Meet the makers: Mark Wimbleton

MARK WIMBLETON – PRODUCTION MANAGER

How long have you been with Gaze Burvill?

I joined the company in 2009.

What is your role?

I am the Workshop Production Manager and I am responsible for ensuring everyone in the workshop has the right information to produce luxury outdoor furniture and outdoor kitchens on time, safely and efficiently.

What is the best thing about working for Gaze Burvill?

What I like most about working here is the quality of materials we get to use and the people I get to work with.

What would you say is the hardest thing about your job?

Some of our special projects we do take a lot of time and have really tight deadlines.  It is up to me to get these done on time which is often a challenge.

What is your most memorable moment at Gaze Burvill?

There are many, but the moment when I got the job as Production Manager last year is probably my most memorable.

What makes you proud to work at Gaze Burvill?

How the company has grown over the years.  When I walk around the workshop now compared to 10 years ago, it is clear to see how the quality of the workspace, craftsmanship and simply our ways of working have improved.  I do a Friday afternoon walk-around once everyone has left to make sure we’re ready to close up for the weekend, and when I see all the outdoor furniture lined up and ready to go out, it makes me feel really proud.

What is your favourite piece of furniture?

The Watts Outdoor Seat.  I was involved in the process of making it in 2010 and transforming it from the old terracotta seat style into what it is today, makes it my favourite.  I also like to go to the Watts Gallery in Surrey and see them in situ.

What are your inheritance tracks?

From my parents: Scarborough Fair by Simon and Garfunkel

To my children:  If Everybody Looked the Same by Groove Armada and Waterfront by Simple Minds.  Both of these are my go to songs on long car journeys.