In the past 25 years, Bob Gaskell has become a pillar of not only our Contracts Services Division, but of CU Phosco and the exterior lighting industry as a whole.
Joining us back in 1999 as Sales Manager covering the North East and Yorkshire, Bob’s steadfast personality and passion for project work saw him rise rapidly in the company.
In 2002 he moved into our Contracting Division, with his first major High Mast and Floodlighting project being at Bradford Bulls Odsal Stadium.
Bob’s vision for the Contracting Division saw it move from strength to strength under his guidance. His application to detail, and investment in people has seen him bring through the second generation of a highly motivated and skilled management team, comprising of Stuart Murray, Andy Kay, Victoria Pearce, Dino DeLuca, Ric Metcalfe and his faithful sidekick, Titch the dog.
More recently Bob and his management team recognised that they needed to address the shortage of skilled labour to sustain the quality-of-service delivery from CU Phosco in their specialist contracting division, so embarked on developing an apprenticeship programme in collaboration with a key supply chain partner E.ON.
Bob became an Enterprise Advisor working with local schools in North Yorkshire to promote careers in the Engineering sectors, and particularly the value of undertaking an apprenticeship.
From this, three of the current five CU Phosco apprentices are from the area local to the CU Phosco Richmond Office. The CU Phosco Services Division are proud that we now have five apprentices that are at varying stages of their four-year Highway Electrical Apprenticeship.
In 2019, Bob became the 3rd Director of CU Phosco to become President of the HEA. Although the year was made somewhat challenging by the pandemic, it did not deter Bob’s unshakeable belief in the betterment of the HEA and the industry.
Known for his unmistakeable provincial accent and ability to dig into the detail and come up with sensible solutions, most in the industry have met him or at least know of him.
But, in case you hadn’t, we sat down with him on this landmark occasion to discuss not only his CU Phosco journey to date, but how the industry has changed in the last 25 years and the fond memories he has.
Bob, 25 years is an incredible achievement for anyone to spend at one company, what is it about CU Phosco that’s had you stay here?
The integrity and family values of CU Phosco is one of the main reasons as to why I’ve been here for 25 years.
On top of this, I’ve been given the autonomy in my role to develop my skill sets, create my own team to carry on the fantastic work we’re doing and to oversee their development into top professionals in their fields.
Not only does this enhance my team and the work that we do in the Contract Services Division, but the entire company.
In the past 25 years, how much has the industry changed? What have been the key moments?
There’s been quite a few in my time! The first one that comes to mind are PFI’s, or Private Finance Initiatives. They’ve allowed us to work more closely with Local Authorities to carry out much needed work across the country.
We can’t forget about the changes from sodium discharge to LED lighting, it has changed the industry forever. They’re more energy efficient, they last longer, they provide a better quality of light, they have less of an environmental impact and offer a level of control that discharge never could.
Speaking of control, the next key change would be the introduction of Central Management Systems. Not only do they reduce energy waste and increase cost savings, but they tell us in real-time, when a fault has been detected so that repairs can be carried out quickly to reduce downtime.
Lastly and possibly most importantly in my opinion, HERS (Highway Electrical Registration Scheme) Registration has raised the bar for Health & Safety compliance, competency and training across the Highways Sector.
Not only is it renowned and respected throughout the construction industry, but I believe, unmatched. I for one bought into this at an early stage and the business has reaped the benefits of trying to do the right thing year after year.
On behalf of all of us at CU Phosco, we would like to pass on not only a huge congratulations, but a massive thank you to Bob for his hard work and commitment to our business for the past 25 years.