Anthony Steer lives in Purley, Surrey, less than an hour’s drive from his hometown of Battersea. When asked how his weekend was, he reveals how he had spent the majority of it working on the floors of his 26-year old daughter’s apartment – a lucky family connection for anyone moving into a new home, we think!
Anthony has worked in contract flooring since the age of 16, and this will be his thirtieth year working for F. Ball. As a technical representative, he gives advice to between 35 and 40 customers in an average week, as well as making regular site visits and liaising with contractors and distributors.
“Well, I know what I used to like about it!” he jokes when asked what he likes about his job. “The rise in technology over the past decade or so has taken away that personal touch; I loved being in more direct contact with people. These days, the working world is all about number crunching, computers and deadlines.
“That being said, F. Ball is an excellent company to work for and there’s a reason why I’ve remained loyal to them for all these years. Since it is a family-owned business, it has great morals that you normally wouldn’t expect from big companies and that’s reflected in how the company conducts business.”
When asked for an example of a problem he deals with regularly, Anthony doesn’t waste any time with his answer: “Damp! It’s something you just can’t cut corners with. It’s frustrating when contractors don’t take our advice and then they come back with an even bigger problem months later.”
Outside of work, Anthony is a man with a big interest in sports: “When I was younger, I wanted to play for Chelsea football team! That was before time caught up with me; I fell into floor work young and stayed with it. Nowadays I like to play golf and squash, at more of a sedate pace I might add!”
On further probing, he reveals that his “claim to fame” is taking part in the 1970 cross-channel relay swim to raise money for charity, as well as running the London marathon for charity in 2007. Anthony explains: “It was one of those things where a friend of mine wagered “Oh you’ll never do that”, which turned out to be exactly the motivation I needed.”
Above all else, it is clear that Anthony prides himself on maintaining his level of consistent service over the last 30 years: “F. Ball is like one big family full of individual talent. They’re the market leaders in both service and product development – so they must be doing something right!”
We certainly like to think so!