The office was a desk in the bedroom! That eventually transferred downstairs to a converted utility room and in 1994 we invested in a computer. The car gave way to a rusty old Ford van. Three months later, that went to the scrapyard, and we had the first of several second hand Astravans.
In February 1996 we moved to rented shop premises in Whippendell Road, West Watford. This had a rear entrance to the workshop and storage area, and by now we had TWO computers. We had also moved on to an electric typewriter! We took on more employees, but rising crime in the area - especially to the shop and vans - meant we had to look for larger premises. We found the ideal light industrial premises and moved to where in late 2001.
The property was a shell that had been used to store beer barrels. There was no electricity, office, carpet - nothing, except a mezzanine floor. This was converted to the offices, and the downstairs areas are the warehouse for storage.
The Company became ‘Limited’ in 2001. Now, we have a fleet of 8 vans and 2 company cars. Four of the vans are large Vivaros for bigger jobs and equipment. Following two break ins, we updated our security, we’ve installed air-conditioning and we have even got rid of the old typewriter! A few items from the early days still remain.
Most of all, so do many of those early customers who we have seen grow too.
Our staff remain loyal and hardworking. Four staff are directors of the firm. Five staff have each been employed for more than 12 years, of which two own the shares.