Peterborough agency The Sterling Choice celebrates decade of growth from a 'dining table' business to overseas operator

​A recruitment firm in Peterborough which began life around a dining table is celebrating a decade of business during which it has extended its operations overseas.

The Sterling Choice, which has offices in at Cygnet Park, Hampton, was founded by Lukas Vanterpool and Gareth Whyatt whose first ‘office’ was a table in a dining room.

As the business grew they soon moved into an office followed by two more relocations to larger premise. The number of staff grew to 15 and the agency also opened another office in North Carolina, America.

Even the Covid-19 pandemic could not halt the expansion of the agency, which specialises in the food manufacturing, fast-moving consumer goods and engineering sectors, which continued to grow and took on four extra staff.

Lukas said: “Reaching this 10-year milestone and scaling to the size we have, is such a great feeling.

"Over the years we have recruited and retained some excellent people which has helped us develop our great reputation and become the go-to recruiter for the food and manufacturing industry.

“It’s been fantastic to watch our people and business develop and grow, but we’re not done yet.

"As we enter our second decade, I can’t wait to see that growth continue.”

Lukas said that a crucial moment for the business was when staff were asked to help create the company’s values.

He said: “There was a significant shift in how we behaved when the team developed the values themselves.

“These now embody everything that we do.”

Gareth said: “The past decade has been challenging, but the next 10 years in

the food industry will be even tougher.

"With our excellent communication, transparency high standards and great all-round teamwork, I know the team will be able to confidently face any future challenges head on.”

Sterling Choice also supports charitable initiatives within the Peterborough area.

Last year, the firm donated over £4,000 to The Trussell Trust, a national charity

that supports a nationwide network of food banks.