One family has seen its civil engineering firm grow to Olympic proportions since being set up in Coventry 35 years ago – and has just sealed a move to a major mixed-use development.

Founder and managing director Michael Cunningham has been running MC Plant Ltd (Emerald) with wife Imelda and two of his sons, David and Marc, from a makeshift office at home in Keresley before the company outlived the space.

The business is now based at the Electric Wharf scheme by Complex Development Projects and the Cunninghams were helped with their move by commercial property agents Shortland Horne.

The company specialises in deep drainage groundwork and has a team working on various construction projects in Stratford, London, for the Olympic Village as part of the 2012 London Olympic Games.

David Cunningham said: “My parents had seven children so it was busy enough at home, without running a business from there too.

“We managed with a small office space that we created but we thought it was time to separate home and work life.

“The new office at Electric Wharf is so much better and bigger than the space we had at home and gives us plenty of space to deal with all the paperwork. We have a yard at Lythalls Lane and wanted the office to still be nearby so this location is perfect.

“The company has continued to grow at a rapid pace over the last five years and this has been reflected in the increase in plant and equipment we now own, so we are confident this move will prove to be a good one.”

The firm works across the country and offers a wide range of services to the construction industry comprising culvert diversions, drainage, concrete formwork and more.

As well as the Olympic village site, the company has recently worked on projects at Didcot Arts Centre in Oxfordshire and in Birmingham city centre.

David Bullard, of Shortland Horne, said: “MC Plant Ltd is an example of a company that has been created by one family and grown into a successful national business.

“The fact that this company has chosen to base its offices at Electric Wharf underlines the potential of this exciting development and reinforces the reputation of this site as the centre for enterprise and commerce in Coventry. With a range of office suites from 500 to 1500 sq ft available to buy or let we look forward to welcoming more successful businesses like MC Plant to Electric Wharf in the near future.”