Ken Fuller is now a director of one of the UK’s leading independent timber and sheet material importing companies, MDM Timber, based in Basildon, Essex, but his career has taken him through many stages that have built up a great practical wealth of knowledge.

He left school at 16 and his strong aptitude for maths led him to become a trainee accountant at Marconi in St Albans. However, he soon realised it was not for him. “I met their chief accountant who was having a nervous breakdown, and decided to bail out,” he said. “I joined a family-owned antiques restoration business and, as I’d enjoyed woodwork at school, it seemed ideal.”

However, it wasn’t long before a new opportunity came up in Harpenden, working for a company that fitted out recording studios. “We did loads of them, including private jobs for bands like Jethro Tull and The Rolling Stones. It was great to produce things and I took my City & Guilds in Craft Wood Machining & Timber Technology,” he said.

Ken’s subscription to TTJ then brought about a significant change of direction. “I was about 20 and came across a job advert for DN Green & Co, an independent importer, based in Harpenden. This is where I started to really learn the trade that I have been involved in ever since.”

Economic change

Ken married in 1979, in an era of huge economic change. Recession loomed and the industry had to struggle through strikes and unrest. He joined the Carlton Timber Company in Kilburn, north London and set up an importing business there. “It was a very interesting time, but the travel was dreadful and an opportunity came in 1981 to join Howarth Timber in a sales executive role, to expand business in southern England.

“I became sales manager and by 1985 was a director of Howarth Timber Importers. It was a wonderful time and working with Peter Howarth was tremendous. He had the ambition to grow the business in southern England, which resulted in me becoming managing director of Howarth Timber at Shoreham in 1989 and the family moved to the south coast, where we have been ever since. Sadly Peter never saw our first vessel come into Shoreham and his untimely death came during yet another period of economic decline.

“We set up Shoreham with a sawing and planing mill and built the business from nothing. It was always going to be difficult but the whole group was trying to survive during the worst recession the building industry had ever experienced,” said Ken.

Tough decisions had to be made and unfortunately the need to protect the main Howarth business meant the closure of Shoreham.

“They were extraordinary times and there is nothing from me but respect for the Howarths, who had an enormous task on their hands,” he said.

Ken took a sabbatical (“that means I did the house up”) and tried a few things, before the phone call which led to more than 15 years of success. “I was put in touch with Malcolm Allum, who was beginning to build up a new importing business, MDM Timber Ltd. I joined in 1992, became a main board director in 1993 and a shareholder in 2000.”

Softwood and sheet material importing

MDM Timber has grown in every way, having moved from Rayleigh to its new Basildon offices, concentrating on softwood and sheet material importing. “I now spend my time on timber purchasing, together with the day-to-day issues.”

As the business has developed, this specialty has become very important and Ken is responsible for sourcing around 100,000m³ of softwood each year. “MDM is growing and so the job just grows with it,” he said.

TTF membership and chain of custody are integral parts of MDM’s business philosophy, as Ken explained. “We joined the TTF many years back; it’s a good group to be involved in. Chain of custody on FSC and PEFC products has been a key part of our sourcing for over five years and ensures that we have sustainable supply lines.”

Sustainability is embedded within MDM’s business. “We’re obviously very supportive but it also needs to be dealt with sensibly. Even now, people generally will not pay a premium and it should not be seen as something out of the ordinary, just part and parcel of a product offer.”

Outside work, life is just as busy. “The children have all reached the stage where our support is very critical, with universities and exams to sort out. Like most parents, we want to help them get set up. Cooking is one of my great hobbies, which I learned from my grandmother; if I’d learned French I’d probably have been a chef, taking on Gordon Ramsay!”

After 34 years in the industry there’s still plenty to keep Ken interested. “I have become very interested in computers and IT; it has helped enormously to move the business forwards. Of course, I also owe a huge debt of thanks to all those suppliers, customers, friends and colleagues for their support throughout my career.”