Looking back over the last thirty years it’s still amazing to me how Connaught Windows came to exist and develop in this time. From moving premises for expansion to developing new products and changing system suppliers, the last thirty years has seen enormous challenges and changes in the fenestration industry.
When reflecting on our journey over the years, I am delighted to have met and worked with so many wonderful customers, many of them friends and a number of which have been buying from us from the beginning. However, the real heroes of Connaught are our staff and it is important that they are included in recognising our achievements.
These last few years have been challenging for me, with health issues that take up a considerable amount of my time and has forced me to relinquish my involvement in everyday operations. This is when I fully appreciated the depth of knowledge and commitment that surrounded me and the realisation that the Connaught family was strong and committed to our aspiration of manufacturing and service excellence.
February 1994, Connaught Windows was born in our study at Connaught Crescent, Parkstone, Poole, Dorset. Steve, my husband, Robbie, my brother-in-law, and myself were an unlikely trio setting out to buy-in and install windows and doors. Later we were joined by Natalie, Robbie’s new wife. By August 1994 we arrived at the realisation that we also needed to control the quality of the products as well as the installation. So, Connaught Windows manufacturing was born and as they say, “the rest is history”.
Over the years we have had staff come and go, and come back again, but the heart of our company is full of long timers who have stood shoulder to shoulder with us through thick and thin. During this time, we have shared in marriages, births, retirements and Covid, which has only made us a stronger team.
Bruce, fabricator, 23 years, Charlie, logistics supervisor, 20 years, Sarah and Blanca, accounts, 18 years, Alex, office manager, 15 years, Colin, fabrication supervisor, 13 years, Mike, logistics, 11 years, Rob, fabricator, 10 years and Margarit, aluminum fabricator, 9 years, to name but a few.
When considering what I wanted to focus on in our thirtieth year, I felt that the most important factor was to recognise our staff and their contribution to our success. As such, over the year, we are organising fun events for all to join in, outside of the normal working week.
I also want to extend my heartfelt thanks to everybody at Connaught for their dedication and contribution to our success.
