Graham Schofield was born and bred in Stockport, Greater Manchester, and lives there to this day with his wife, Jess. With two grown daughters, we asked how it felt to be the only male in the family: “Mostly good! My two girls are the biggest and proudest achievements in my life.” Nicely saved, Graham!
He goes on: “My first daughter had her first child two months ago – a boy, finally! – and my second daughter is expecting her first child on Christmas Day. With any luck, our family will have three wise men in time for the new year: my two grandsons and me!”
Graham’s career in the flooring industry has spanned over 50 years, spending 30 years as a floor layer and four years after that teaching the trade. He joined F. Ball 18 years ago as a technical representative and in an average week, Graham can give advice to up to 50 customers via phone calls and site visits. “Sometimes the phone doesn’t ring, other times it never stops. Over the years, I’ve found it harder to predict when the busy periods will be. Enquiries seem to be more spread out than they were in the past, which has both advantages and disadvantages.”
We wonder whether there is a particular issue Graham faces more than others: “You’d be surprised at how many people fail to read the instructions on our products, and then call me up when they’ve got themselves into a mess! It’s frustrating at times, but all part of the job.
“I do enjoy meeting and talking to new people though”, he continues. “Working for F. Ball comes with a lot of freedom, and I like travelling to various sites in the area that I cover. I had my mind set on being a pilot when I was younger because I love to see the world, but with this job, the Northwest is my oyster!”
We sense that Graham has the travel bug, so we ask him more about that:
“I’ve travelled all over the world. India is next on the bucket list, but my favourite so far has been America. Last year, we took a train from Chicago all the way to San Francisco, then we nipped over to Hawaii. Of course, you can’t spend all your time travelling so my other hobbies include five-a-side football and golf…when I’m not planning my next trip abroad, that is!”
A nice life for some!