Born and bred in Reading, Berkshire, Mark Wheeler moved to Dorset twelve years ago and has lived there ever since. As an area manager, he oversees the work of the six F. Ball technical representatives in the south, giving support and assistance when required. But what was the career path that led him to his current position?
Mark recalls: “I was walking home from school aged 14 after losing my part-time job at a butchers. I passed a carpet shop on my way, so I decided to go in and ask if they had any work going. The man in the shop said no but took my name and phone number anyway. No sooner had I arrived home than the manager of the store called the house and offered me a job; apparently he had said to his staff, “If the boy came in looking for a job, make him one!”
“I wasn’t given a lot of responsibility in that job, mostly sweeping up after people and making tea. After leaving school two years later, I worked as a contracts manager for several flooring companies, including a big national company at the time called Prospect Contract Flooring.”
So when did Mark start working for F. Ball?
“I was offered the position of technical representative for North/Central London in 1998, so twenty years in total,” Mark answers. “Interestingly, I was approached about the London technical representative job two years prior to this, but I was loyal to the company I worked for at the time. I always wanted to work for F. Ball though, and luckily the position came around again, which I then held for seven years before being promoted to Southern Area Manager.”
Sounds like everything worked out well for Mark! We wonder if he always knew he wanted to work in the flooring industry:
“I always wanted to master a trade, though I had the notion of joining the army once”, said Mark. “I passed all the IQ tests and was well on my way to becoming a junior leader, but they discovered I was deaf in my left ear so they sent me home! This was right before the Falklands invasion, so maybe things worked out for the best!”
“I really enjoy meeting people as Southern Area Manager; giving technical help to customers can be very rewarding. I usually see around 20-25 customers a week when I’m out with the technical representatives, though it varies between site visits and phone calls. I’m very lucky to work with six brilliant representatives in the south, though I’m sure the north is just as good! F. Ball is a great company with great people.”
Outside of work, Mark and his wife, Rachel, enjoy visiting Lyme Regis, nicknamed the ‘pearl of Dorset’. “When our sons flew the nest, we thought we’d treat ourselves to a motorhome, which we can drive to the coast within an hour. It’s great to take the dogs; we have two miniature Yorkshire terriers and a boarder collie, so the three of them just about fit. It was a different story when we owned a Great Dane!”
And what would Mark say is his greatest achievement in life?
“I’m proud of my longevity with F. Ball. And my brilliant family: I have two sons, Sam and Ryan, who are doing extremely well for themselves, and Rachel is a senior midwife at Dorchester Hospital. I’m a very lucky man.”