Rod is the longest serving staff member at Crest Co-operative, having joined all the way back in March 2006 as a Van Driver. He now is a Senior Manager in the organisation alongside Jay Martin and between the two of them, it is their responsibility to ensure that all Crest operations are running smoothly and help sustain the long term future of the business. After working in many positions in the organisation over the years, he is now the General Operations Manager. Here’s what he has to say about working at Crest and a chance for you to learn more about them!
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
I’m happily married to Sarah, we have 4 kids, my eldest daughter Nicole is studying Marketing and Fashion at Leeds University, fingers crossed she will go on to pass her degree this summer. Lucy is in her last year at John Bright’s and wants to stay on at 6th Form, she also teaches gymnastics in her spare time. Zac and Miley are twins; Zac plays rugby for Llandudno Mini Goats and also plays football for Llandudno FC Academy. Miley attends gymnastics classes, and in her spare time she is busy pampering her face and hair!
What’s a general day at Crest for you and how long have you worked here?
14 years in March, which makes me the longest serving member of staff at Crest, God willing, long may it continue! I’ve always said that Crest is the hardest job I have had in my career to date, but it’s also been the most rewarding. Like any business we have had good and bad times, but we have shown real resilience when it mattered, which has kept us in business for over 22 years and contributes to the local economy by employing 30 local people, as well as supporting volunteers, adults with learning and physical disabilities, customers and service users. It’s the work that we do, and the people we support in our community which keeps me motivated to continue working at Crest.
Crest’s services and operations are so diverse, so no day is ever the same, apart from Friday’s when we have our weekly KFC treat! My day usually consists of meeting heads of departments to discuss any operational issues, analysing sales figures with the finance department, reviewing and updating health and safety procedures, implementing corrective actions following any accidents, incidents, or near misses, developing operational procedures to improve productivity & safety, visiting and meeting existing and new suppliers, answering any queries from external contracts, updating contractual reports, networking and developing new business leads, responding to emails and phone calls etc.
What are your work experiences and background?
My background has always been in managing people and operations, as one of my strengths is problem solving. The staff must get sick of me saying it, but “it’s easy to find a problem, it takes effort to find a solution”.
What do you do in your spare time?
I take my son Zac to rugby and football training/matches. I also watch Liverpool FC demolish the rest of the premier league teams every weekend… I love listening and dancing to good music, especially Bruce Springsteen! In the summer time I like nothing more than being in the garden cooking up a BBQ with a cold beer and soul music playing, my idea of Heaven!
Can you describe yourself in three words?
Resilient, compassionate and reliable.
Any funny stories inside or outside of Crest that you want to mention?
I have many, but most of them are not suitable for this sharing on this platform! One that I can share is when my fellow colleague and Senior Manager Jay somehow managed to lock himself in the loo for over an hour! Of course it wasn’t his fault, but the irony was that no one even noticed he was missing until he started kicking the door down and pleading for help! Some people will do anything for a bit of attention! (laughs)
Have you got a message for the staff, volunteers and supporters of Crest?
A massive thank you for all the hard work they put in every day, we’re blessed to have such a good team around us, and without their continued support and commitment, my job would be so much harder. Keep up the good work!
And finally, what do you know about Crest and what do you hope to achieve in your time here?
My objective is to ensure that the business is financially sustainable for the long term future, which is non-grant reliant, with a portfolio of capital assets, and we remain debt free. I want to ensure we remain true to our core values, and never lose sight of the people around us who are less fortunate than ourselves, who find themselves socially excluded for whatever reason, and need our support. This will ensure the next generation of staff and volunteers will have a clear vision and understanding of Crest, and will have a good foundation to work from to take the business to the next level in its development, and ensure the long term future of Crest continues.
Thanks for reading, and thank you Rod for taking time of your busy schedule to do our Q&A!