FROM THE EDITOR
Tee is for teamwork
» I ’ VE NEVER BEEN ACCUSED OF BEING ATHLETIC BUT GIVE me a quiz or a board game and you ’ ll see my competitive side come out . As an only child , team sports were not my forte . I honed my craft playing against myself for hours at Monopoly ( I nearly always won ), trying to memorise all the Trivial Pursuit questions and getting more than frustrated with my all-time favourite Frustration ( I still have the same game from more than 30 years ago ).
Being far more comfortable sat at a table with a stack of boxed games and a dice shaker than I am on a field , court or pitch , it will come as no surprise to anyone that knows me that I wasn ’ t picked to play in this year ’ s Clearview charity golf day . What will really shock them though , is that I had the best time …
When Rob and Steve announced that they were organising the inaugural golf day last year , I wasn ’ t first in line to sign up , opting instead to plant myself firmly at the 19th hole – happy to watch ( and drink ) from the proverbial sidelines . This year I was chomping at the bit to get back to that golf club because last year taught me that while sport isn ’ t for everyone , enthusiasm is infectious .
Watching everyone come together and do something they love will always be my cup of tea ( or should that be tee ?) even if what they love isn ’ t exactly my bag . We talk a lot about communication and connection in our industry and of course , I ’ m not the first to comment on the merits of how sporting camaraderie can be the perfect precursor to this – even as a spectator . Spending time with your colleagues – and customers – outside of the office or away from the factory floor undoubtedly has a positive impact of our performance when we get back to work .
And don ’ t get me started on how good it feels to be in the fresh air ( I should know from all the hours I lost in during childhood as I chased my own counters around checkered boards in my bedroom during the summer holidays ). For anyone that still thinks it ’ s counterproductive to take your team out once in a while , I challenge them to get out of their comfort zone .
So , while you ’ re still more likely to see me swigging in the club house than swinging on the golf course , I know there ’ s hope for me yet if I just give it a try ( or is that rugby ?)
See you next time , Gemma
Good luck Philip and thank you !
» PHILIP DE CLERMONT , founding partner of CWG Choices Ltd retires after 31 years service . Philip is an original stalwart of the UK window and door industry . Whist we won ’ t publish his age , it begins with an 8 …
Philip founded the company with his partner with three core pillars in mind ; On Time Delivery , Quality Product at a Fair Price . Doesn ’ t sound like a ground-breaking strategy , but back in 1992 those were not givens . Indeed , amongst the hundreds of entertaining anecdotes he often recalls , he tells us of how the company began with just one three-head PVC corner welder and only one of the heads ever worked . Philip originally , amongst many other things , was delivery driver . He recounts on one of his first deliveries , he jumped off the van and greeted the customer , to a response ‘ What are you doing here ?’, ‘ I said I would deliver your windows on Tuesday , it ’ s Tuesday , isn ’ t it ?’. The customer responded , ‘ Well I didn ’ t actually believe you !’
Philip rarely talks about CWG Choices without the word customer in the paragraph , such is the importance of the customer relationship to CWG Choices and providing great service .
Today CWG consists of four manufacturing units being Kömmerling PVC , Residence and VEKA Flush PVC , ALUK , Smart & Kestrel Aluminium and Sundry prep along with a distribution hub and two trade showrooms all located in Corby , Northants and Aldridge , Walsall . CWG serves almost 600 window
and door customers annually . The investments back into the business of almost £ 2m , serve to improve repeatability , efficiency , customer service and confidence from our longstanding customers , suppliers and of course our staff .
CWG offers all of its trade customers free of charge Choices Online . Customers can generate their own costings , survey sheets , customer quotes , product orders and more from an IOS device or computer .
We wish Philip a wonderful retirement , Philip being Philip already has eyes on staying active with some local community and charitable initiatives . But not before a well-earned three-week holiday with family .
Good luck Philip and thank you !
www . cwgchoices . com
4 JULY 2023 CLEARVIEW-UK . COM