July/August 2020 ertonline.co.uk


17


MBE from the Queen


In 1987, after having been involved in various initiatives over many years to help develop small growing businesses across the North East, Mr Elliott’s pioneering work and entrepreneurial spirit earned him an MBE from the Queen for services to business.


He admits that in the early days of Ebac


growth was slow and he learned a lot about business that he wanted to pass on to others. “When we started there wasn’t much help


around like there is today,” he says. “But I spent time developing enterprises to try and encourage businesses to start and to grow, and there were several Government initiatives I was involved in for a few years. “So I went down to Buckingham Palace in


London with my wife and my children and the Queen presented my MBE to me. We were told to get down early to get a seat at the front, and we went up to the ballroom where they hold the ceremony and we were the first people there! It was a fantastic experience and a very proud day! Although I didn’t think I deserved it personally. “To be honest, I’m not sure if royalty is really a


Inside the Ebac factory in Newton Aycliffe in County Durham.


21st Century thing, but the Queen is a remarkable person and her work and her reign will never be repeated. You’ve got to hand it to her.” Away from work, Mr Elliott is a part-time


farmer and produces meat from his land in South West Durham. He is also a racehorse owner and travels across the country for events; last year he enjoyed a successful year with his horse Kynren, one of three horses he has currently got. When asked if he has any regrets in life or in


business, he replies: “Yes, one of my biggest regrets was leaving school at 15 with no qualifications… It was two wasted years – I should have left at 13!


“Formal education didn’t suit me. My trait is


to think of new ideas and new ways of doing things. I’m a disrupter. I learned something only recently – don’t try and change your weaknesses, deal with them.” He also goes on to say he feels that Ebac


should be a bigger company than it currently is – that it needed to up its game, which he says it is now doing. Mr Elliott admits that 2018 was a bad year, but in 2019 things started to get back to normal; so far in 2020 [at the time of this interview before the COVID-19 lockdown in March] prospects were looking even greater. Ebac is expecting to increase its profit and


turnover significantly and beat its annual forecasts, he explains, adding: “You can never relax in business. If you think you’ve cracked it, the only way is down from there; you have always got to keep thinking and keep reinventing.”


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