With a background in facilities management and a stint in the army, Tracy Masson joined Skene Business Centres in August 2023.

“I work closely with the SBC Director to help clients find the right space to suit their requirements, handling viewings and enquiries’, says Tracy. ‘I absolutely love my job, the variety and meeting new people. At the start, when a client takes a space with us, it starts out life as a neutral office. The clients then puts their heart and soul, their passion and ideas into it, they make it their own. I love seeing this transformation. I’m usually offered to go back and see what they’ve done to their space as they’re so proud of it.’

‘We get to know the clients, and help them adapt their space from freshly painting the walls to adding sinks. And if a client needs help carrying furniture or boxes we just muck in. I’ve even received bottles of champagne as the clients were so happy with their move!”

Tracy also organises meeting-room hire, which can be booked by both internal and external parties. She handles the HR side of the team, such as training, health and safety, appraisals, payroll and holidays, alongside overseeing maintenance and cleaning.

“We’re a small team and we work well together. My boss, Maeghan, the SBC Director, is approachable and full of knowledge. You can ask her anything so she makes you want to be more, and deliver more. We know the Skene family too. The founder Mr Charles Skene visits a site roughly every fortnight. He just turned 90 and he still visits regularly! His daughter Jennifer (our Managing Director) visits fortnightly and emails regularly. We know that if any of us have an issue, we can run it past Jennifer. I like the fact SBC is family owned, I feel part of something local, especially as we see and know the family, they’re not absent but part of things.”

Tracy carries out monthly quality checks across SBC’s three Aberdeen city sites to ensure everything’s in order, such as lighting, heating and furniture repairs. She carries out inductions for new clients, signing off the process and handing over the keys. Clients are often attracted to SBC as they receive one monthly bill, meaning they don’t have to think about any property issues or outages. This all falls to the SBC team.

“We ensure our pricing structure matches the incoming bills and offer clients a range of 3 packages,’ says Tracy. ‘If anything was to go wrong, from leaks to WiFi issues, it’s our challenge. The clients’ loss is our loss and our problem to fix, so we ensure everything is serviced and as well maintained as possible.”

Change is naturally part of the nature of office rental, and when clients do move on it can be the end of an era for Tracy and the team.

“Most clients leave when their business has outgrown the building, and it’s wonderful to watch their success story from the beginning. It’s rewarding to see so many companies grow at SBC”.

Author and photography: Janice Hopper

“Most clients leave when their business has outgrown the building, and it’s wonderful to watch their success story from the beginning. It’s rewarding to see so many companies grow at SBC”.