Whiterock Finance has passed a significant funding milestone as it celebrates its tenth year, having provided finance to a Newtownabbey-based strength and conditioning equipment manufacturer.

Since being established in 2012, the company has provided £100m to 150 SMEs across Northern Ireland through its Growth Loan Fund I, alongside Growth Loan Fund II and the Growth Finance Fund.

Its first investment was in ventilation systems manufacturer Brookvent, which received £425,000 from Growth Loan Fund I.

Since then, Brookvent has secured a number of additional investments and increased its turnover sixfold while scaling its company to 147 people.

Pushing Whiterock’s total investment across the £100m mark was strength and conditioning equipment manufacturer BLK BOX, which received £1.5m from the Growth Loan Fund II.

The business, which has clients including Manchester United, Arsenal and Irish Rugby, will use the investment to scale its operations to meet increased customer demand and new contract wins.

Ben Stocks, managing director of BLK BOX, said: “BLK BOX has grown exponentially over the past decade and gained an enviable client list supplying and fitting out gym solutions across the globe. In recent years, we saw huge growth during the pandemic when demand for home gym equipment soared and have since gone from strength to strength, expanding our team and manufacturing premises to meet demand.”

William McCulla, Invest Northern Ireland’s director of corporate finance, said: “The funds within Invest NI’s Access to Finance portfolio continue to address the funding challenges of SMEs in Northern Ireland.

“Through the provision of over £100m of finance to over 150 SMEs, Whiterock Finance has become an established part of the local SME funding eco system and it is great to see first-hand Growth Loan Fund II having such an impact on a high growth company like BLK BOX.”

Paul Millar chief executive at Whiterock Finance, added: “Over the past ten years, our team has worked to provide finance to over 150 ambitious and motivated companies from across Northern Ireland to fuel their growth.

“As we move into our second decade in business, we are still constantly seeking out businesses that are keen to scale and BLK BOX is a perfect example. Currently experiencing an ongoing period of growth, BLK BOX is making a name for itself worldwide as an experienced and quality manufacturer of gym solutions and we’re excited to support them during this next period as they continue to win large scale contracts and expand their business.”