Pitching for perfection

Summary
¦ Sue Rowland joined family-owned Ryall & Edwards in 1989.
¦ She is now managing director.
¦ Since 2003 she has been secretary of the TTBS’s London & Home Counties District Committee.
¦ She is also on the committee of the TTF’s National Hardwood Division.

If Sue Rowland, managing director of family-owned Ryall & Edwards Ltd, could have her working life again, she wouldn’t change anything.

“I love it. This is what makes me tick,” she said as she walked around the yard of the Surrey merchant.

It’s such a passion for her that she’s up every morning at 5.30am and works six days a week. The thought that she might do something else with her time is not even considered. “I love the challenge. I wake up everyday thinking ‘what’s today going to bring?’” she said.

She considers herself lucky to have found her vocation, especially considering the timber industry wasn’t a chosen career.

After leaving school Sue worked as a bookkeeper in the direct works department of Sevenoaks District Council and then for a meat importer and when the company changed hands in 1988 she joined an estate sawmill in her home village of Westerham. “By that time my father, who was a chartered accountant, had a financial interest in Ryall & Edwards and said ‘if you’re working for a sawmill then you can come and work for me’,” said Sue.

And so, in 1989, she joined Ryall & Edwards, based near Redhill.

Sue had never before actually worked with her father, who died suddenly in 2005, but they were very close and he has had a big influence on her approach to business. “He was a very clever man,” said Sue. “He was my mentor and a champion.”

Her main role was the accounts but she learnt all aspects of the business, including buying standing timber and fencing.

High standards

By her own admission, Sue is a “stickler” for perfection and in all the jobs she’s had, she’s put her heart and soul into the task, demanding the highest standards of herself, and others.

“I want everything done right,” she said.

When her two children – Gemma, now aged 19, and Michael, aged 25 – were born she took little time off work (she was putting away chestnut stakes the night before Gemma was born) and for a large part of her career has balanced motherhood with full-time work.

While she doesn’t bang the drum for feminism, Sue’s aware of being the rare entity of a woman in the very much male-dominated timber industry and she did feel she had to earn respect in the trade. However, when asked if it’s been difficult, her answer is an emphatic no, and on the few occasions she’s encountered some sort of judgement, she’s responded with humour.

“I get round it with banter; it doesn’t offend me,” she said.

What she is far more aware of is the responsibility to the reputation and history of Ryall & Edwards. The company was established in 1922 and has always been synonymous with quality.

“To keep up that image is difficult but we owe it to Mr Ryall and Mr Edwards,” said Sue. “It’s a privilege to say you are from Ryall & Edwards.”

In 2008 Sue and her fellow director John Rolfe made the decision to lease out the company’s sawmill and concentrate on buying and machining home-grown and imported timber, largely for fencing and local building. Business has held up during the recession and, while there were no redundancies, natural attrition means the staff is down to Sue; John, who has worked for the company for around 50 years; sales and office manager Penny Barrell, who has been there 10 years; delivery driver Andy, the “new boy” with 11 years’ service; Mark, Mike and Malcolm in the yard; and fencers – all of whom have been with the company for more than 20 years.

Favourite things

The small number of staff makes every day busy but it also means Sue spends time doing what she relishes – selling and estimating out on site.

While Sue is always striving to increase sales, she and John recently decided to put aside thoughts of expansion and concentrate on Ryall & Edwards’s existing product range and site.

“I don’t think this is the right time to go for it. There’s still going to be a lot of trouble out there and companies will struggle. At the moment it is taking all our energies to survive and I’m determined to get through it,” she said.

Also, if the company were to buy more branches, there’s the matter of Sue’s high standards. “I’m hands on; I’d want to be everywhere,” she said.

Timber charity

For now, some of her spare energy is devoted to wider industry matters. She is a familiar face at Timber Trades’ Benevolent Society (TTBS) meetings and has served as secretary on the London & Home Counties District Committee since 2003. This involves attending meetings, taking part in local fund-raising and visiting some of the charity’s beneficiaries.

“It’s not a chore – you learn about the trade and there are some wonderful stories and great characters among ex-timber trade people,” she said.

Sue’s boundless energy and desire to learn also led to her involvement with The Timber Trade Federation’s (TTF) National Hardwood Division.

“I wanted to learn, to meet other people involved in hardwoods, and it was another challenge,” she said, adding that she may consider greater involvement with the TTF in the future.

“I have a great respect for the TTF,” she said. “At the moment I don’t know what more I could contribute but I think the time will come.”

Love of sport

In the meantime, Sue’s latest challenge is golf, which she plays with Penny, fitting in nine holes once a week after work and nine holes after work on Saturday.

She did a lot of sport when she was younger and it was something she wanted to return to once her children were older.

“I did showjumping. I trained all week and then did competitions at the weekend but I don’t want to hack about now with no purpose,” she said.

Now her competitive drive is exercised on the golf course where she approaches the game with the same dedication and aspiration for perfection as she does her work.

“The trouble is it’s hard work with golf and being competitive. I do get annoyed when I misplace a shot. I’ve got to be perfect every time.”