Meet the team | Jeff Thorpe
What is your role at G&M?
I purchase all the finished products we sell - from Komatsu radiators to wire brushes. I'm also involved in product development, marketing, and sales.
How long have you been working for G&M ?
It will be 28 years in January 2021
What aspect of your role do you enjoy the most?
Seeing the sales of new products that we have developed start to take off. Especially if it is something that is unique to G&M.
If you could do another job for just one day, what would it be?
Test driver for AMG or Porsche.
Before working at G&M, what was the most unusual or interesting job you’ve ever had?
Nothing really unusual or interesting. Started working at Marston Radiators when I was 17 making number plates and spraying radiators and have been in this crazy industry ever since in various roles. Once the flux gets in your blood you are in it for good.
What advice would you give to someone looking to start a career at G&M?
You should never stop learning so always be prepared to listen. Work hard, turn up on time, be a “can do” person and don’t be an a**e.
If you could switch your job with anyone else within G&M, whose job would you want?
I have always enjoyed drawing and art so it would be great to work with the latest CAD Cam design software our team use. The 3D graphics and design drawings they produce are incredibly accurate and complex. A world away from my days of technical drawing at school where we used files and micrometres to ensure the pencil tips produced the correct line widths on the paper.
What is your proudest moment at G&M?
My first role with G&M was to take the Company through the BS5750 Quality Process and achieve certification. We passed first time which was a big achievement. I also organised and was part of the team on our stand at the 2016 BAUMA Construction Equipment Exhibition in Munich. It was G&M’s first serious foray into this market and signified the progress we had made in moving away from automotive products. It was a massive gamble that thankfully has paid dividends.
Do you have an office nickname? What is it?
I’d like to think it was Yoda or Oracle or some other all-knowing character who folk come to to receive my pearls of wisdom regarding the products we sell but I suspect it’s something much less complimentary.
What do you like to do in your spare time?
Mountain biking, playing guitar, working on my car (2004 Z4), going to gigs, watching my son play rugby or daughter play shinty.
What is your biggest pet peeve?
People who do not listen. We have all come across them. They butt in before you have finished speaking and then proceed to pontificate about any subject as if their opinions and views were the only ones that mattered. Grrrrr
Tell us something people would be surprised to learn about you:
Since the age of 16 I have owned over 26 different cars and motorbikes. Suffice to say I am a bit of a petrolhead.
