We recently grabbed five minutes with the super busy and highly experienced owner of our family print business, Tim.
He has been at the helm of our printed packaging company for nearly 40 years.
As a precursor to our ruby anniversary next year, we thought we’d find out just what makes our Managing Director tick – a word of warning though, don’t offer him an Earl Grey tea!
So, how did it all begin?
“My father had a stationery business locally and I worked for him in my school holidays. When I finally left school, he took me on printing for him. Then in 1983, a printing business came up for sale in Newton Abbot.
“It was too good an opportunity for us to miss, so we took a chance and went for it.
It was a very small shop just off the main street in the town and we renamed it Newton Printers.”
What happened next?
“We then moved in 2001 to our new purpose-built premises, where we are now, became Newton Print Ltd and, as we grew further, my sons joined the business.
“It’s always been a family-business. At the start it was my father and me. Now we have a team of 12 and specialise in helping our clients get their food products ready for retail with beautiful, sustainable printed packaging. These days, we’re Carbon Balanced certified and we’re always looking at how we can innovate to give our loyal customers the best value whilst solving their problems.”
When did your sons join?
“Simon joined in 2009 and Luke followed in 2014. They are both directors too. Nathan and Tristan joined us in the last 18 months. It’s great having them here and they complement the rest of the team we have here.
“We all support each other and work well together. Collectively, along with our team, we have a great deal of experience and expertise and lots of exciting new ideas to share with our customers, who are mostly challenger food brands.”
What does your role today involve?
“On a daily basis, I make sure everyone in our close-knit team has all they need to do their jobs efficiently and to ensure they offer the very best in customer service to our clients. I also provide technical support to the team and oversee estimating and finance. When all that’s done, I make time to look for ways to continually improve our offering and efficiency. Equally, I’m often called in to find creative solutions for customers too and that’s a challenge I relish.”
What’s your beverage of choice?
“Definitely coffee first thing in the morning, tea later in the day. Yorkshire or peppermint tea, never Earl Grey!”
Biscuit or cake?
“I love fruit cake, but I can’t resist chocolate cake either!”
And in your spare time?
“What’s spare time! I do like detailing cars, that’s any activity that keeps a vehicle in its best possible condition including buffing up the exterior to its original glossy finish. It allows time for unwinding and thinking.”
