Martin Stead joined Sewell in 1990, aged 16, on a Management Trainee Programme. He spent his first 18 months on a construction site and was given one of 39 bungalows to oversee alongside his daily tasks.

“Even at that young age I had responsibility,” he said. “It was about being accountable and, inevitably, you sink or swim.”

Martin left to travel the world before returning to the Facilities Management division in 2007.

“I didn’t think I would get to this point in my career as quickly as I have. But I knew if I got stuck in, I could go somewhere at Sewell. Rewards are there for hard workers, but you’ve got to be flexible and patient.”

Under Martin’s leadership, Sewell facilities Management has grown to 100+ staff looking after more than 4,500 building tenants.

Kate Barbour transferred onto the Sewell books when the company took over the Cottingham store in 2008. She took over managing the Chanterlands Avenue site after returning from maternity leave in 2010.

“Sewell changed my outlook on work,” said Kate. “They made it more enjoyable. You’ve got to enjoy your job and, as a manager, if staff can see you enjoy your job it makes a big difference.

“Chants has a proper family feel to it and the team really took me in. They all care so much about the store and about each other. It’s a lovely place to work.”

Kate now spends time travelling across a number of sites, providing support and guidance to managers and teams while leading on key business improvement projects.

After deciding on a career in construction, Mark successfully completed his first ever interview and joined the Sewell team in 1996.

He soon found hands-on work and being on site was his preference and he has worked hard to carve his career over the past 20 years.

Mark said: “I knew I wanted to be in construction and went around the sites on my moped doing drawings and admin work.

“I also spent some time on the university site and started getting into engineering, picking up a trade and carving a role.

“I’ve seen a cultural shift over the years and we have spent time building relationships. We work with the customer.”

Katherine was studying a childcare diploma when she took on a part time job at a former Sewell shop in Swanland in 2002.

The retail world immediately suited her personality and, although she touched on a nursery career, Sewell spotted her potential and appointed her as a full time manager at the age of just 19. A few years later, Sewell sold the shop and Katherine moved to the Sutton store as supervisor.

She said: “I could have stayed with the company, but what’s always kept me here is the leadership. Dennis, who was the joint owner at the time, came to see me and asked me to stay. I felt valued. That’s the difference at Sewell – they care.”

Katherine is now behind the scenes carefully planning which products prices and promotions will encourage customers onto the forecourts.

After being made redundant from a previous job, Katie secured alternative employment but was approached by Sewell to come for an interview.

She was successful and quit her new job to join the team.

Katie said: “I was starting on a Monday and they rang me and asked me if I wanted to go bowling on the Friday. After nine months, I’d done the Leadership Challenge, an internal development initiative, and my confidence grew. In some companies, you don’t see the directors. Here, they sit down and have a cup of tea with you.

“It’s an open forum to ask questions and it brings people together. I feel like the helpdesk is my baby. I feel protective and proud of the system and my team. I couldn’t leave it.”

Simon worked for an IT company in Reading for six years before moving to Hull when his department moved out of the country.

Since joining Sewell, he has helped to develop the IT system which is used by hundreds of employees across the business.

Simon said: “We have one of the best IT systems in the region for a company of our size.

“They’re not scared of change or trying new things at Sewell. It’s the culture of always trying to make things better.

“We don’t take the easy option, we take the best option. Having freedom keeps me here. We’re trusted to do what is best and trust our ability. You can’t put a price on that.”

John joined Sewell as a joiner more than 17 years ago and only intended to stay for a month.

He has grown with the business and believes culture is the key to success.

John said: “I worked for six different companies before Sewell and this is the best company I have ever worked for.

“They look out for those who will think for themselves as opposed to those who will wait to be told.

“You’re able to think for yourself and make your own decisions, and there are opportunities to progress.

“You’ve got to be open, you’ve got to be willing to go that little bit further.”