SME News - Managing Director of the Year Awards 2024/ 54 Sustainable Roofing Solutions MD of the Year 2024 (Devon): Dave White Western Counties Roofing Ltd is Southern England’s largest roofing contractor and also one of the largest and most successful in the UK. Taking a holistic approach to managing customers’ needs, the team specialise in everything from tile and slate roofing through to leadwork, cladding, and even solar panels. Managing Director Dave White tells us more about this family company. For more than three decades, Western Counties Roofing has been a trailblazer in roofing solutions, with MD Dave White around for most of its life. Founded by his father in the 1980s, Dave, once old enough, joined the ranks, initially a yardman before being promoted to delivery driver. From here, Dave worked on the roofs until securing a position in the estimating team, and soon after, being appointed to the managing director position. This history enables Dave to understand his team’s needs, forming the basis of his leadership approach. He explains, “You need to understand the people that are working for you and work out what makes them tick in a positive way.” Aiming to keep motivation high, Dave is decisive and determined as well as committed to listening to others and offering useful advice. Leveraging the same enthusiasm as when starting out at 16, Dave seeks to take the business to new heights, serving as a beacon of knowledge and direction for employees. Communication is key, and with offices in four different regions, delegating responsibilities to trusted individuals becomes important. Regular online meetings and daily catch ups help to bridge any gaps, ensuring common goals are worked towards. Safety is undoubtedly vital due to the high-risk nature of the company’s working environment. Dave tells us, “Our goals are to maintain our customer base by attaining high customer satisfaction, developing avenues for expansion with innovation, embracing new products and technology, and expanding our working area.” As such, the team carry out the occasional refurbishment contract in addition to the new builds they primarily work on. With Dave as MD, the business has set about managing many of the issues that the wider industry today faces, such as skilled labour shortage. The business has invested heavily in both apprenticeships and ex-offenders, remaining focused on developing this steady stream of trainees. Furthermore, with a noticeable lack of local training facilities, the company is developing its own training centre to feed the broader industry. We asked some of Dave’s team about their experience of working with him as the awardwinning MD he is. “Dave White is an extraordinary individual. His work ethic is second to none. He works six days a week – sometimes seven – to ensure that the business continues to be successful.” “As the MD of the biggest roofing contractor in the southwest, that is no easy task.” “This local family-run company grows yearly and although we have many clients and operatives working for us, Dave takes an interest in everything they do. Western Counties Roofing continuing to be a family business is everything to him.” “Without Dave at the helm working all the hours under the sun, we wouldn’t be where we are today.” “I personally can’t thank him enough for the help and support over the years and I know that all our staff, be it in the office or out on the roofs, feel the same.”- Ian McHale, Senior Contracts Manager Regarding the company’s future, Dave reaffirms, “Our main priority must be to keep understanding our customers’ needs and maintaining the standards that have served us so well in the past. Our main focus for growth over the next two years is to develop the solar PV side of the business, which has already grown rapidly over the last nine months.” This division is headed up by Director Ben Robinson and highlights the company’s ongoing commitment to sustainable development. The business’ family feel is still very much alive, with Dave’s wife, sister, sons, daughter, brotherin-law, and nephews all having important roles within the company. Since it has been a big part of their lives, for many of them since they were very young, this family are all incredibly passionate about the business’ triumph. This passion has fuelled decades of success for Western Counties Roofing Ltd and continues to guide it to this day. Contact: David White Company: Western Counties Roofing Ltd Web Address: https://www. westerncountiesroofing.co.uk/ “Every employee buys into the vision, work ethic, and passion that my fellow directors and I bring to the company every day.”
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