THE Duke of York will meet some of Yorkshire's key business leaders this week when he visits two firms in the region.
Prince Andrew will open Leeds Building Society's newly refurbished head office and take a tour of Leeds-based electric motors company ATB Morley on Thursday.
Leeds Building Society has been in the heart of the city for over 120 years, where it al
so has its call centre operation.
Peter Hill, operations director, said: "This represents a significant day in the society's 133 year history and we are all looking forward to seeing His Royal Highness.
He added: "Our building dates back to the 1930s and, although it had been regularly updated, it needed a complete overhaul. We considered a range of options, including moving out of the city centre, but felt that staying in our existing location offers the best solution for staff and members."
New features of the building include energy efficient systems such as reactive lighting, new lifts, integrated air cooling systems in offices as well as biodegradable carpet and ceiling tiles.
As part of the refurbishment new sealed double-glazing units were also installed.
As the building is located in a conservation area there has been little change to its external look except for a new entrance on The Headrow.
The society employs about 1,000 staff nationally and over 450 in the head office.
ATB Morley, which designs, manufactures and exports high voltage electric motors for the global coal mining markets, will also play host to the Duke on Thursday.
Ian Lomax, managing director at ATB Morley, said: "We at ATB Morley are very excited and feel privileged that HRH The Duke of York will be visiting us. It is a great boost for all our staff and will be a great ending to another solid year. We look forward to demonstrating our capabilities to the Duke."
As well as the coal industry, ATB Morley continues to expand in other sectors including the water, power, steel, and oil exploration and petro-chemical industries.
