“Gary Tasker, Mark Tasker, Brian Field and I had worked together at, what at the time, was a major roofing supplier. We had a shared idea that it would really useful to set up an online supplier that came with excellent, knowledgeable customer service. We’d become frustrated with the way in which our previous company just couldn’t offer a good range that meant we could deliver everything people wanted. We also wanted to offer the kind of service levels that we knew were possible. So, over a Chinese meal in early 2009, we took the decision to launch online. Despite a total lack of internet experience, we recognised that by building a website to showcase products from all the key suppliers, we’d be halfway to where we wanted to go to give industry-leading choice. The other half was to make sure we were always personally on hand to help with product knowledge. Even experienced roofers valued our in-depth knowledge of all the different suppliers’ ranges. Our ‘Service above all else’ ethos was and still is at the heart of the business today – once one of us even slept in the cab of a truck overnight to make sure we were on-site at 5 AM to deliver supplies!” Rob Kavanagh