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When four business colleagues devised a plan to create Union Square in late 2000 it would have been difficult to predict all that has followed. Since our first Workspace order in 2001 we have not looked back with annual average growth rates typically between 30-35%. More recently our strategic focus has been based around how to survive and thrive in one of the worst global recessions ever experienced. For Union Square this has meant continuing to invest in our products and people so that we are ready to react when trading conditions finally improve.
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Our long-term focus on innovation and quality has meant that Workspace continues to dominate the AEC market. In 2009 we released two new versions, Workspace ix and Workspace mini, the latter being a preconfigured version for our smaller clients. Our first User Conference in 2002 was a modest affair for 21 people. This annual event is now considered as not-to-be-missed and, being supported by practically every client, draws over 150 into London from all over the UK.
In order to meet the more specific needs of our technical community we introduced our Technical User Forum (TUF) in 2003. Opening up to such a group could be considered a brave move for any software business, but we like to be transparent about how our products are built. TUF has gone on to be a great success which gets repeated every year.
In 2004 we were crowned Nottinghamshire Small Business of the Year in recognition of our progress in just four years. Since then Workspace has won numerous industry awards and we were appointed a Microsoft Gold Partner in 2008. We’ve also been delighted to present the Union Square Challenge Cup since 2005, taking the form of an annual Golf day, and continue our annual sponsorship of the Care International Construction Challenge to provide much needed support for their relief efforts worldwide.
In 2007 our 3rd office move was into a brand new HQ which allowed us, for the first time, to design an office from scratch to suit our business. This means a fully open plan office, a communal area for staff to relax or play and high quality meeting spaces. We celebrated this move and securing our 100th Workspace client by taking all our staff to Rome for two days. This ‘away-day’ teambuilding event has seen us visit Paris, Prague, Dublin and Barcelona in subsequent years. In 2010 we celebrated our 10th anniversary by making our first acquisition and releasing, amongst other things, a modern and stylish new user interface for Workspace.
As we move into our second decade we continue to approach the way we work with no less enthusiasm, belief and commitment than on our very first day. We would like to thank everyone who has touched Union Square along the way and been a part of our story so far, long may it continue.