Property Developer Makes His Mark

A Kent entrepreneur has made it into a national league for his industry at the young age of only 33.

Mark Quinn, Director of Quinn Estates, the property development business based near Canterbury, has been ranked 50th in the Top 100 Young Developers, according to the industry’s most influential magazine Property Week.

He attributes the success of his business to three factors: taking risks; his mentor George Wilson and the foresight of his banking partner Clydesdale Bank and its team at its Financial Solutions Centre at Maidstone.

Mark, whose first career was as an international skier and instructor, entered the world of property development at the age of 23 when he built his own health club, an enterprise he later sold for more than £1m.  While a skiing instructor in some of Europe’s most glamorous resorts, Mark met many highly successful business people who gave him the ambition to set up his own company and who went on to help him develop his business plans.

Commenting on his success, Mark Quinn said: “It might not be evident at first but successful property development has a lot in common with downhill skiing.  You need to look ahead, have the ability to spot the best route but always be able to change course at the last minute in order to reap the rewards.  It can be a fine line between success and failure, you need to take risks, but they need to be well calculated ones.

“It’s also about having the right team of advisers and this is where Clydesdale Bank has really shown what it can do for companies with ambitious plans for growth like ourselves. The Bank very quickly recognised the potential in what we were doing and how we operated.”

Martin White, Business Partner at Clydesdale Bank in Maidstone, said: “Mark is one of an emerging group of young, successful and highly motivated entrepreneurs who are helping to shape the county’s economy.  His success in the commercial property arena is thoroughly deserved and we’re delighted to have played our part in his on-going success.”
 
In collaboration with George Wilson, one of the county’s most highly respected commercial property developers, Mark has been involved in the development of more than 300,000 sq ft of commercial space. Quinn Estates also purchased a £1.2m care home in Hythe in 2005 and developed it into a £5m residential scheme overlooking the English Channel.

Mark Quinn added: “My first meeting with George Wilson reinforced my own belief in how best to do business.  He showed me that it is possible to be successful and at the same time ethical; not something our industry is generally associated with. We are not prepared to compromise on our reputation for honesty and quality.”

Clydesdale Bank has funded three Quinn Estates developments that have been completed and they are currently discussing financing a number of other investment projects across Kent.