The BMF shone a spotlight on the future stars of the industry, celebrating their achievements at its annual Awards Dinner which followed the ‘Members’ Day’ Conference.
Open to anyone under the age of 35, the BMF Young Achiever Awards are designed to recognise and reward individuals in the early stages of their career who are already making a difference within their company and making a major contribution to its success.
The standard of entries this year was higher than ever, making it extremely difficult for the judges to select the finalists in the Merchant category and the overall Merchant and Supplier winners. Every one of them is clearly destined to be amongst the next generation of industry leaders and we congratulate them all.
Young Merchant Achiever 2022 (sponsored by Bostik)
Josh Guest, Lords Builders Merchants
Appointed to his first branch manager role last September, Josh (27) has contributed massively to growth by strengthening the team and building strong client relations. Understanding the commercial aspect of branch management enabled him to make key decisions swiftly, improving both customer experience and margin.
As well as investing in his team and managing the integration of new appointments, Josh helped to integrate Lords’ first Plumbing & Heating implant into his site and cross-sold the new offer to his customer base. Changes Josh put in place contributed significantly to a record sales and profit year, with his branch surpassing all budget targets.
Runner Up (sponsored by Mannok): Oliver Wilson, Mathewson & Rosemond
Having been a gap year student at Mathewson & Rosemond in 2017, Ollie returned in 2020 to develop its online business, Plumbing For Less. His success earned him an expanded remit as Procurement & Operations Manager, working alongside his director and the MD, a position the company believes he will aspire to.
Bronze Award (sponsored by Encon): Harry Andrews, Kent Blaxill
Harry (24) rapidly progressed to become a senior member of the merchant sales team. Demonstrating a real passion for the industry, an understanding of the local market and an excellent rapport with customers, Harry drives sales through service and knowledge, winning large, profitable orders.
Also shortlisted: Matti Hart, Bradfords Building Supplies; Victoria Price, Harlow Timber Group; Jack Reid Stockgap.
“The standard of entries this year was higher than ever, making it extremely difficult for the judges to select the finalists in the Merchant category and the overall Merchant and Supplier winners. Every one of them is clearly destined to be amongst the next generation of industry leaders and we congratulate them all.”
Young Supplier Achiever 2022 (sponsored by GfK): Kyle Hazeldine, Midland Lead
Kyle (27) has taken every opportunity afforded to him in developing from an enthusiastic customer service administrator to a confident, knowledgeable, and well-respected member of the company’s management team. His nomination was endorsed by managers, colleagues and customers alike.
Kyle’s work ethic and industry knowledge is outstanding, inspiring others through his interactions and commitment. Key achievements include the company’s first ecommerce business, realising £1m additional turnover. As sustainability champion, he is leading the transformation of the company’s factory and challenging a negative image of lead by highlighting its sustainable nature.
Also shortlisted: Ben Farrington, Bostik; Harry Hann, Velux.
Other winners:
Best Performing Student – BMF Diploma in Management (sponsored by WCoBM): Pamela Burns, MGM Timber
Best Performing Online Student – Building Blocks (sponsored by Cortexa): Jonathon Rawson, John A Stephens
BMF Apprentice of the Year – Level 2 (sponsored by LEAP): Will Williams, Joseph Parr Group
BMF Apprentice of the Year – Level 3 (sponsored by Brick Development Association): Iga Forenc, Harlow Brothers
BMF Ambassador of the Year (sponsored by Xtrathern): Natalie Chapman, Stirling Warrington
In addition, Haldane Fisher was named as the overall BMF Training Company of the Year (sponsored by PBM). The business demonstrated a strong commitment to providing learning and development opportunities for its staff, encouraging them to reach their full potential by accessing a range of classroom-based and online learning programmes and apprenticeships.
Furthermore, it is keen to look at ways of improving the competencies and behaviours within the business, which has resulted in a successful bespoke Excellence in Branch Management programme being designed ad delivered.
Find out more about all aspects of BMF training at www.bmf.org.uk
