DriveSpeed Group provide tailored vehicle solutions to clients across a range of industries from a base in North Yorkshire. The business has grown significantly since its incorporation in 2011, and has doubled in size in the last three years, with over 20 staff at their office on Fishergate in York.
In 2020 the dental industry was shut down for a couple of months, but Swallow Dental Supplies adapted its PPE product range and are now growing rapidly through their sales of bone regeneration material and other surgical dental supplies.
The challenge that led me to work with Pro-Development was the need for manager upskilling. I engaged with the Ultimate Managers Toolkit and the Remarkable Leadership Programme. I am very happy and have such a postive experience working with you. The programme has improved my confidence, mindset and focus. Pro-Development are just a joy to work with. The way you supported me is excellent. I would highly recommend working with Pro-Development.
The course hit every single need that I had by far and the experiential aspect has made this different to anything ever done before. Abi was the star of the course in what she brought to every single session and coaching we had which was expertise, insight, coaching and most importantly fun and connection. I would highly recommend this course to any aspiring leaders who wish to truly make a better version of themselves.
During 2025 we experienced significant change to our small team of 8, with 3 people leaving, and 2 new people joining us. We wanted to help manage this change for remaining team members and new ones and therefore enlisted the support of Pro-Development to carry out an employee diagnostics survey. Personally it has given me more confidence to have even more open and honest conversations with my team. The benefits: (1) The results of the survey allowed us to make an immediate difference by being able to see the key areas where we could improve as an employer (2) Following the survey we started work with Pro-Development on reviewing and overhauling our current end of year reviews and monthly 121 format so that we could deliver these in a much more effective way for our team (3) We now have a more simplified structured way to manage monthly 121s and mid/end of year reviews (4) The onus is now on the individuals to be responsible for their own development, when previously they relied heavily on us. We have had a very positive experience of working with Pro-Development. Michelle and Lee were a delight to work with – they have educated us and provided us with new tools to help us grow into stronger managers, meaning we have a stronger team as a result.
Joanne was amazing throughout and kept us all engaged, building a great and safe environment for everyone to get to know each other, share our ideas and experience. Sue also did the same stepping in seamlessly. Great location, oodles of refreshments and really friendly people we met from time to time from Pro-Development, including the owner. It’s clear to see you have an inclusive environment and a good team spirit. A great refresher for me and was uplifting to spend time with other people outside of BBS. Thanks for everything and all the best for the future.
The course as whole has provided a great foundation of knowledge to help me navigate being a manager / leader of my team and to be able to communicate to our managers above me. Moving forward I am much happier in my position as a manager because of this course.
Completing this course has been a great experience. I am early into the journey of being a manager and this has provided me with a lot of tools and tips to take forward in my career. Overall I think collectively with Joanne and the other attendee, we have created an open, comfortable environment for everyone to share ideas, concerns, opinions etc in a safe place. I have thoroughly enjoyed this experience.
The Essentials of Management course is possibly the most informative and helpful course I have been on in this area of development. The ideas were clearly explained and Abi was very engaging throughout, and answered all questions thoughtfully and knowledgably. I feel much more prepared for my future management responsibilities as a direct result of these two days, and most of my doubts and fears have been alleviated now that I have new knowledge and know where to start. I feel particularly more confident in identifying ways to develop staff and how to understand them better. I would not hesitate to recommend this course to friends and colleagues looking for management training.
The 2-day Essentials of Management course provided exactly the sort of information and renewed my knowledge of some of the fundamentals as well as expanded on the basics for management and being professional in my job. Lee was extremely knowledgeable and very open and approachable throughout the course, and was constantly available with answers, encouragement, gentle correction where needed and was always bringing a positive attitude to the course. Excellent course. I like that the 2-day Essentials of Management course is more than just a slide show and gets us actively involved. Getting up off your feet also helps to avoid the lost lunch lull that everyone gets. It’s given me a great insight and knowledge of techniques I don’t know before the course. These will help me to become a better manager which directly benefits myself, the people I manage, and the business.
The communicating impact course with Lee was really helpful especially within such a small group. The Impact model was explained effectively and in an interesting manner with activities thrown in to help with engagement. The course subject is also interesting and helpful for me. Refreshments were also always on hand and above what would be expected.
Abi was brilliant and I personally think the team were extremely engaged and already brought it back to the office with how they’re all interactive with each other. Thank you Abi and Pro-Development for a brilliant day
We have transformed the way we interact with our staff, improved on so many areas year on year. The benefits to the company have been huge; employee retention, fully engaged in our vision, work to our values, reduced sick days etc – all of this can only improve your business! We’ve seen a reduction in employee turnover – and that stability has had a positive impact on our bottom line. When people stay, feel invested, and understand their value, the whole business benefits. It’s been a genuinely worthwhile investment. It’s helped us grow, helped our people thrive, and helped us move forward as a stronger, more connected team.
We have worked with Pro Development on many topics over recent years, and in 2025 Michelle and her team supported the Benenden Health People Team with some team building at a walking offsite in Yorkshire. The team had gone through some structural changes with lots of new roles, people and ways of working. Pro Development helped us to get to know each better including our strengths and our red lines. We worked on active listening, taking direction from others, problem solving and all whilst walking around beautiful Thixendale. Thank you to Michelle for creating and facilitating a day that really supported our team to come together, share and learn in readiness for a busy year ahead.
