Husband and wife team, Adrian and Jo Walton, are celebrating being awarded the Belvoir Lifetime Achievement Award 2024 in recognition of their contribution to the brand. The award is even more special for the couple as this year will be their 25th year in business.
Ian Maclean, Belvoir Franchise Director, says: “I am delighted that this year’s Belvoir Lifetime Achievement Award has gone to Adrian and Jo Walton.
Ian Maclean, Belvoir“They have both consistently been amazing ambassadors for brand Belvoir since they started their business in 1999 and have thrown themselves into every opportunity that Belvoir has offered, including sales and financial services.
“Their Stafford and Stone offices have won many awards over the years and in December they scooped top awards at the AllAgents Customer Experience Awards in Glasgow.
“Adrian and Jo are highly deserving of the title, and we wish them every success for the future.”
Speaking after the presentation at the Belvoir Annual Awards, Adrian adds: “It was totally unexpected, but we are delighted! It is nice to be recognised for the work we have done over the years. We opened our first office in 1999 and this year we are celebrating 25 years in business, so to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award in our special anniversary year is even better.
COLD START
“Back in 1999 we were a cold start, working from home initially with zero properties on the books and we would sit there looking at the phone, willing it to ring! We built up the business, specialising in buy-to-let along with an acquisition in 2006 and developed a great team of people. There are 10 team members now plus Jo and I. We have two offices, one in Stafford and one in Stone, and a good number of managed and let only properties plus a fast-growing sales business.
“I was in the Army reserves for 42 years, and only retired two years ago. Because of this I was away quite a lot and wasn’t always available to talk things through with Jo, but she is incredibly capable, and always managed to deal with everything very efficiently.
“My son Oliver works with us now, and still lives at home, so he’s also around to talk things through with if needed, and it is great to get a younger perspective on business ideas.
GIVING BACK
“Jo and I have always enjoyed getting involved and giving something back to Belvoir. We’ve both been members of various working groups over the years. Jo is predominantly on the insurance working group with me, but also contributes to the software working group, and I have previously chaired the West Midlands BNG and the Belvoir National Franchise Group.
“We have always been great supporters of Central Office’s activities. We may sometimes have different opinions about things, but I have found that if you can contribute ideas to help sort things out, you get to where you want to be much quicker!
“We believe that good customer service is vital, and we were delighted when Belvoir Stafford and Stone both won Gold Awards for customer experience at the AllAgents Awards in December 2023. We also recently became signatories of the Armed Forces Covenant Scheme and agree to support those in the Armed Forces. We qualified for the Bronze Award and are just about to submit our application for the Silver Award.
“It is amazing to be approaching our 25th anniversary with Belvoir and we look forward to celebrating with the team later this year.”
Main picture: (Left to right): Dorian Gonsalves, Adrian and Jo Walton, comedian Laura Smyth and Ian Maclean.
