Q&A: Mel Gould
9 December 2022
Mel Gould is managing director of the specialist hirer Welfare 4 Hire which currently has five depots serving customers nationwide. It was acquired by the AER Rents group in 2021. Mel has 34 years’ industry experience in a variety of hire sectors.
What was your first job?
A YTS (government Youth Training Scheme) job assembling double glazing - you could say I saw right through it!
How did you get into the hire industry?
My dad was a fitter at the local M & H Plant Hire depot in Nottingham and put me forward for an interview with the legendary Neil Maguire for a junior hire controller’s position in 1988. The rest, as they say, is history and I was there for ten years.
Where did you go next?
I spent four years with Bosch Power Tools and my clients were hire companies. In 2004, I founded a small tool hire business, Premier Tool Hire & Sales Ltd in Loughborough, which ran until 2012 and the aftermath of the recession. I then joined Speedy for a couple of years as general manager at their Nottingham superstore.
How did you get into the world of welfare cabin hire?
In 2014, I was approached by a third party to set up a company in the East Midlands hiring out towable welfare. Two years later I met Marc Prince (then Welfare 4 Hire’s owner) and joined him in 2017.
How’s business at the moment?
We are growing faster than our business plan projected. We opened two new depots during 2022 with more in the pipeline.
Are any products or cabin configurations in particular demand?
Our hire fleet portfolio comprises five main products which are all towable. The bread-and-butter unit is the 6-person welfare unit but our latest 1+1 mobile toilet unit is doing really well because of its versatility. Based on an AJC EasyCabin design, it has hot water, an ‘eco’ boiler, solar panels and everything people need on site, without being too complicated.
Are there any current market trends?
We are trying to embrace sustainability throughout the business, reducing our carbon emissions and being greener. We are installing more solar panels on units, rainwater harvesting and generally keeping up with the latest technological developments.
What do you think are the main challenges facing the industry?
Like most industries, having to cope with the negative media regarding potential downturns and recession. We are talked into these events faster than they would happen naturally.
What one thing would make business easier?
A better supply chain. We’ve had big problems ordering vehicles and the spares for them. Most manufacturers are struggling to supply, leading to vehicles being off the road for long periods of time.
What’s the oddest or most challenging hire request you’ve ever received?
This summer we had a request for a welfare unit with no tables, plenty of coat hooks and mirrors on every wall. It was for the singer Lulu, who was performing at a festival.
What annoys/frustrates you?
A lack of attention to detail causing simple mistakes.
What do you enjoy in your spare time?
Pre-Covid, I was quite fit and completed four half marathons in 2019 for Live Life Give Life, an organ donation charity I am involved with, raising £3,000 in the process. Post-Covid, I am now slowly (tortoise pace!) getting my fitness back. I also like travelling, watching football and going for days out with my wife Sarah and daughter Ruby (15).
Tell me a surprising fact about yourself or the business.
Looking at me at the moment, the fact that I ran those four half marathons! Seriously, I am a Trustee for Live Life Give Life. My sister passed away suddenly in 1993, aged just 20, and her organs helped six people live.
What was your favourite school subject?
PE, without a doubt. I always loved being out in the fresh air, playing football and running.
If things had been different, what other career might you have chosen?
As a young lad, I wanted to be a policeman but I had too many friends who I would probably have ended up arresting, so I quickly gave that idea up!
What’s the best piece of advice that you’ve ever been given, or that you would pass on to others?
If you want something, go for it. You may not always get it after continuous attempts but you won’t have any regrets either. My early day mentors in the hire industry were the Maguire family at M & H Plant Hire. They were so pro-active and thorough, always looking after their staff, so in turn we would give them and the business our all. If you want a reward, you have to earn and embrace it.
Do you follow a particular sport and/or team?
Football, I am a lifelong Nottingham Forest supporter. I’m (unfortunately) old enough to have experienced the very good times but for the last 23 years, until May this year, it has been a tough watch. I was at Wembley with my girls to see them win the Championship play-off final against Huddersfield Town, one of the best days of my life.
What’s the secret of success?
Good old hard work and being dedicated to the cause. Demonstrating as much flexibility as you can, setting good examples to your teams, embracing tough situations instead of leaving them for another day and rewarding those who deserve it. Every day is a school day so make sure you are aware of what is happening within your industry.
Finally, any future plans?
We will be announcing three new depot locations for 2023/4, the first of which could be in Q2 next year.
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