RISING STARS
THE ONES TO FOLLOW: PART 6 NATHAN COLLINS
Job title: Branch Manager Company: Alsford Timber
MANAGER’S VIEW
Nathan joined Alsford Timber in October 2007 as a Yard Assistant; it was clear from the start that he had something very special about him. He is hard working, loyal and passionate about his team and customers alike.
Over the period of eight years, Nathan worked hard to develop his product knowledge, his customer base ad his management style. He progressed to Assistant Manager then Branch Manager during that time.
Nathan’s branch is a typical London branch due to its size and space. 95% of the timber that goes through is handballed in and out. This is hard work for the team but Nathan motivates his staff by leading from the front.
Nathan is currently responsible for eight staff and his branch has been the top-performing branch in or business for over three years. He has won our Branch manager of the Year award twice in three years and regularly finishes in the top measurements for productivity, stock control, sales, margins and bottom line profit to budget.
He has also taken many staff under his wing and has given them the same opportunities he has had over the years with Alsford.
BMJ talks to the Rising Stars of the
industry.Those individuals whose managers have pinpointed as regularly going above and beyond.
What’s your role?
I am a Branch Manager at Alsford Timber in Beckenham.
How did you get into this industry? I applied for a job at Alsford Timber Beckenham working in the yard at 19 years old, it was only meant to be temporary but I enjoyed it and am still here 12 years later.
What might a typical day for you at work be?
Open up, arrange the deliveries, serving customers at the counter, dealing with customers via phone calls and e-mails, ordering stock, stock counts, machining timber and sheets all whilst managing 8 staff
What were you doing at work last week? All of the above but more customer focussed as it is a busy time of year for us
What are your big challenges in this role? Finding the right staff with the correct attitude and keeping up the high level of service we give in busy periods or staff holidays/ shortages.
What do you love about your role? I love giving customers a great service and I like to teach staff how to do things the way I do them and to see them learn from myself and make the next step up
What do you think has been your biggest achievement so far in your role? My biggest achievement so far has been to grow the branch every single year since I
Rising Stars is sponsored by H+H UK
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became manager. This has been done by doing the basics but doing them to a high standard
What would you like to achieve next? I would like to move to a bigger premises so we could offer our existing and new customers more products as we are limited for space here
What advice would you give someone new to this industry?
As long as you have the right attitude and are willing to work hard and learn you could work your way up. Learn from others by constantly asking questions, what and why should be two of your most frequently used words!
What would you say to someone who might be thinking about a career/getting a job on the merchant industry? It is a fun industry to work in, you can have a laugh with both colleagues and customers which makes your day fly by and every day is different. You don’t need to have great grades to progress just the right attitude.
What are the changes you foresee the industry making in order to survive the future?
I think we will be seeing more competitive pricing and cheaper alternative products on offer. BMJ
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