Q. Who is the one person you admire the most - past or present?

A. Sir Steve Redgrave - for sheer hard work, determination, perseverance and only accepting the very highest standards.

Q. What are your personal interests and hobbies?

A. Having three young children a lot of my spare time revolves around family life and activities, but I love running and I'm an active member of Spirit of Monmouth running club. I ran the London Marathon last year as well as various smaller events. I also enjoy the occasional game of squash as well as being a fan of Gloucester Rugby Club. I love skiing and try to get away either with family or friends at least once a year (did I mention I like sports??) I'm actively involved in Walford Primary School as both a parent and Governor, and fortunately I have an incredibly patient and tolerant wife!

Q. What first inspired you to run your own business?

A. Growing up in a family business I didn't have to look far for inspiration!

Q. What do you enjoy most about your particular business or sector?

A. Seeing raw materials and components being delivered to our yard one day and then going back out as completely different manufactured products the next. It's very tangible, and timber is such a versatile material although it can have its challenges!

Q. What is the ONE thing that you want your business to stand out for?

A. Our goal is to consistently impress our customers with our service levels - if we are achieving this then I am happy!

Q. What matters to you most about how your business operates?

A. Maintaining consistently high service and quality standards whilst operating as efficiently as we can in a competitive market place. We are a market leader in certain areas, particularly timber preservation and our PermaTimber long life fence posts have been recognised nationally due to our innovative approach.

Q. To date, what has been the most memorable moment in running your business - for better, worse, funny, sad or just downright ridiculous?

A. We've had a few ridiculous and funny moments but not many I could repeat! For me the most memorable moment was opening our Cheltenham Fencing sales outlet in 2004. We started from scratch with a patch of litter covered scrub land and it's very pleasing to see what it has become.

Q. What one piece of advice would you give to someone starting out in business today?

A. Get a good business coach - worth every penny!

Find out more about Walford Timber here http://www.thebestof.co.uk/local/forest-of-dean/business-guide/feature/walford-timber