IN A back bedroom 20 years ago, Mike Adams, entrepreneur and racing driver, founded a design agency that has become a creative force in the fast lane of commerce.

Today the business employs 15 people and has fee income of around a million pounds.

The team at Adams Creative gathered at the firm's headquarters in Albion Place, Maidstone, to celebrate its 20th birthday.

Mr Adams, a regular in the British Touring Car Championship for nine years, took his first tentative go-it-alone business steps at home in July 1984.

He had gone through a receivership, a buyout and changed jobs three times by the time he was 25. "I felt it was a good time to have a go myself, while I had few commitments and a month's salary behind me," he said.

Since then, he has added new media, exhibition and public relations to his suite of "integrated marketing" services. He has clients in Kent and in London, including Blue Chip companies.

Mr Adams said: "The 20th anniversary for any company is a great achievement and we are very proud to be celebrating ours."

The son of an RAF jet pilot, he came to Kent 25 years ago. Although speed was in his blood, he enjoyed art at school and studied it at college where he developed his passion for design. He enjoyed the commercial side and his first job was with SBC Graphics in Maidstone, a firm that sold graphic material.

The firm grew steadily but it was not until five years ago that it enjoyed a leap forward.

His focus on new media whetted his appetite for expansion, and he admits to a "Eureka" moment with its creation.

"We've grown organically but I'd really like to accelerate the growth now because there's quite a lot of substance to the business," he said.

That could mean going down the acquisition route, and the firm is currently looking at possible merger targets.

He believes location has played a key role in his firm's success and expects the planned expansion of business and housing in the county to help his business. "Kent's been good to us, Kent is kind of special."

But he admits it's not always easy finding people with the right skills, especially at senior level. But those he does find, and those he has found already, could be in for a windfall as he prepares plans for an employee share ownership scheme.

Mr Adams quit championship driving at the end of last season as he and his wife - it's his second marriage and he has two teenage daughters from the first - prepared for the birth of baby Molly. Now six months old, she is the focus of his life and he has little interest in returning to the track.

"It had become almost a second job and almost a distraction from running the business. But I needed to satisfy myself that I could do it."

He ended on a high, winning his final race at Brands Hatch in October and finishing second in the championship, ahead of Jackie Oliver. "It meant I could hang my hat up with no regrets," he said.

Now 44, he says he plans to step down by the time he is 50. But before then, he has plenty of plans for his agency.

"I hope it will be three times as big in five years' time. Watch this space, we have lots of things I want to do in the next few years."

He foresees big changes in the creative industry too. "It doesn't seem long ago since it was all done with rubdown Letraset and now we can produce a multimedia presentation on DVD in-house only using one computer."

He predicts the death of the "account manager". "Most big organisations we work with like to work directly with our designers on their work and I believe the need for client-facing confident creative personnel is what's going to drive the industry forward."