BMF Young Merchants Group – the next generation  

by Glenn Paddison, BMF Young Merchants Chairman
19 February 2019

What a great year 2018 was for the BMF celebrating 40 years since its formation and 110th year as a Trade Association. The year provided a number of fabulous events to mark the special occasion, one of which saw the BMF Young Merchants host their very first Young Merchants Conference. The event was held at the NEC during National Construction Week in October and proved to be a great success attracting 150 delegates from current, past and potential Young Merchant members.  

I was honoured to have been voted by my peers to take on the role of Chairman for the Young Merchants Group at the Young Merchants Conference and I am really looking forward supporting the group over the next few years, to continue the great work that has been done in raising awareness of the group and the opportunities it can provide. I’m also delighted to have Joanne Callow from Kanuf Insulation on hand to help in her new role as Vice Chair of the group.   

2019 is now in full swing and we are looking forward to our first meeting of the year which will be held at The Talasey Group in Doncaster. We will be taking advantage of their new purpose-built academy and attendees can expect to be part of a very practical meet, designed in a way that is hoped will provide everyone the opportunity to take something away that will improve their understanding of leading a highly successful team. We are expecting good attendance at this meeting and hope to officially welcome some new Young Merchants following their involvement in the conference last year.  

We are thrilled to be able to announce that Knauf have kindly sponsored our International Trip for 2019, one of the highlights for this coming year for the Young Merchants Group. The trip will see a delegation of Young Merchants head out to Toulouse to visit Knauf’s manufacturing facilities as well as calling into local builders merchants to see how they operate.  

Whilst the meeting and trips are important educationally and are networking opportunities; there is a much greater purpose for the next generation of the industry that we hope the Young Merchants Group can influence. Youth recruitment is a key area of focus for the BMF in 2019, it is crucial that we attract new talent into our vibrant and diverse sector. I have hopes that the Young Merchants can be ambassadors for the Industry to showcase the many benefits there are to be had in the Building Materials Supply Industry. Another ambition is to foster greater ties with European Builders Merchants. Despite the uncertain geopolitical times ahead with Europe there is no reason why we cannot unite our European counterparts through UFEMAT which is building stronger ties with the BMF. The opportunities to network and collaborate with these businesses will surely be a benefit, when looking at efficiencies and best practice in our respective roles.  

All in all, there are lots of opportunities and challenges ahead in 2019 and I look forward to the BMF Young Merchants having a helping hand in the progression of our sector for years to come.  

If anybody would like to apply to join the Young Merchants please visit our Young Merchants page or contact [email protected] to apply and he will be happy to help.