When David Francis was a young man in the timber trade in the 1960s he looked up to several people running successful businesses and active in trade associations and thought “if I achieve half of what they’ve done I’ll be quite happy”.
Fifty-two years on David has more than met his goal and has made such a mark on the industry that he was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award at this year’s TTJ Awards.
It was well-deserved recognition of David’s successful career as a director of DHH Timber and years of service with various industry bodies. The long involvement in industry matters reflects David’s life philosophy and a strong sense of duty that he learned from his industry mentors in those early years. “I’ve always been a firm believer that you get out of life what you put in,” he said. “I’ve had a very rewarding career and it’s important to put something back.”
It’s not just the number of organisations David has been actively involved in – the Plywood Club of London, the Plywood Luncheon Club, the National Panel Products Division (NPPD) and the Timber Trades Benevolent Society (TTBS) – but also the nearly three decades of service. For David, like so many of his generation, his career in the timber industry began by chance. On leaving school his first job was in the shipping department of chemical company British Drug Houses in Islington, where the Francis family had lived until David was seven years old. The job appealed because he could get a lift to work with his father who drove from their home in South Ockendon in Essex to north London each day. A few years later, in 1964, he wanted a job closer to home and found that Phoenix Timber in Rainham was looking for office staff. David got the job and, although he didn’t know anything about the timber industry he quickly learned as he spent a couple of months in each of the company’s departments. “It gave me a fantastic insight into the industry,” he said.
The various jobs included standing on floating pontoons in freezing February weather tallying timber and panel products as they came off the boats Phoenix chartered, but this didn’t put David off the industry.
As planned, he eventually settled in the shipping department, where he covered panel products, and then later moved to sales. After 19 years with Phoenix David set out on his own, forming David Francis Timber Products. It was a successful business but being a sole trader meant there was little time for family holidays with his wife Sandra and two sons and so, in 1992 David teamed up with Derek Fletcher and bought DHH Timber Products which was then a one-man band. They decided to specialise and today the company is arguably the UK’s largest birch plywood importer.
In 1998 the pair added to their portfolio EC Griffiths, which now trades as Décor Solutions, and today the two businesses have a combined turnover of £20m.
At the same time as David was building a successful business he also began his involvement with trade bodies, which continues to this day. Much of this work is documented in decades of photos and memorabilia that line the walls in DHH’s Purfleet offices.
“It’s very easy to let someone else do these things but if everyone had that attitude nothing would be done,” said David. He first attended the Plywood Club of London in 1972 and has served on the committee for the past 26 years. He was elected to the committee in 1990 and became treasurer in 1993 – a post he only relinquished in 2007 so he could serve a two-year term as chairman. He continued on the committee, and last year was elected president.
But that’s not all. Together with Geoff Maynard, David organised the club’s annual dinner for 21 years from 1993-2014. At the same time, David was active in the Plywood Luncheon Club. He attended his first meeting in the mid-1970s and joined the committee in 2001. In 2007 he was elected president – a post he still holds – and for many years he and Piers Latham of James Latham plc have organised the annual Shippers’ Lunch.
David hasn’t confined his activities to the south-east either. He’s taken on national responsibilities too.
He joined the Timber Trade Federation’s National Panel Products Division committee in 1993, served as vice-chairman from 2002-04 and chairman from 2004-06. It was only earlier this year that he retired from the committee.
While working on behalf of these various committees, David was also busy with the Timber Trades’ Benevolent Society (TTBS). He had always supported the charity, but in 2002 TTBS trustee Barry Lewis asked him – along with Malcolm Cowley of Weyerhaeuser and Sue Rowland of Ryall & Edwards – to help revive the London & Home Counties region.
“Within a short time I was treasurer of the region, Malcolm was president and Sue was secretary,” said David.
His involvement with the TTBS grew. David became national vice-president for 2007-09, followed by a two-year term as president. But his work with the TTBS didn’t end there: in 2012 he was appointed as one of the charity’s four trustees.
When asked which, of all his achievements, he is most proud of David struggles to identify just one thing.
“I’m very proud of what we’ve achieved at DHH and EC Griffiths but that’s a team effort; we have some very good people with us,” he said. “I was also proud to become NPPD chairman because you’re chosen by your peers, and I’m honoured to be a TTBS trustee, that people feel I can be trusted with an investment portfolio.”
The culmination of this life’s work was the TTJ Lifetime Achievement Award, which left David feeling “humbled”. “I was absolutely bowled over; I had no idea it was coming. I’ve enjoyed everything I’ve done, I’ve not done it all for personal gain but it’s very nice to have it recognised,” he said.
Next year, as DHH celebrates its 25th anniversary and David approaches his 71st birthday he plans to step back from the day-to-day running of the business, knowing that the company is in the safe hands of the next generation. David’s elder son Steven has worked for DHH for 23 years and is now warehouse and transport manager, while Ben, who had worked for Euler Trade Indemnity for several years, now runs Décor Solutions. Six years ago Derek’s daughter Nicola joined DHH from the travel industry and is now marketing director.
“We’re all set up for the next generation. I’m really superfluous to requirements!” David joked.
As he looks back on his career, it’s been so fulfilling that David not only has no regrets, but he wouldn’t change a thing. “If I had my time all over again I’d do exactly the same,” said David. And he would have no hesitation in recommending a career in the timber industry. “The trade has marvellous opportunities,” he said.
While he may be spending fewer days in the office next year, David will not be severing his ties with industry colleagues. “I don’t intend to miss the people in the timber trade because I’m still involved in various trade organisations and I intend to continue,” he said.
Throughout his life David has always played sport – cricket, basketball and football – and now with more leisure time he and Sandra plan to do more hiking and cycling, and spend more time with their two grandchildren. And now there should be more time for those holidays too.
