Commercial vehicle group Sherwood Truck and Van’s health and safety chief Greg Townley has been appointed facilities manager for parent company Guest.
Previously responsible for health and safety at Sherwood’s four sites – in South Normanton, near Alfreton; Etruria, Stoke-on-Trent; Lenton, Nottingham; and in Sheffield – he now takes care of 15 sites stretching from Sheffield to Cambridge.
The 50-year-old joined Sherwood Truck and Van in May 2010 as health and safety/projects co-ordinator based at the company’s Nottingham site. His new appointment follows the acquisition of Sherwood Truck and Van earlier this year by West Bromwich-based Ian Guest Holdings.
He lives in Hucknall, near Nottingham, with wife Beverley and two children, 13-year-old Elizabeth and 11-year-old Jeffrey. He also has a 23-year-old stepson, Gareth.
His is now responsible for site maintenance and security, prioritising repairs, obtaining estimates and renegotiating contracts with suppliers. He will also be co-ordinating health and safety, waste control and considering the business’s environmental impact.
Greg said: “This role shows that Guest is willing to adopt best practice. I was already being used to cover the role for Sherwood so it made sense for me to take on group-wide responsibilities.
“Bringing everything together will allow other line managers to focus on their primary roles.
“I’m currently clocking up about 350 miles a week getting around the sites but I know this will increase as the role develops.”
Greg started work as an apprentice light vehicle mechanic with a firm in Nottingham, worked with a main dealer for 16 years becoming a master technician, before spending eight years with another motor group at branches in Nottingham, Leicester and Northampton.
He then worked for a Leicester dealership as after sales manager, and spent the three years before joining Sherwood Truck and Van working for a multi-franchised dealership in Lincoln as service manager and health and safety co-ordinator.
Regional director responsible for the four Sherwood locations, Helen Waterfall, said: “It’s great to see someone from Sherwood moving into a group role following the acquisition.
“I know Greg will use his talent, knowledge and expertise to boost efficiency and cost effectiveness.”
Ian Guest Holdings is one of the UK’s largest independently owned commercial vehicle dealers and the single largest Iveco distributor.
The group now covers an area that includes the West Midlands, North Wales, Cambridgeshire, Leicestershire, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Staffordshire and South Yorkshire. Its network includes 12 full service Iveco dealerships, supported by local agreements with an additional eight authorised Iveco repairers.
Sherwood is a leading supplier of new and used commercial vehicles, established in 1978. The company also maintains, services and repairs commercial vehicles across Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, South Yorkshire, Staffordshire and most of Cheshire.
Sherwood prides itself on its service pedigree with a stock holding of more than 15,000 lines, a fully equipped accident repair centre and 24-hour roadside support.
www.sherwoodtruckandvan.com
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