, KR Group are a leading provider of steel, cladding and sheet metal solutions in the Northeast. With over 20 years of experience in the industry, the contractor has delivered projects across Scotland, including the Amazon warehouse in Portlethen, £10million Ford garage in Aberdeen, and Film Ocean build in Ellon.
KR Group team accepting Sustainability in Construction award
Founded in 2003 by husband and wife, Kenny Robertson and Nicola Fraser, the business has a reputation for finding solutions to a variety of challenges and developing the next generation of construction professionals.
Its second award of the night was ‘Rising Star’, in recognition of employee, Caitlin Bremner’s development within the business. At school, Caitlin struggled with undiagnosed dyslexia, which led to low confidence and grades. She joined KR Group in 2021 through the company’s apprenticeship scheme, and has continued to rise, now coordinating operations support.
Caitlin said: “It goes without saying that I’m absolutely thrilled to win this award! I am so grateful to KR Group for recognising my potential and supporting my professional development every step of the way.”
KR Group business director, Nicola Fraser said: “Caitlin is so passionate about the construction industry, and an absolute champion for best practice across everything that she and the wider team do. We are all delighted to see her exceptional progress and talent recognised by this award, and we look forward to seeing what she achieves in the future!”