Philip Dewhurst JR, Commercial Director of The Georgian Bar Company

First Job: Advertising Sales for The Aston Martin Magazine.

When did you join current company: I joined in 2009

Most useful/favourite gadget: IPhone – how did we manage before it?

Favourite/most useful website: Britishairways.com – flying is not only a necessity for me it’s a real passion – 2015 has seen me board 61 flights…think of the George Clooney character in ‘Up in the Air’ just not as handsome.

Business person you admire: Peter Jones, he has a keen commercial mind with style and charisma to boot. The story of how he picked himself up after his first business failure and practically lived in his office to cut costs really inspired me as a young businessman.

Recommended hotel for business: Hilton portfolio of hotels usually works for me – the reduced dinner, bed & breakfast inclusive rates can really beat out the cost of so-called ‘budget hotels’.

Favourite UK restaurant: The Italian Orchard in Broughton, Preston….if you try it I recommend black pudding & salami bruschetta followed by pheasant toscano.

Best business decision: Exhibiting at the first FiTShow – it really put our brand on the map. It allowed us to see our customer base, showcase our products new and existing and to market Geofast to some exciting prospects.

Other interests: Being a good father and husband, don’t like sports of any kind or the gym (as my un-ripped physique will testify!), film and media – travelling around the world attending reunions, premieres, award shows and conventions.

Working Day:

My Family sits down for breakfast around 8am and we have a general chat about the upcoming day. My Wife takes the kids to school then I head off to the office – My offices are a 3 minute commute from my home so that’s a real plus. I start the morning with an informal staff meeting so everyone knows what we are trying to achieve and how best to effectively service our customer needs. An average day for me will consist of product development, sales, marketing and relationship building. About half of the week I will be on the road working with our customers to ensure growth and customer satisfaction. I am usually home for just after 5pm and then I enjoy an evening with my family. I communicate with our overseas interests a few times a week around 11pm and then my working day is officially done.

Working Location:

We are on a small rural trading estate with great transport links in between Preston and Blackpool. We have refurbished our office suite to a high standard as we believe the atmosphere your employees operate in sets the tone for their attitude. Our offices couldn’t be in a better location from a scenic perspective – set across from a nature reserve and on the flight path for B.A.E Warton – you name it we get it! From a flock of seagulls to a Hercules heavy aircraft there is always something flying over our site.

Sometimes I sit at my desk and wonder where are all the windows going? How can such a small island need so many new windows? I guess the answer is we have got to a stage where your PVC-U window is more than just something to let daylight in, it can be so many different things: a thermal blanket keeping in the heat, a security device to protect your home, something of a fashion accessory with a world of colour to choose from, a tool to sell your home or a guardian of heritage for our villages and listed buildings. Whatever the need, the industry seems to be filling the demand. The last twelve months have been very encouraging although not quite the runaway hit that some were predicting. From what I have seen it has been solid with good growth.

Is there anything new the astragal market can offer? Yes and no. What we are trying to do is offer improvements rather than reinvention. Over the last decade we have radically changed the astragal market from ‘stick on’ to ‘snap on’. Now what The Georgian Bar Co. need to do is to refine our products to ensure we meet the demands of the changing marketplace. We have done this in one way by offering our new 50mm midrail bar. A larger variant of our Traditional range bars – same design just twice as big. This offers endless customisation potential (without the need for welding) for our customer base on windows and doors; we have given the market something that will allow fabricators to offer a fantastic upsell opportunity and gain attractive margins on their contracts. We have worked alongside JTools/Jade Engineering to create a combination site miller than can end prep three different bars from one machine. We have taken into stock over ten foiled colours to ensure our customers can on the whole get next-day delivery on the items they need. We have built a great team of people in the company and we are all very customer focused. As we speak our MD is tweaking a milling machine for a customer not because he has to, but because he can and the customer needs it today.

International markets

We have been working to take the Geofast brand into new territories, deciding on how best to do this continues to be an interesting challenge. Balancing the risk/reward ratio in all the countries we have patents in is no easy task – something we relish to be fair. Dad and I have never been ones to sit back and rest on our laurels. 2016 will see our first major territory outside of Europe with our new distribution partners US Polymers. They have laid the foundation with a solid launch at Glassbuild Atlanta this year; we are now in the final product and tooling development stages before the launch in Q1 next year. We are exhibiting at Fensterbau in Nuremberg March next year with our aim being to develop further customers and distribution partners across mainland Europe. Further afield we are also looking at India and the Far East, although these territories are in the early stages.

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy! When you’ve worked hard it’s great to blow off some steam. I think I do this in a more unusual way than most. The world of film and media – I’ve been shown a world most don’t see. When I owned a publishing company I would be sent promotional pieces by the film industry, the contacts I made led onto a very enjoyable social endeavor outside of work. Events such as the Pinewood Studios Summer BBQ and various cast reunions of James Bond, Star Trek in Las Vegas with Dynasty & Dallas in Los Angeles – getting the chance to meet some of your childhood heroes can be amazing. It certainly has been fun meeting actors like Al Pacino, Sigourney Weaver and Sylvester Stallone. I could go on all day and tell stories, each one different and special, from William Shatner naming a character in one of his books after me to Roger Moore making my day by telling me I would make a great James Bond (he may have employed his legendary sarcasm on that one!). When you look back and you have memories like Daniel Craig accidentally punching you in the arm outside the Rum Room in Manhattan, you pinch yourself and ask: how did that even happen? I think my favourite was having dinner with Buzz Aldrin, not just in the same room but sat beside him, a truly fascinating human being indeed. My wife and I have just got back from the BAFTA Britannia Awards in Beverly Hills – statues were given to Harrison Ford and Meryl Streep among many others – doesn’t sound real does it. They are just people, but they like to party (as do I) – ask anyone who went on the Madi Rally. It kind of snowballs and you get addicted to it – nonetheless it’s not the worst hobby to have, but sshh…don’t tell them I’m a lad born and raised in Accrington working in the window industry…they might stop inviting me!

My final thoughts……

What a fantastic industry we operate in. I really mean that, with so many companies vying for essentially the same business you would think that would cause a huge amount of tension and friction. Now I’m not saying the competitive edge doesn’t exist, but sometimes when we are all together you can get a real sense of family. I see day in day out people in this industry working together to improve products, reputations and services. Maybe that’s just me looking at it with rose tinted glasses… but on the whole I see a lot of good in what we all do and long may it continue. This year we have seen a fantastic customer base grow and support the Geofast product line and on behalf of all of us at The Georgian Bar Company I want to say a huge thank you and we intend to continue to develop our products and customer service to suit your needs. ….. And another thing, try not to take yourself or life too seriously – The Georgian Bar Company is in the best shape it has been in since its incorporation due to the whole team focused on providing the best solution for the industry’s astragal needs. I often get asked: “Are you not worried Georgian Bars might go out of fashion?” Not to sound flippant but they have been around since Georgian times so I’m guessing we can rest easy. Anyway, whatever happens I always endeavour to roll with it and count myself very fortunate indeed that I have a loving family to support me irrespective of the result.