The Sky is the Limit for Dennis Gay from our Bristol Office
Dennis is due to retire after decades spent working in the portable buildings industry. He will hang up his hard hat for the last time and will move on to a life of leisure in retirement where he is free to pursue his exciting hobbies of astrophotography, travelling, artwork and fishing.
A self-confessed ‘cabin anorak’ Dennis is the equivalent of a wildlife expert but in the world of portable buildings it is more of a ‘cabin spotter’ than bird spotter and he grudgingly admits that he can identify the origins of a cabin immediately and know how it evolved.
His cabin journey began over 30 years ago when Dennis moved from working in electronics to selling cabins and portable buildings. He and Portable Offices’ Managing Director, Adrian Witty, worked together for a competitor for 12 years in the nineties and a firm friendship was established before Adrian moved on and started with Portable Offices.
As a result, when Portable Offices launched its Bristol operation in 2013, Dennis was top of the list to run the new depot. Dennis explains:
“I was delighted to join Portable Offices and to be working with Adrian once again. It has been a rewarding few years with plenty of challenges along the way.
“Funnily enough, one of my easiest sales occurred after a visit to Sandycroft on one of my first days of working for the company – I noticed a great complex of portable buildings in the yard there and coincidentally, shortly afterwards, bumped into a client who was looking for the exact same complex. It proved quite a memorable start to my new working life with the company.”
Dennis and Val Bratton, Customer Account Manager, established what went on to become a successful business in Bristol and were shortly joined by Kate Kirk who is now Depot Manager and will be taking over the reins from Dennis, having worked alongside him for the past 12 months.
With a team of six in the office now and a full complement of yard staff, the operation has gone from strength to strength.
Kate said: “Dennis and Val welcomed me into the fold and mentored me; providing all the industry and product knowledge that I needed. We really are like a family and we will really miss Dennis.”
For Dennis, retirement will give him the time to indulge his love of astronomy and astrophotography. He is looking forward to travelling to ‘dark sky’ areas of the country in his caravan whilst star gazing on his wanderings. He also enjoys fishing and creative drawing and writing and has kept a poem diary of some of the memorable highlights.
But, he admits that he will miss the team at Portable Offices.
He commented: “I have nothing but incredible respect for the company and directors who always act with the utmost integrity. I have enjoyed working with them and look back fondly on the incredible friendships I have made. It is good to enter the next phase of my life knowing that I leave the team at Bristol in Kate’s capable hands.”
Portable Offices’ Managing Director, Adrian Witty, said: “Dennis has been a key member of the management team and has contributed a huge amount to the company’s success.
“He is also a great friend and I wish him every happiness in the years to come.”
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