Spotlight on Brook & Mayo: A Very Lincolnshire Company
Established in 1969 and located in the picturesque village of Nettleham, Brook & Mayo (B&M) is a successful electrical engineering contractor and Team Lincolnshire ambassador. The company carries out the design, installation and commissioning of electrical installations within the industrial, commercial, healthcare and educational sectors.
B&M is a Lincolnshire-focused company which operates on the ethics of being honest, friendly and reliable, which allows the team to build steadily on an established client base, including local authorities, building contractors and surveying consultancies.
This ‘use local’ ethos has enabled the company to collaborate with other Team Lincolnshire members including Lindum Group, RG Carter, Lincolnshire Co-op and Lincoln College. Some of the projects they collaborated on are the Lincoln Science and Innovation Park, refurbishment of the Lincoln Drill Hall and projects at Lincoln County, Grantham, Boston and Scunthorpe Hospitals.
In 2016 all employees, from directors to apprentices, were gifted equal shares in the company, making B&M an employee-owned company with a board of directors and trustees.
Always keen to influence the next generation, B&M works closely with Lincoln College, offering its time and experience to talk to young people embarking on their careers and helping out with work experience. Staff also volunteer at the annual Lincolnshire Construction week at the Lincolnshire Showground, showcasing everything that local construction-related businesses have to offer to students from across the county.
Team Lincolnshire paid B&M a visit and met Darren Misiak to ask some questions!
Q: What do you do at the company and how long have you worked there?
A: I’m the Business Development Manager but have been a qualified electrician for 36 years, working at B&M for the past six years.
Q: Where does the name Brook & Mayo come from?
A: The company was founded by Mr Dave Brook and Mr Terry Mayo in 1969, when they both left the Royal Air Force. Back in the day the business was mainly a domestic appliance repair company, but quickly developed into an electrical contractor due to local demand.
Q: What does a normal working day consist of?
A: Besides looking for ways to develop the business I also look after the Health & Safety and training of staff along with a healthy amount of estimating.
Q: What is your favourite thing about working at B&M?
A: That no two days are the same; my work schedule is quite varied – oh and obviously working with a great team of people!
Q: What has been your favourite project and why?
A: The regeneration of the Lincoln Cornhill area. The development really improved the area and is very photogenic. The fact that the project was kept local by working with local contractors to complete the project was important to us.
Q: What would you tell your 13-year-old self?
A: Not to listen to the careers advisor! I wanted to work with computers, it was the early 1980’s and I was dissuaded and told there was no future in computers...!
Q: What do you enjoy doing outside of work?
A: Spending time with my family, but I also have a VW Camper van which I like to repair and restore and then go touring around the UK.
Darren rounded off our Q&A session by saying:
“I genuinely enjoy working for a company that really does value it’s employees in every way, working alongside a fantastic group of individuals with the right ethics and principals that filters down through our workforce to the benefit of our customers. It really does make a difference.”
B&M’s ethics and principals are also reflected in their charitable support; each year the team supports a charity and takes part in football matches, coffee mornings and quizzes to raise money. In previous years, Lincolnshire & Nottinghamshire Air Ambulance and The British Heart Foundation have benefited from the support and this year’s charity is MacMillan Cancer Care.
Employee Nathan Stephens will also be taking part in the London Marathon to raise money for the Electrical Industries Charity which supports all workers in the electrical trade who require support. You can donate here.
To find out more about Brook & Mayo you can visit our ambassador page here.