10 QUESTIONS WITH…
In each issue, we ask a flooring industry professional 10 Questions. This month, we chatted to Nigel Welsh, managing director, Laser Measure Australia Pty Ltd & MeasureSquare UK Ltd.
had become reality. I believe passion creates drive and drive creates success.
Q4
If you could hire any one person to be part of your
team, who would it be and why? Anyone who takes ownership for their actions, success and failures. Someone with no excuses, just a desire to make it and enjoy the ride – good and bad.
Q5 Q1
What was your first job? After landing in Perth,
Australia as a young lad, I got my first job as a lobster pot maker. It taught me that with the right instruction you can learn anything.
Q2
How did you get into the industry?
After honing my skills in the military for 11 years and then turning my hand to business for the next 25 years in various ventures, I ended up in the flooring industry managing the selling and installation of floorcoverings.
It soon became apparent the industry lacked technology at the coal face, this led me to creating MeasureSquare estimation software. Back in those days it was known as FEP, 14 years later we support 15,000 users around the globe.
Q3
What has been your proudest moment?
I guess my proudest was the realisation that my passion and drive to improve the work-life balance of people within the flooring industry
44 | 10 QUESTIONS
What’s the best advice you could give to
someone new coming into the industry? I think the best advice for anyone new to the industry is to look forward, question the norm, search for inspiration, look for the value in tradition and never stop learning. It’s important to evolve.
Q6 Q7
If you could be any character from film or
TV who would you be? I’m a Star Trek fan from way back so it would have to be Spock but perhaps without the pointy ears, my wife might have something to say about that.
What do you think are the positive and negative
aspects of the flooring trade? There are many positives, but the one which stands out for me would be a sense of community. I’ve been to many functions and there’s a real sense of camaraderie amongst fellow industry professionals. However, there does seem to be a disconnect between sales and installation.
Q8
What do you think the future holds for
flooring design? The future is exciting. Naturally, I see it from the technology side, what is
possible and what will be possible. Online shopping will play a bigger role and virtual reality has amazing possibilities, I see this developing as technology advances. Who knows maybe one day flooring will be 3D printed onsite. Never say never!
Q9
If you weren’t in flooring, what career
would you choose? If not the flooring industry, then it would be another passion of mine − the canvas industry.
Q10
David Cormack, marketing director of
Cormar Carpet Co. asked: “What is the most amusing incident you’ve had in your career?” In 2010, I spent 12 months travelling Australia in a touring caravan. One morning I had a training session organised with a commercial flooring business in New Zealand. I was parked on top of a large red sand dune overlooking Ayers Rock. I had my portable desk, my camp chair, laptop and mobile internet device ready to go. It was like being on another planet. The training session began as normal, taking the class through functions and features of MeasureSquare estimation software.
Thirty minutes into the session, all kinds of creatures and birds began to make a racket. One of the guys from New Zealand asked me: “Where are you bro?”
I had to pause and look up for a moment or two, I thought about explaining but it was easier just to turn the camera on. It still amuses me when I think of the reaction: “Hey, bro, that’s a big office!”
www.measuresquare.com
Check out next month’s issue to see what Nigel asked our next industry professional…
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