Serving the Teesside Business Community | 41
WALK STRAIGHT,
TRUST A FEW,
ALWAYS PADDLE
YOUR OWN CANOE.
When I was at school, I wanted to be…
a chef or an instrument artificer. I didn’t
manage to be either, but I can knock up a
mean chilli con carne!
The best business decision I ever made
was… to buy our 54-acre Port Clarence
offshore base facility, it was a real game-
changer which allowed the company to grow
exponentially.
My business mantra is… walk straight,
trust a few, always paddle your own canoe.
My greatest achievement is… filling
two prams – the output being two lovely
daughters that I am very proud of.
The advice I’d give to business start-ups
is… cash is king and don’t forget it – without
it you have no business.
The worst business decision I ever made
was… not to buy British Steel shares when
they were 3p. I think, from memory, they
grew to over £2 and I could have owned a
small island! The biggest character on the Tees
business scene is… for me, Ben Houchen.
He has made an enormously positive impact
since his election, his depth of knowledge is
outstanding and he’s a genuinely nice guy.
The best part of my job is… going to
work with likeminded people, working as a
team, achieving all targets set and seeing
youngsters grow and achieve beyond their
expectations. The individual who is my tip for the top
among Tees businesses is… there are so
many top quality candidates, it’s difficult
to say, but I would really like to see Gary
Dawson of AV Dawson take the mantle as
he’s a super role model, a great businessman
who’s had to not only maintain the standards
set by his late father, Maurice, but to drive
the business on to further dizzy heights,
which is amazing. He’s also a true gent.
The biggest downside of my working life
is… there simply isn’t any downside to my
working life. I’m very fortunate that I’m able
to take the rough with the smooth and when
things don’t go to plan I relish getting in
amongst it to sort it out.
If I could change one thing to help my
organisation it would be… to secure a
long-term framework agreement with a
major operator.
Four words to describe me are… honest,
kind, competitive and giving.
Teesside’s a great place for business
because… we have good infrastructure with
further plans for improvement. We were
successful in securing a devolution deal,
whereby the Tees Valley has the autonomy to
spend government funding, giving the best
output for our region, and we have an elected
mayor who looks after the five counties
which make up Tees Valley. The people are
loyal, hard working with lots of experience.
My biggest frustration about Tees Valley
is… that we don’t shout out about what a
fantastic region it is. We have some fantastic
businesses, great industrial heritage, a super
university, colleges and schools and we are
15 minutes from the coast and 15 minutes
from the Cleveland Hills. The people are
friendly and it’s a great place to live and work.
My favourite local charity is…
Middlesbrough and Teesside Philanthropic
Foundation, as every penny raised goes to a
worthy cause within a TS postcode.
When I’m not working, I like to spend
time… with my family and play golf, where
time allows.
My guilty pleasures are… most definitely
Lion’s Midget Gems.
The best holiday I ever had was… with my
family in America. I had promised my mam
that when she had recovered from heart
surgery I would to take her to Orlando Florida
to see Mickey Mouse – my favourite memory
and photograph of her is cuddling Eeyore and
Winnie-the-Pooh!
Not many people know this about me
but… I used to be a pretty good Northern
Soul dancer. It’s funny, but the older I got, the
better I became!
In retirement, I’ll spend my time…
assisting start-up companies to get off the
ground and coach them for bigger things.