___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ GJ Mats
as much as possible about the mats and potentially find a supplier . I made a few contacts I could trust , but then my next problem was figuring out how to break into the UK market .
“ While planning to start the business , I worked as a consultant between 2007 and 2013 , operating behind the scenes of some major players in the UK ’ s construction sector . I thought that by working within the relevant markets , I would learn more about bog mats , such as specifications , applications , and quality standards .
“ My opportunity to break into the market arose from a timber exhibition I attended at the NEC in Birmingham . I met a supplier who , after a few months of contact , decided to do business with me . So , again , I hopped on a plane to America and managed to secure a deal to import more than 80 container loads of bog mats into the UK .”
Hence , GJ Mats was born in 2013 . “ After building trust with the original supplier , he allowed me to import even more mats , and the business just exploded from there ,” Gareth narrates . “ We started working on more highprofile projects for major clients like Murphy and National Grid , and we gradually expanded to cater to a diverse range of sectors including wind farms and bridge demolitions .
“ For around ten years , I did everything from invoicing to cleaning the mats , before we were established enough to invest in recruitment . Although we remain a level-headed company today , we now boast a team of around seven people , and we have a new QHSE manager joining us in a few weeks ’ time .
ccemagazine . com 91