A Scottish family-founded civil engineering firm is celebrating 60 years in business.
The firm that has seen a hostile takeover and two management buyouts has played a pivotal part in building landmark projects across Scotland including bridges, roads and ports.
The firm has told how George Leslie, now a leading name in civil engineering, grew “from its modest beginnings on McCulloch Street in Glasgow in 1964, where the business generated £1,000 per week, to its current headquarters since 1973 in Barrhead”.
It now has an annual turnover exceeding £100 million, and “George Leslie has grown into a major player in the industry, contributing to some of the most significant civil engineering projects across the country”.
Notable projects include the A96 upgrade and Brodick Ferry Terminal.
The company was founded in 1964 by George and Jean Leslie, operating from a back bedroom with only five people on the payroll. Over the past six decades, George Leslie Ltd has expanded to employ over 400 staff, while "preserving the core values of resourcefulness, togetherness, and passion that were instilled from the very beginning".
George Leslie was honoured with the Scottish Civil Engineering Award 2024 for the best marine project.
The firm said: “These principles continue to serve as the foundation of the company's enduring success and commitment to future growth.
David Ross, managing director, George Leslie said: “From humble beginnings in a Newlands back bedroom to our current home in Barrhead, George Leslie has evolved into a renowned name in the industry. We stand on the shoulders of giants like George Leslie, his son George Leslie OBE and John McNaught, whose dedication and vision paved the way for our success.”
The award celebrated the company's “exceptional work” on the Lochmaddy Pier upgrade contract.
Mr Ross added: “As we celebrate this milestone, we acknowledge the countless individuals who have contributed to our journey over the years. Their passion, resourcefulness and togetherness have been instrumental in shaping the company we are today.
“While this marks a significant achievement, it's important to remember that our story is far from over. We remain committed to upholding the legacy of George Leslie and continuing to provide exceptional engineering for generations to come."
In 1982, the firm was subject to a hostile takeover by Anglo Nordic but two years later George Leslie, Jr, led a management buyout.
In October 2003 George Leslie Jnr concluded the management buyout to the new managing director John McNaught and moved into the new role of Honorary Chairman before his final retirement from the business in 2011.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel