Q&A: Craig Michel
4 November 2022
Craig Michel is managing director of Paragon Protection Systems, the company which developed the Zappshelter site storage structure system. The family business serves customers in the UK and several overseas markets from its headquarters in rural Perthshire.
How’s business? Any signs of slowdown?
Thankfully we’re very busy. We don’t take it for granted though, because many businesses are finding it tough at the moment. Our core industries never sleep – infrastructure construction, plant hire, waste/recycling, quarrying, agriculture – all these sectors have to keep going whatever else is happening in the world.
How is demand from the hire and construction industries?
Plant hire is largely driven by construction so the industry continues to be busy. Plant companies are continuing to invest in more kit and, as demand for undercover workshop and storage space increases, so does demand for Zappshelters.
What was your first job?
By the time I left school, I’d spent enough holidays mixing concrete for the family construction business, so I decided to buck the trend and go into sales. I joined a recruitment company serving the legal profession in London. It was there I discovered my love of people – no two are the same and everyone has a fascinating story if you take time to listen.
How did you come to be living and working in Perthshire?
My brother married a girl from Scotland in 1994 and a little later that year my parents decided to sell the business and move, too. I was still at home, so I moved as well.
How did Paragon/Zappshelter come about?
That’s a long story! The brief version is that when we moved, we started a company supplying construction plastics in Scotland. By 2014 my eldest boy Jake was approaching school-leaving age and my brother’s children weren’t far behind, so I decided to do something different. I had seen the shelter concept in Australia in 2007 and decided that the UK needed it. The Australian design wasn’t suitable for UK snow loadings, so we spent a considerable amount of time and money re-designing and engineering until we arrived at what we have today.
What do you think are the main challenges facing industry?
A lack of labour is a serious challenge. We have been fortunate, but others are finding it tough. There is a significant shortage of young people coming into the construction industry which needs to be addressed.
What one thing would make business easier?
Building on my last comment, encouraging more young people to join the construction sector would certainly help. The government should do more to incentivise them to start a career in some aspect of construction. There has never been a better time to join the industry!
What annoys you?
Lazy or indifferent salespeople who don’t bother to get back to customers on time, if at all. My team know better than to risk that at Zappshelter!
I hear that you (and other Michel family members) are musical. Do you play, sing, write...?
I sing and can play the piano and the trumpet by ear. I don’t really have favourite music but I like the older stuff, especially country. My children are musical: Jake (24) sings, and both he and Freddie (22) play the piano well; Calvin (19) can sing as can my daughter Maxine (13) who is at school. We had three pianos at home until recently, but we’re currently down to two because a friend has borrowed one. It’s a great way to de-stress!
Tell me a surprising fact about yourself or the business.
Google once bought two Zappshelters! They needed to create temporary storage at a data centre in Belgium.
What was your favourite school subject?
English. I was an avid reader and I loved Shakespeare and war poetry.
If things had been different, what other career might you have chosen?
I love cars and, as a teenager, always fancied doing something in the car industry. I really wanted a Ford Escort Mk IV RS Turbo. Recently I’ve been fascinated by the development of the Grenadier 4x4 off-road vehicle by Jim Ratcliffe’s Ineos empire. We’ve actually got one on order.
What’s the best piece of advice that you’ve ever been given, or that you would pass on to others?
No one ever became successful without hard work. Work hard and make every day count.
Do you follow a particular sport or team?
No, not really. Business is my sport.
What new skill would you like to learn?
I’d like to learn to fly an aircraft. It might happen one day!
If you were shipwrecked on a desert island, how well would you cope?
I’m an innovator so I’d survive somehow and, while waiting to be rescued, I’d enjoy the peace and quiet!
What’s the secret of success?
Doing the right things well enough, often enough. There is no shortcut.
Finally, any future plans?
We aim to double our business within three years by developing our UK and overseas markets, and adding further products to the range. Our company slogan is ‘Protect what matters’ and we aim to protect customers’ four Ps: people, products, profits and the planet, so expect some variations on those themes.
● Check out my earlier story on the development of Zappshelters and their versatility here.
Photo: Alan Guthrie
