A family business
Laura Richardson, finance director at TWR Group, discusses her (very) early start in the industry, excitement at a major move for the North East fabricator – and why family matters in business.
Glass Times (GT): How did you get started in the industry?
Laura Richardson (LR): I’m not sure I can class climbing and playing in PVC stillages with my sister as little girls in our dads first factory as when I first started, but that would have been my first taste.
I actually started 17 years ago and as it was a family business it was always there as an option, but I hadn’t planned to go into it initially, and it was never something I was pressured into. I was always interested in finance and when college/university wasn’t a good fit for me I started in the office at TWR answering phones, on the trade counter and then trained in the finance side of the business.
GT: What are your biggest achievements?
LR: On a personal level, working up to finance director has been one of my biggest achievements; starting out in the industry, it was difficult to be seen as anything other than ‘the boss’s daughter’ and it took me a good few years of earning respect and finding my own feet to get where I am today.
Looking after the money side of the business is a huge task, with the investment we’ve made in our forthcoming new factory and everything that goes into that being a prime recent example. I’m also hugely proud of how myself, my sister Helen, and dad are running the business together and of how our business has adapted many times over the years.
GT: What changes in the industry have you experienced during your career?
LR: The industry has come a long way since I started 17 years ago, but I think it is still very much a male dominated industry, and I would like to see more female role models.
One of the biggest changes has come in the last few years; since Covid, the predictability has gone; you could usually plan for the stronger and quieter months and seasonal products, but it’s much more unpredictable now.
GT: Where would you like to be in five years’ time?
LR: Still doing what I’m doing now and really pushing the business forward. Our new factory is almost complete, which is hugely exciting. It will make us stronger and will streamline operations and delivery for customers, creating a one-stop-shop for PVC-U and aluminium products. It will provide the perfect foundation to better serve our customers.
GT: What are your interests outside of the industry?
LR: You’ll find me at home with my husband James, who is TWR Group’s operation director, and our two girls. I am happiest when cooking for friends and family with a glass of wine in hand. But yoga is what I do for me, how I keep myself grounded.
GT: What do you like most about working at TWR Group?
LR: It’s just fantastic to work with my family and the reason the business has been able to grow is because we are a team, and we very much run the business that way.
We’ve faced our share of challenges over the last 10 or so years and our family spirit has been instrumental in helping to share the load. Being a family has been what has kept us sane. I also like it when a customer gets in touch to say how much they appreciate what we do; we had a customer last week who said they’d been having issues with some suppliers in terms of not following through on promises, but the goal posts haven’t changed since they started working with us and they wanted to thank us for that.
