10 QUESTIONS WITH…


Each month, we ask a flooring industry professional 10 Questions. This month, we chatted to Steve Whitbread, Business Development Manager, CMS Danskin Acoustics.


Q1 Q2


What was your first job? Working in internal sales for a


fire protection products company.


How did you get into the industry?


Having worked in sales for various construction products, it was a natural progression to move into the flooring industry and from there I’ve carved out a niche in the gym and sports flooring sector. This has required me to develop a high level of technical expertise where I now advise on the specification of bespoke systems and support flooring contractors on-site with guidance on installation.


Q3


What do you think are the positives and


negatives of the flooring trade? From my personal perspective, the absence of building regulations in gym and sports flooring makes every day a challenge as each project needs careful evaluation in relation to the performance specification.


That said, this can also be perceived as a positive because it means that we’re able to design a system to meet the exact needs of a site – so there’s no over engineering and no unnecessary spend on flooring products.


Q4


If you could hire any one person to be part of your


team, who would it be and why? I’d like the opportunity to bring Richard Branson on board. Time and time again he’s successfully disrupted markets – in a good way – which has brought about positive and profitable change.


Q5


What’s the best advice you could give to


someone new coming into


the industry? Get to know the products you’ll be installing and seek out advice from manufacturers of specialist materials. Understanding the product detail will help to ensure a quality installation, but it will also help you to spot value-add opportunities in your own package.


44 | 10 QUESTIONS Q6


If you could invent any product what would it


be and why? As someone who spends a lot of time on the road, and battling motorway traffic jams, I’d like to invest a reliable and safe teleportation device. That would mean less time travelling but without compromising on visiting sites or customers, which is not something that can really be replaced by videoconferencing.


Q7 Q8


If you could have a dinner party with any


three people, dead or alive, who


would they be and why? I’d go for a mixed bag. Billy Connolly because I think he is a comedy genius. Sir Ranulph Fiennes because he was such a legend. And in the interests of equal opportunities… Kelly Brook.


What do you think the future holds for


flooring design? We’re already starting to see designs move towards a system specification and I expect to see more of this in future. The bespoke nature of gym and sports flooring requires a system approach, but as developers seek to


build greater value into developments, this trend is likely to spread into other areas such as student accommodation and commercial projects.


Q9


What would you like to see in a future issue of


Tomorrow’s Contract Floors? Insights from manufacturers in relation to future innovations would be welcomed.


Q10


Howard Morris, MD at Trade Fabrications


Systems (TFS) asked: What opportunities does the modular build industry present to the


flooring trade? Off-site and modular manufacture is a real opportunity for flooring contractors. Now is the ideal time to be partnering with modular construction companies because the flooring package is still a specialist trade, particularly where sound control is concerned. Whether the products are installed on-site or as part of an off-site package, it is still a project opportunity for flooring contractors.


www.cmsdanskinacoustics.co.uk


Check out next month’s issue to see what Steve asked our next industry professional…


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