INDUSTRIAL SERVICES
New addition – Craig Standing is the latest family member to join the Telcoss team .
PART OF
THE FAMILY
Why Craig feels right at home with industrial services firm Telcoss
Investing time and money in its staff continues to pay dividends for industrial services specialist Telcoss . The company , formed in April 2019 by father and son Tom and Lewis Southall , has grown so rapidly , it now has more than 50 staff , a 20-strong fleet of trucks and a base at the heart of the vast Wilton Industrial site near Redcar .
From there , it provides a comprehensive range of industrial services , including tank cleaning , high-pressure water jetting and sewer and drain cleaning .
But since the very start , Telcoss has set out to treat its workers well , get them fully trained and ensure they feel part of the Telcoss family .
And in a few cases , that ’ s exactly what they are – family !
For example , general manager Brian McGough ’ s grandson , Joe Sacchelli , 21 , is a class 2 HGV driver with the firm – as is Charlie Standing , the cousin of operations manager Alan Standing .
Another relative “ newbie ” is Charlie ’ s brother Craig Standing , whose own journey from being a general operative to class 2 driver is well underway .
Former Laurence Jackson School pupil Craig , 26 , from Guisborough , joined Telcoss last July , having previously studied plumbing and worked for a tunnelling company .
But after only a few months with Telcoss , Craig says he already feels right at home – even if his temporary “ home ” is sometimes 140 miles away in Scotland .
He explained : “ I spend two weeks at a time in Scotland working on a contract there , staying in a caravan on a holiday park .
“ It ’ s physical work , dusty and mucky – but that ’ s what we ’ re there for , to keep the site clean .”
Craig says he ’ s not put off by the physical aspects of his Telcoss role , which can also involve callouts on behalf of Northumbrian Water to flood scenes during bad weather .
And the dad to 18-month-old daughter Nelly says he ’ s pleased he made that call to cousin Alan last year to see if there was any work going .
He added : “ I ’ m a general op now but I ’ m studying my theory to be a class 2 driver .
“ I really like it here – and I ’ m happy to do whatever ’ s on .
“ It ’ s a good atmosphere , too – I can honestly say all the lads are sound .”
At the other end of the experience scale , general manager Brian has been in the industrial services sector for 40 years – and he ’ s pleased to see new blood like Craig and his own grandson Joe coming through . He said : “ I started like Joe did . In fact , I started work with Tom Southall ’ s father ,
PICTURE : STUART BOULTON WORDS : DAVE ROBSON
who gave me my first job in industrial services .
“ I wasn ’ t sure it would be something Joe would take to but he absolutely loves it . He ’ s got his own vacuum unit out there , he looks after it , he keeps it clean and he loves the work he does – I ’ m really proud of him .”
Brian said several staff have been trained thanks to funding arranged through Teesside-based training provider Regional Training Partners , with Telcoss now employing around 10 class 1 and 10 class 2 drivers .
And he says it ’ s that sort of investment in new blood that will help keep Telcoss at the top of its game .
He told Tees Business : “ We ’ re one of the most experienced industrial service suppliers in the North-East and that revolves around the fact we ’ ve got management who ’ ve been in the industry for years .
“ We ’ ve built up a good reputation with our clients and all the guys out there in that yard have helped us build on that reputation .”
For more about Telcoss , visit telcoss . co . uk
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