Building on strong foundations
Glass Times met with Tracey Jackson, business development manager of Howells Patent Glazing, the aluminium glazed roof product specialist, to discuss her route into the industry, hopes for the future, and how she chooses to spend her downtime.
Glass Times (GT): When did you join the family business?
Tracey Jackson (TJ): I started at Howells in January 1997, after the birth of my first child. Before that, I spent five years with a commercial catering company who installed for Banks’, Toby, and other restaurants.
I worked in the service department after being promoted from accounts. My career in construction began on a Youth Training Scheme at a building supply company which is now owned by Travis Perkins, where I worked in sales accounts.
GT: Howells is very much a family business, started by your father in 1973. Which family members are involved today?
TJ: My dad, Walter Howells is still very much involved, he is an absolute power house and always on the go, even at 78! My brother, sister and I are here every day, managing areas of the business.
The grandchildren have all been here at one time or another, but each have their own paths now and they work elsewhere, although they do help out now and again, for example, my son built our online production system as he is a programmer by trade.
GT: How has the business evolved?
TJ: When my father started the business, it had no factory and was run from the family home. We employed two staff – dad and mum and hired self-employed labour.
Goods were delivered direct to site where the bars were cut to size. Today, we employ skilled and dedicated staff across all areas of the business and operate from owned premises in the Black Country with ISO 9001 accredited facilities. We offer supply and supply and fit services to leading contractors and our glazed roof products are used on buildings of significant importance, both historic and contemporary.
GT: You wear many hats in your current role, what’s the most challenging aspect?
TJ: In recent years I have become more involved in contract management, and this can be a challenging yet interesting role.
It’s constantly changing, with new contractor process systems to learn and problems to solve. However, bringing jobs in on time and within budget is very satisfying.
GT: What about the future of the fenestration industry?
TJ: I hope that more young people choose to enter and then remain within the industry. There are many of us who have carved a long-term career in fenestration, and I know it has a lot to offer.
GT: On that note, you used to be heavily involved in training and mentoring, how are you using those skills now?
TJ: Yes, my sister, Debbie and I volunteered as mentors for the One Million Mentors project and as enterprise advisors for the Black Country Consortium, and worked closely with Building Our Skills, to help drive change and create opportunities throughout the wider construction industry and across the West Midlands.
Now, we use these skills in-house to nurture, develop and support our staff. But it is something I hope to return to in the future, when there’s more time!
GT: What achievements are you most proud of?
TJ: Professionally, I am really proud of what Debbie and I did with local colleges and Building Our Skills to promote the industry. Helping young people realise their ambitions was extremely rewarding.
I am also proud of the culture we have created at Howells; we have worked together to build a lovely company – something that’s appreciated by staff, installers and our customers.
GT: Outside of work, where can we find you?
TJ: I am always doing something! I volunteer for a local running group (Parkrun UK) as well as other groups. I give blood, and I write letters for charity From Me to You.
Debbie and I also run a knitting pattern company called ‘Sisters that Stitch’, and that’s fun, designing and making patterns for others to enjoy.