Freedom builds on UMIC success

Monday 12th February, 2007

Freedom Properties is one of the first businesses to spread its wings and move on from The University of Manchester’s Incubation Company’s (UMIC) business support facility, One Central Park, after benefiting from the facilities and business advice at the Technology Centre and doubling in size.

UMIC manages the University’s business incubators, providing external business mentoring commercialisation with the aim of bridging the gap between academic excellence and commercial success. UMIC incorporates five locations of hi-tech and biotech incubator facilities in the North West, including The Core Technology Facility at Grafton Street and The Technology Centre at One Central Park, East Manchester. UMIC’s state of the art incubators offer not only excellent facilities, but also access to marketing, business mentoring and legal services.

UMIC Business Incubation Manager at One Central Park, Tony Walker, comments: “We are delighted by the success of Freedom Properties, which has gone from strength to strength over the past year, since taking office accommodation at One Central Park. Its success is testament to the facilities and mentoring advice available at the technology centre and we are delighted that the business is now ready to take the next step into its own accommodation.

“The Technology Centre at One Central Park offers flexible accommodation to support businesses that are at a crucial stage of their growth and we look forward to assisting further businesses, whether spin outs of the University or locally based entrepreneurs.”

Freedom Properties is an investment, construction, management and property sales company that purchases, renovates and manages properties for private clients. An ethically-minded business committed the creation of positive change within society, it mainly works in regeneration areas. Established in 2002, the company moved into One Central Park in early 2006, adding another office to its total space as the business grew and has now purchased a converted vicarage in Hulme to house the thriving business.

General Manager of Freedom Properties, Andrew Proudfoot, concludes: “The move into St. Mary’s Vicarage in Hulme represents a huge step forward for Freedom Properties. The business is indebted to UMIC for helping to get Freedom Properties off the ground, with the hi-tech accommodation at One Central Park a major factor in the shaping of the business. With 30 staff currently employed we plan to continue the growth of the business by purchasing further property to help bring about further change in the local community.”

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