COMPANY PROFILE


Built to last


A BIT like one of his 150 prized vintage vehicles, John Mould would probably be the first to agree he has a fair few miles on the clock.


He’s certainly been around the block with the Reading demolition and waste business that bears his name, J. Mould (Reading), which he launched 50 years ago this year.


And just like his much-loved collection - which includes his first brand new truck, a Leyland Reiver complete with original licence plate, a group of bottle green Scammels, Bedfords and A and B Type Fords dating from the 1930s to the 1970s - John was certainly built to last.


He certainly seems happy to keep on trucking for as long as possible. “I will be celebrating my 79th birthday in October and am still working full time,” he explains. “Most days I’m starting at 7am and ending at 7pm


“I keep meaning to ‘slow down’ every time I reach a milestone – such as retiring when I get to 70, then 75, now maybe 80! But I keep finding I still enjoy coming to work, so it doesn’t happen.”


John, like his adored collection of gleaming vintage trucks, is a classic


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full-throttle, foot to the floor, stop at nothing workhorse. And they’re positive traits which the proprietor of J. Mould (Reading) appears to have passed on to his son, Jay.


General manager Jay, 31, has recently steered the business into a new era, combining the hugely successful and pioneering demolition business which his father built to be a leader in its field, with a growing emphasis on waste management, recycling and skip hire.


Already an 80s pioneer in recycling demolition waste into construction aggregate product long before most others had thought of it, J. Mould has recently expanded into handling mixed waste from various sources.


The number of skips it has for hire has soared five-fold and the on-site picking station has increased from two bays up to seven.


It’s quite a success story for John, born in Reading at the height of the Second World War.The Blitz hardened the resolve of many who witnessed its carnage to regroup, rebuild and succeed – and hard graft came naturally to John.


“When I left school at the age of 14 in


By SANDRA DICK


1954, I was working for my parents who ran a fruit and veg stall,” he says. “It wasn’t for me, so I went on to working in a garage as a fitter.


It was time to knuckle down,


save a bit of money and be more efficient.


“I gained experience driving tippers and concrete mixers for Harry Coff, in Woodley, Reading. Then work started on the M4 motorway in 1969 and they were looking for tippers to move muck on the site.


“I saw an opportunity, so decided to purchase an old lorry and started to work on the motorway running up and down the formation.”


Demand grew, and he was on his way to securing that first, brand new Leyland Reiver.


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