Clearview National November 2017 - Issue 192 | Page 26

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Lord Digby Jones praises
new Liniar House
Business magnate Lord Digby Jones officially opened Liniar
House, the new 178,000ft² facility and jewel in the crown
of HL Plastics. He praised the company’s development
over more than 40 years as ‘a fabulous story’.
» » MORE THAN 150 INVITED GUESTS
attended the event in Denby, Derbyshire, for
the opening of Liniar House - the home of
the company’s new warehouse, training centre
and showrooms.
Chief executive officer Roger Hartshorn
opened proceedings, describing the history
and ethos of the company while referring to
the impressive timeline that adorns the walls
of the new Liniar showroom and charts more
than four decades of growth.
Roger, who thanked individuals in the
company, said it made a huge contribution,
especially to the local economy. He said:
“Since 1988 we have built 14 new industrial
buildings within a five-mile radius - a total
of one million sq ft. Liniar House itself has
been built in the worst recession in living
memory.”
Alongside this, the company has set up its
own Liniar Training Academy offering training
to develop installers as well as recruitment
activities in schools and colleges. The Academy
will have a 6,500 sq ft training facility fitted
out with dummy walls.
Roger said it was early in 2014 when
construction started on Liniar House, and at
times, getting the project completed had felt
like a ‘long, drawn-out process.’ But he added:
“HL Plastics now has the most integrated, well
invested single site PVCu facility in the UK.
Liniar House will take customer relations to a
new level, and I am confident the strength of
HL and its staff will continue to thrive with
the facilities and culture we have created.”
Roger introduced special guest Lord Digby
Jones, the former Director General of the
Confederation of British Industry (CBI) – the
UK’s ‘voice of business.’ He was also Business
Ambassador of UK Trade and Investment.
Delivering an inspirational and entertaining
speech, Lord Digby Jones told employees they
were among ‘the most important people in the
country’ who created wealth and opportunity
26 » N OV 2017 » CL EARVI E W- UK . C O M
for their communities and ultimately the
whole nation.
He described his own rise to success from
‘a Brummie who got a scholarship to